Page 64 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

He bit his tongue, watching as Marcus looked up at her adoringly as she cooed over the tiny animal.

Eventually, after an eternity that had him edging forward in his seat, barely holding himself back from leaping across the desk and removing her from his brother’s side, she stepped back.

“I was thinking that we might promenade today,” Louise said excitedly to Marcus, who raised his eyebrows but seemed equally keen on the idea.

“Promenade?” he asked softly, glancing hesitantly at Christian.

“If you have the strength for it,” she added. “I know you are still recovering from your ordeal, but I have missed you. Just think—we would not need to be chaperoned this time, since I am married now!”

Christian thought he might crack a tooth, for his jaw was clenched so tightly. He stood up, clearing his throat pointedly,and Louise turned to him, the warmth in her eyes fading as she arched a shapely eyebrow at him.

“Is there a problem, husband?” she asked. “Am I not allowed to have friends outside of our marriage?”

Christian rounded his desk, aware of Marcus’s eyes following his every move. He stopped in front of Louise, who stood her ground and looked up at him with an expectant defiance on her face, which made him itch to throw her over his shoulder and drag her to his bedroom.

“As long as you remember who you belong to,” he said huskily.

Louise scoffed. “I do not belong to anyone.”

Christian leaned in so that he could whisper in her ear, noting the flush on her cheeks and the low gasp that escaped her mouth. “Remember that the next time you moan my name, mysweet.”

Now it was Marcus’s turn to clear his throat as he unsteadily pushed himself to his feet, the kitten held loosely in his hand. “Ahem. Well, I think?—”

“You may go,” Christian said without looking at him, staring at Louise and daring her to challenge him.

“I do not need yourpermissionto spend time with my friends,” she stated haughtily, before taking Jack from Marcus’s hand andstalking out of the room, leaving the two brothers staring after her in amazement.

Christian turned back to Marcus, who was watching him with an odd expression.

“Perhaps a walk outsidewoulddo me some good,” Marcus insisted. “The atmosphere in here is rather overwhelming.”

Louise marched into her room and rang for her maid.

She held Jack against her stomach, stroking his soft fur and wondering what the cook was making that might be suitable for his supper. She looked down at his little face and smiled, scratching him beneath his chin as she considered Christian’s reactions to her interactions with Marcus. He seemed just as jealous as he had been at the ballroom, which amused her as much as it made her angry.

Christian had never shown the slightest interest in her friendship with Marcus until today. It seemed that just because they were married, he now felt he had to stake his claim on her wherever she might be.

I have never thought of Marcus in that way, and yet Christian looks at me as though I have always had designs on him!

She mulled over that thought as her maid arrived to help her dress for the promenade. She had so many dresses to choose from now that she found it positively exciting to sift through her collection. It vexed her that Christian had learned her tastes so well and so quickly. Everything he had bought her, she adored.

She chose a striking gold and green dress for the park, liking the way it reminded her of the flowers she had drawn the night before.

As her maid put the finishing touches to her hair, Louise’s eyes fell on the reticule in the corner of the room and the notebook filled with her drawings. She smiled happily. There was no reason she could not take it with her and spend some time showing Marcus her progress with the encyclopedia.

Her hand came up to her stomach as she considered what might have happened had he not returned to them.

I am so glad that he is safe.

But Marcus was not himself. It was not just that he looked far thinner than the last time she had seen him. He would not meet her eyes, constantly glancing away, making excuses, and refusing to tell her what had happened to him.

She was determined to find out the truth today. In the comfort of the park, with all the flowers and plants around to distract them, she hoped she could coax him into conversation and get titbits of information from him without him realizing her intentions.

She looked at herself in the mirror and turned to the side, pleased with her appearance. Her emerald-green gloves complemented her dress, and the dark green reticule holding her notebook was quite the thing. She could not wait to show Marcus all of her drawings and hear his thoughts on what she wished to add to the encyclopedia.

She nodded at her maid in thanks before she left her room and headed downstairs to meet him.

Christian may think he has given me permission to promenade with my closest friend, but I am a married woman now, and I shall do as I wish!

---