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He winced. ‘You caught me by surprise, that’s all.’

She studied him, wondering if that was true. Perhaps she should test it to find out.

Slowly, she withdrew her hand from her muff and removed her glove. Then she kept her gaze fixed on his as she lifted her hand to rest on his cheek. The duke’s skin was warm, the barest stubble from his beard rough against her fingertips.

His grey eyes flared, but he didn’t move. She traced the edge of his jaw and saw the moment he tensed. He really didn’t like this.

And so she pulled away from him, wishing she’d never dared to touch him.

‘Charlotte—’

‘No. I already know what you’re going to say.’ She put her glove back on and slid her hand into her muff.

‘You don’t.’

Was he intending to apologise? From the wary expression on his face, it didn’t seem so.

‘I should go,’ she told him briskly. ‘I will see you in the morning.’

‘At supper,’ he corrected. ‘You will see me later when we dine together.’

She clenched her hands together inside her muff and stepped away from him, frowning. ‘I don’t understand why you keep asking me to share every meal.’ One hour a day was enough for her parents—why wasn’t it enough for him?

The duke was frowning again. ‘Because we’re strangers, as you said. How else will we get acquainted?’ He paused and added, ‘Did you like only spending an hour with your parents?’

She’d never really thought about it before. ‘It was all I knew. They didn’t want to see me for longer than that, I suppose.’ The thought was uncomfortable.

‘And what if I want to see you longer than an hour each day?’ he asked. ‘Would that bother you?’

The thought flustered her. She didn’t know, for she had expected to be alone most of the time. ‘Are you saying that…you want to become friends?’

‘You are my wife.’ He stood from the stone bench. ‘I don’t intend to see you at six o’clock and nothing more. It’s not right.’ From the guarded expression on his face, Charlotte wondered if he was angry. Wasn’t it normal for children to only spend a little time with their parents?

‘We will continue with amiable, parallel lives, as we agreed in our rules,’ he continued. ‘But you are my duchess now. And I would expect us to spend several hours together each day, at the very least.’

She didn’t know how to respond to that. When she didn’t answer, he prompted, ‘Don’t you think you’re worth more than an hour each day?’ His words held a quiet intensity that unsettled her.

‘I…yes. I suppose.’ But his words awakened a question within her that she didn’t want to face. Was the reason her parents had limited their time together because they hadn’t wanted to be with their children for very long?

The duke offered his arm, and she took it, feeling slightly awkward. He pushed back the shrubbery, his large body overshadowing hers. As she passed through the opening, she couldn’t help but brush against him. It was strangely intimate in a way she’d never expected—almost an awakening of sorts. It wasn’t threatening at all.

Charlotte found herself wishing he would kiss her. He’d only kissed her cheek at the wedding. What would it be like to have his mouth upon hers? Heaven help her, she couldn’t deny her attraction to this man.

She was beginning to suspect that the consummation of this marriage might not be as terrifying as she’d imagined.

Maybe it would even feel…good.

And from the wicked glint she saw in his eyes, Charlotte thought, I am in trouble.

Chapter Four

Rule 4: You will manage the garden. I will manage the house and estate.

The duchess chose a seat beside him at supper. Although her hair was pulled back, it was still damp from the bath he’d ordered for her.

Alaric waited for her to speak, to say something. But Charlotte waited until the servants had gone before she said, ‘Thank you for ordering the hot bath. It was so nice to get warm again after our walk. Did you have one yourself?’

‘No,’ he answered. But an unexpected vision flashed before him, of Charlotte naked in her bath. He was fully aware of his own physical attraction to her. Even now, he had a sudden desire to take her back to his bedchamber and find out exactly how her body fit with his.