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Once, when she was a child, she had dared to ask her mother if she loved her. Alice had simply laughed and answered, ‘What a ridiculous question.’

But now she knew the answer. She and Evelyn had never been wanted. They had been born out of duty until at last, Nelson had become her father’s heir. After that, her mother had seemed relieved, and there had been no other siblings.

It didn’t seem that her mother had ever really wanted children. Alice had spent so little time with them. As for herself, Charlotte did want a baby. The thought of holding one in her arms was an ache she’d never really understood. But unlike her mother, she fully intended to spend a great deal of time with her offspring. She wanted to love her children in the way her parents hadn’t loved her. And maybe it would be enough to ease the growing loneliness inside her marriage, if she wasn’t the woman Alaric wanted.

The door opened again, and she heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, Charlotte dried her eyes and was surprised to see the duke carrying a cup of tea in one hand and a small plate of biscuits in the other. He set them down on the table beside her bed.

‘Here. In case you’re hungry or thirsty.’

‘Thank you,’ she whispered and reached for the tea. To her surprise, it was made exactly the way she preferred, with a touch of milk and sugar.

‘I…asked Moreen to make it the way you like it,’ he confessed.

His gesture had been kind, and even though she didn’t really want anything to eat or drink, she wouldn’t ignore his efforts. She sipped at the tea and broke off a piece of the biscuit.

‘I hope you feel better,’ he said. ‘Is there anything else you need?’

‘No. I’ll be all right.’

He studied her for a long moment without speaking. Then he gave a brief nod and retreated, closing the door behind him.

She should have been glad that he’d left her alone. But something had shifted between them tonight. It was probably her fault.

He’d kept to their rules, whereas she was starting to break them. She was beginning to want more from their marriage.

She wanted Alaric to spend time with her, breaking down the invisible walls until he became both her friend and her lover.

A part of her warned that it was impossible. They had already agreed not to fall in love. But what if she somehow convinced him that it would work? What would it be like to have a marriage where her husband loved her?

She wiped her tears, gripping her pillow. Alaric already desired her. There was no denying that she’d found pleasure in his touch. Was there a way to convince him that there could be so much more between them? What if…he wanted to spend time with her? A rush of emotion flowed through her, even as she suspected it wasn’t possible. There were rules between them for a reason.

But maybe there didn’t have to be.

Was there a way to change their marriage for the better? She would have to study the book she’d brought along and find out if there was anything she could do.

Somehow, she feared that physical pleasure wasn’t enough to win his heart. She needed to understand the duke, to know why he was so determined to keep love out of their marriage. Was it because of what had happened with Lenora? Was he brokenhearted over the loss?

A sudden sense of determination came over her. Lenora had been an utter fool to turn down a man like the Duke of Severn.

But Charlotte was not a fool. She simply had to summon her courage and find out how to breach the distance between them and tempt her husband into ignoring the rules.

Maybe if they spent more time together, if he got to know her, they could build something meaningful between them that would last.

And she intended to begin first thing in the morning.

When Alaric arrived at breakfast, Charlotte was already waiting for him. She wore a rose-coloured gown, and her golden hair was pinned up with a single curl against her cheek. It deliberately drew his attention to her face, making him want to touch it.

Around her throat, she wore the strand of his mother’s pearls that he’d given her for Christmas. There was also a tiny vase in the centre of the table—undoubtedly her embellishment—with some sort of white flowers he didn’t recognise. Were there flowers blooming in late January?

‘Good morning.’ She smiled warmly and motioned towards the sideboard. ‘I asked Cook to prepare some of your favourites this morning. You were so kind for taking care of me last night, I wanted to thank you.’

‘Of course.’ He saw the usual fresh buns with butter, but there were also eggs, sausages, and jam—was that apricot? His stomach rumbled in anticipation.

Alaric helped himself, and when he sat down at the table, Charlotte gave him his tea. Just as before, it was prepared exactly the way he liked it.

He wasn’t used to having someone take care of him, and he didn’t quite know how to feel about it. Even last night, he hadn’t known how she took her tea until he’d asked. It did seem like the sort of thing a husband ought to know.

Last night was the first time he’d ever seen Charlotte unwell—and it had bothered him more than he’d thought it would. He’d grown accustomed to her smile, and he’d wanted her to feel better. She did seem to have improved this morning, which eased his tension.