Page 33 of A Bride for the Cruel Duke

“What is it that you want from this marriage?” she said simply, the annoyance fading, earnestness evident in the way she looked up at him. “You never told me why you wished to marry to begin with, and I sense that you are not in it for love...” She snorted. “Somehow, I doubt you are capable of such a thing.”

“Careful…” He warned her. “Do not think that the presence of a crowd will save you.”

“My meaning is that there must be a reason you wished to marry,” she said quickly, careful to avoid angering him further. “And I would like to know what it is. What do you expect of me? If you tell me that, then I will at least know how to approach our union. Truly, it might make things easier on both of us.”

Anthony considered the question, and the logic behind it. It surprised him, that she was being so forthright and practical. It also relieved him, because he saw in it a chance to establish the exact boundaries that he needed. He did not want a marriage in which they were at one another’s throat the entire time. He certainly did not want her to push him, for he knew where that would lead.

What he desired... he looked across the drawing room and caught sight of Roderick, seated beside his soon-to-be wife. They were not speaking to one another. They were not even acknowledging each other’s existence. They would never be happy, nor would they be woeful. Perhaps in many ways, that in itself was the definition of a perfect marriage.

At least Anthony told himself as much, because he knew that to want anything else for himself would be folly.

“You want to know what I require of you?”

“That is all I want.”

“I have said it once and I will say it again.” He looked right at her. “Peace and quiet. I do not want to fight. I do not want you to test me. I want a marriage that to the world outside of our walls appears like any other. No gossip. No rumors. Peace and quiet.”

There was more to it than that. Thetruereason that Anthony had sought suddenly to find himself a bride. What hereallywished from this union. But for the time being, his explanation would suffice. Somehow, he doubted the truth of it would please his soon-to-be wife.

Unsurprisingly, Lady Caroline was nodding along. “A marriage of convenience.”

He chuckled at the term. “If that is what they are calling it.”

“It is,” she said. “And I am. I think...” A smile reached her lips. It was a beautiful thing, reminding him again of how pretty he found her. Which annoyed him, as was typical. “I think this can work.”

“Do you now?”

“Yes.” She stood herself up and for a moment he thought she was going to extend her hand for him to shake. Rather, she nodded once and then... just sort of lingered, again unsure.

“You may leave me,” he sighed. “Before you do or say anything that might annoy me.”

“I would not want to disturb your peace and quiet,” she joked, and Anthony very nearly laughed.

Lady Caroline hesitated, her eyes roaming him, her tongue licking her lips, a sense that she had more to say. Or perhaps there was something else on her mind? Their shared kiss had not left Anthony’s mind these past few days, and he wondered if it was still on her mind too. More than that, he wondered how she felt about it.

Surely she felt nothing? For how could she? She was forced into this marriage and is now trying to make her peace with it. That is all it can be…

A shake of the head and Lady Caroline turned suddenly and disappeared through the crowd, gone as if she never was. Anthony stayed in the corner, finishing his drink before retiring for the evening.

As strange as it might have been to think, that right there was by far the most pleasant conversation Anthony and Lady Caroline had engaged in yet. Still a little hostile, but by no means venomous. It gave Anthony hope.

What did he really want from this marriage? Apart from an heir, as was expected, he wanted a marriage in which his wife was not terrified of him. A marriage where she did not balk at the sight of him, or turn and flee when he entered the room. Dammit, he wanted a marriage where she laughed when she heard the name the Cruel Duke, rather than screamed.

Anthony had long since given up on such notions, knowing that when he married, it would be a forced affair, likely to a woman who feared him, and the best he could hope for was that she avoided him and pretended he did not exist. For her own sake, as well as his.

Peace and quiet…

ChapterTwelve

The following weeks passed by in a blur as Caroline’s wedding day approached. She thought time might have gone more slowly, a ticking clock that never seemed to reach midnight, seeing as she was most certainly not looking forward to the day in question. Sadly, the complete opposite was true.

“There you are!” Caroline’s mother burst into her room two weeks after her sister’s wedding. “What are you doing?”

“Mother...” Caroline frowned. “I’m reading. What is the matter?”

Times were that it might have been strange for her mother to seek her out like this in the middle of the day. With four other daughters and a son to keep her busy, Caroline was rarely the subject of her attention and had always been glad for it. Why, she could have snuck out, tripped into London, gotten up to all sorts of mischief, and come home knowing that not a soul would be the wiser. Not anymore.

It seemed that every day now her mother was checking on her. Making sure she was well. Asking questions about the wedding. Ensuring that Caroline wasn’t going to do anything foolish that might ruin everything. And in truth, it was starting to get on Caroline’s nerves.

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