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‘I did not agree to that rule.’ He leaned back against the seat.

‘I am offering you the chance to better define the rule so we are in agreement.’ Which sounded entirely reasonable to her.

‘I am not going to define anything. It is my responsibility to care for the house and estate, and I will do so.’

‘Unless you are gone for a long period of time,’ she countered. ‘In which case, I will take care of them.’

He stared at her incredulously. ‘Are you arguing with me?’

‘Not at all,’ she said calmly. ‘I am simply informing you of how it will be if you abandon me for weeks at a time. You will be relinquishing your right of responsibility to me. And I will make decisions as I see fit.’

He leaned forward, his expression thunderous. ‘You will not.’

She leaned forward until her knees touched his in silent defiance. ‘Oh yes, I will.’

‘I forbid it.’ This time, he reached out, resting his hands on either side of her.

She took his palms, pressing them to her hips. ‘But you won’t be there to stop me, will you?’ The air of challenge hung between them.

‘Tell Moreen to pack your belongings tonight,’ he said. ‘You’ll leave in the morning.’

‘Will I?’ She reached out to his cravat and untied it. The moment she touched him, the tension grew hotter. His hands slid up to her waist.

‘What are you doing, Charlotte?’

She took his cravat and used it to pull his face down to hers. ‘Your cravat is untied. I’m going to fix it for you.’

Then she kissed him, her tongue sliding against that stubborn mouth. The moment she did, he dragged her into his lap. Beneath her thin skirts, she could feel the hard length of him. She undulated against him, and he hissed.

‘I think you should come back to Severn with me,’ she said against his mouth. ‘You can handle your business affairs there. And it’s safer for both of us.’

He pulled back from the kiss, his breathing unsteady. ‘I need to put an end to this.’

‘Then why not do it at our estate? It’s not so very far away.’

His hands moved up to her breasts, and she fought back against her own needs. She knew what he wanted, and unfortunately, he was quite persuasive. Between her legs, she was already wet and aching for him.

But then the carriage came to a stop outside their townhouse. Alaric set her back on the seat across from him and after the footman opened the door, he helped her out. Charlotte knew her hair was dishevelled, and it was certainly clear from his cravat that she’d been distracting her husband.

They barely had time to hand over their coats and hats to a servant before the duke was leading her up the stairs. Although she knew exactly what he wanted from her, she wasn’t yet willing to back down.

Even if she wanted him just as badly.

As soon as they reached his bedchamber, he opened the door and drew her inside.

‘We need to talk,’ she said, pressing her hand against his chest to keep him at a distance.

As soon as she did, Alaric’s face shuttered. ‘If you’ve no wish to share my bed, you are free to return to your own bedchamber.’

‘I didn’t say that,’ she said. ‘I want to come to an agreement. After that…’ She let her words trail off.

‘If, by an agreement, you mean that you want me to return to Severn instead of bringing to justice those who seek to threaten you—’

‘And what do you plan to do, Alaric? It sounds as if your father may have borrowed money from men who don’t care about obeying the law.’

‘I’m not going after them alone, if that’s what you mean. I’m not that foolish.’

She crossed the room and sat in a chair. ‘I don’t want you to go after them at all. I want you to send the Runners to catch those who tried to take advantage of your father.’