AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you are permitted to make rules, then I should like to make some too.” She stepped toward him, taking one of the white chrysanthemums out of the bouquet in much the same way he had done earlier. She offered the flower to him.
“Truth?” He reminded her of the symbol of the flower. “You are about to make an honest request of me now then, I take it?”
“That is correct.” She stopped shortly in front of him. “I understand you wish for little to do with me. Considering the manner of our marriage, I can hardly blame you for it, despite the fact you claim to be tempted…”
“It is more than a claim,” he said, his voice so deep she felt that warmth spread through herself again. She warded it off with some irritation.
How can this man I know so little of have such power over me?
“Yet I do not wish us to be strangers under the same roof. Maybe you can be happy with a wife sitting like some peg doll in one of your rooms, but I will not be.” She shook her head.
“I wouldn’t wish for that. As I said, you can pursue any interests you like,” he said slowly, his brows furrowing with some confusion.
“I thank you for it,.” she continued on, not wanting to let up now she had begun. “What I wish to ask for though is not pursuits to fill my time but company.” Her words had his chin lifting high and a muscle ticking in his jaw. She wondered if it was nerves that caused that reaction in him. “I wish us to dine together each evening. I would like us to at least try to be friends.”
“Ah, I see.” His expression softened. “Yes, I can give you that.”
“Thank you.” She sighed with relief and moved toward the open door that had been pulled back by the butler. “We shall also attend events of the ton together.”
“Rule number two?” he said as he followed her.
“My rule number two. Together, we have amassed many more.” She stepped into the house, smiling at the butler and pausing as she stared at the grand entrance hall.
Built of mosaic tiling, the floor was almost roman in style. A myriad of colors shone up from the surface, contrasting the white pillars and walls, along with the plinths on which old busts and statues had been placed. Either side of the front door there were vast windows, filling the room with light.
“Well, I must praise your designer,” she whispered as James moved to stand beside her.
“I designed it myself.” James’ words had her head jerking toward him sharply in surprise. “Was that shock? Ah, yes, I see, amazement! Did you think I was devoid of culture and art? A poor gambling house owner who sits in his counting house counting out his money?”
“Something tells me you rather like the impression people have of you. You do not seek in a public sphere to dispel the idea.”
“Perhaps not,” he confessed and shook off his frock coat that he offered to the butler beside him. The small smile he revealed told Marina a secret, that she was right – James sought to keep his life private from the eyes of the ton. “This is Mr. Pitt-Rivers. A fine butler indeed.”
“It is a pleasure to welcome you, Your Grace.”
“Oh… Th-thank you,” Marina stammered as the butler bowed deeply, realizing with shock that she was now a duchess as the butler had addressed her so formally. She had scarcely thought of how it would feel when people began to address her so. It felt too formal and stuffy. She rather wished to shed the title.
“Shall I arrange for the housekeeper to give the Duchess a tour, Your Grace?” Mr Pitt-Rivers asked James, his tall forehead and large eyes pitching back a little to accommodate for James’ great height.
“No, thank you. I shall give her the tour myself.”
Wait… he will?
CHAPTER8
“Music room, parlor, and withdrawing room are this side.” James opened three doors and hurriedly pointed inside. Marina moved toward one of them, but he closed it again before she could go in. “Through this door is the servants’ quarters and a long spiral staircase leading down to the kitchen. If you are in need of the housekeeper, Mrs. Viner, at any point, then you can ring the bell here.” He tapped a brass bell that sat on a thin mahogany hall table.
“I see, I –” Marina looked ready to ask questions, but James wasn’t in a mood to dawdle. He’d spent a long time in Marina’s company that morning, and he had now also committed to spend dinner with her later that day. The sooner he put some distance between them the better.
“This way to the staircase.” He gestured back to the hallway, leading the path toward the tall white stairs that led into the building’s rafters. “Your chamber will be the second door on your left as you ascend. Now, I think that is all –”
“Pah! That is all?” Marina laughed suddenly. The sound was so abrupt, and rather free, that it caught James’ interest. He looked round at her, seeing her clutching her stomach as she giggled. “I do believe a dog could have afforded a better tour. At least a pup would hover in one or two rooms for a few minutes and allow me to see them.” She gestured back in the direction they had come from. “I must determine that you are eager to escape my company.”
“Confirm it, and you’ll think ill of me for it.” He matched her stance, folding his arms and moving to stand in front of her. “And if I deny it…”
“It would be a lie.” She raised a finger and pointed it straight at his chest. “You are wanting to be out of my company as soon as possible.”
“As I said, I will dine with you, but I do not have to spend every minute of every day with my wife,” he insisted.
