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Anthony tried his hardest not to glance over his wife’s head. She was much shorter than he, and even out of the corner of his eye he could see several villagers clustered at a distance behind her. They were clearly watching them, waiting to see whether things were just as well in the duke’s household as he made them out to be.
Though it had been three weeks since their wedding, Anthony wasn’t yet ready for word to get out that all was not well. He was certain that whispers had already been mentioned as to why he had spirited his wife away to the countryside on top of their very quiet wedding ceremony.
It would be just like his sisters, especially Emily, to go and mention something at one of the many balls they had been attending since their rise in society.
“I shall accompany you in the carriage if you so wish, My Lady,” Anthony suggested when she still looked reluctant. He was only half-relieved when she quickly started to shake her head.
“No, a walk shall do us both good.”
He was more relieved when she wiped her hands once more on her apron and then slipped one into the crook of his elbow. Leaning sideways slightly to accommodate her smaller stature, the duke called over his shoulder to the carriage driver that they would return to the manor by foot before he began to escort his wife from the yard up the lane towards the grand house.
Several villagers waved happily to them, wishing them well as they passed, but before long, they were alone save for the coachman who drove the carriage slowly at some distance behind them. Though the silence was slightly awkward, it was not nearly as awkward as it had been several days ago or even a week ago when it had been so uncomfortable that Anthony had avoided her at all costs.
In an attempt to ease it off and hoping that she might finally have thawed enough, Anthony plucked up the courage to ask, “My Lady, I was hoping that you might be willing to help me with something this evening?”
Lady Rose had been walking with her gaze on the ground before her feet, looking like she was concentrating upon not stumbling, but at his words, she turned her face up to look at him. A curious expression crossed her face.
“I shall endeavour to help however I am able, My Lord,” she responded, and though her words were that of any wife to her husband, he couldn’t help feeling as though they were finally connecting for the very first time.
“Wonderful,” Anthony said, unable to stop himself from smiling with delight, “would you join me in the library this evening once our guests have retired? I have some paperwork I must go over, but I would greatly appreciate your opinion on them.”
Lady Rose’s lips pursed, and Anthony’s heart stopped, fearful she might decline. Relief washed over him the moment she began to smile, “As long as your sisters do not tire me out, I shall be happy to help, My Lord.”
Chapter 23
Penelope truly had no idea what she was doing. Having played the gracious host from noon right the way through to dinner, Penelope found herself fitting into the Grafton family all too well. The duke’s sisters appeared to love her.
They had admitted as much over and over again, assuring her that she was the best thing to have ever happened to the duke. Lord Chatham, having heard them a few times, even nodded his agreement. The gesture caused Penelope’s stomach to somersault with delight before a large black hole opened up in her gut, reminding her of her guilt.
Lord Jonathan Sweetings’ presence was as welcome as ever. The man was a welcome relief from her thoughts, making her laugh with unrestrained amusement, and by the time she was due to join her husband in the library as she had promised, she found she was indeed quite exhausted.
He deserves a wife who is willing to help him with whatever he needs,Penelope told herself firmly as she left the parlour where she had been waiting for Lady Elizabeth and Lady Emily to finally retire to their beds, promising to meet her husband once they had done so.
Though she knew deep down that she wasn’t truly his wife, she knew that, at least for now, she had to act like the best wife she could possibly be.At least where business and the running of the household are concerned,she told herself, trying her hardest not to think about her other wifely duties that so far the duke had been kind enough not ever to bring up again.
Walking to the library, Penelope feared that things would suddenly change again. Though everything had been going miraculously well, she couldn’t help feeling that at any moment, the rug was going to be pulled out from beneath her feet. She told herself that it was better always to remain wary; that way, she could never be entirely shocked when something did eventually go wrong.
Finding him in the library, Penelope entered quietly, unwilling to disturb his reading over the likely important document in his hand. She had only gone a few paces into the room when the duke looked up with surprise.
“Ahh, Lady Rose, I had almost begun to think you were not coming,” he admitted, and Penelope was surprised to hear the relief in his voice. Was he so pleased that she had come?
“I promised that I would, did I not?” she said with a smile, standing at the end of his desk.
“Yes, though I thought that my sisters might have exhausted you too much,” the duke responded, putting down the papers he had been looking at.
“I cannot say that they haven’t,” Penelope admitted, shrugging her shoulders, “especially Emily. She can talk for England.”
Penelope was surprised at the ease with which they laughed together. Her heart hammered to see the amusement she had placed upon her husband’s face, and she had to quickly distract herself so as not to find herself too attracted to him again. “May I ask why you wished me to join you this evening, My Lord?”
The duke nodded, his face becoming serious, and he picked up the topmost piece of paper from the pile in front of him. “I did as you suggested and sent someone around all the dwellings I own. They have taken a list of suggestions from all the tenants, and I would like your opinion on how to fix the issues.”
Penelope’s mouth dropped open in shock. Though she had been going about the motions of a dutiful wife, offering her opinion wherever the duke asked for it, she had never actually expected him to listen to anything she said.
As if he sensed her surprise, the duke began to smile, holding out the paper to her. He spoke with a continued smile, “If you would be so kind, My Lady.”
For the longest time since their wedding, things were easy, simple even. Penelope took the paper from him and began to read over everything. They talked over what needed to be improved, where they could make changes, and where the tenant might merely just be trying to take the duke for a fool. They even laughed and shared gazes as they did so, becoming one as if they truly were a married couple.
It wasn’t until Penelope reached over from where she had been standing to pick up a quill from the desk to make a few notes that everything went wrong. She felt her elbow hit the candle holder just moments before she realised that she had knocked it with her forearm.
