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A moment later, Alaric entered the drawing room. From his dishevelled appearance, it looked as if he’d been in a hurry to get here.

To Charlotte’s surprise, he came to her side and demanded, ‘Are you all right?’

‘I…yes, I am.’ Why was he asking her this? She stood, and he pressed his hand to her back. ‘Did something happen?’

He didn’t answer but addressed her sister, ‘Forgive me, Lady Rowland, but I need to take my wife home immediately.’

‘Your Grace,’ Evelyn greeted him with a nod. She reached out to embrace Charlotte. ‘It was good to see you again.’

She hugged her sister back and then went to Alaric’s side. His impatience was palpable, and he murmured another apology as he escorted her out.

‘What is it?’ Charlotte asked as he helped her with her pelisse. She had never seen him so uneasy.

He didn’t answer until they were safely inside the carriage. ‘Do you remember the letters you received from Mr Virdon?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘He paid a call earlier today and claimed that he was representing Lord Selwyn to ask that my father’s loans be repaid.’ His expression turned grave. ‘When I demanded evidence of these so-called loans, he insinuated that you might be harmed if I did not pay him.’

Charlotte let out a breath slowly, but it wasn’t fear of being attacked. No, it was the fear on his face that made her stop and wonder. He had travelled across town to bring her home. Those weren’t the actions of a man who didn’t care.

She reached out to take his hands in hers. ‘I’m all right, Alaric.’

He gripped her palms but instead of looking at her, he glanced outside. ‘I’m sending you back to Severn in the morning.’

Something in his voice made her wary, and she asked, ‘And will you be joining me there?’

Alaric shook his head. ‘I need to stay in London and resolve this.’ He released her hands, keeping his gaze fixed outside.

Charlotte didn’t like the thought of him alone in London. ‘It’s not safe for you either,’ she warned. ‘And we don’t even know whether the loan was real.’

‘That’s what I’m going to find out,’ he said. ‘He also mentioned Thornton.’

‘I don’t think you should pay Mr Virdon anything—especially if you’re not certain. With men like him, they will only try to extort even more,’ she warned. After a pause, she ventured, ‘I think you should come back home with me until we know more.’

‘No. I’m going to see this through and ensure that there are no more threats against us.’

She didn’t know what to say to that. It was now beginning to sound as if his worry wasn’t about her, but rather what she represented: his duchess. She felt like a possession he intended to protect, a glass vase to keep safe by putting it up on a shelf.

As she studied him, it was clear that his attention was on the threat, not her. Her shoulders lowered with disappointment, though it was what she should have expected.

An ache caught in her throat, even as she told herself that it didn’t matter.

‘Then what can I do to help you while I’m at Severn?’

‘Nothing. I will handle it. My father’s debts are my responsibility.’

He was shutting her out again. But regardless of what she’d thought this marriage would be like, Alaric was her husband, her equal. And she did not intend to stand aside as a decorative wife.

She took a breath. ‘What would you define as an extended period of time? A fortnight? Or one month?’

He turned back to her. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘Rule 12.’

He appeared confused. ‘We did not write twelve rules.’

‘I added Rule 12, remember? If you are gone for extended periods of time, then I am permitted to make decisions in your stead, as your duchess.’