Page 67 of The Replacement Duchess

“It is on a shelf in the drawing room.”

He spoke to her as if he was utterly disinterested in anything at all that she could say. She hated it, and the more he did it, the more she wished to pester him. He would snap and speak to her properly eventually, she was sure of it.

“Ah, I see. I was rather confused, that is all, seeing as how books are typically stored in libraries.”

Her attempt at a reaction did not work. He did not even look at her and simply continued walking until he was out of sight. He did not come to lunch, which was not a surprise to her, and instead of eating, she simply pushed her food around with her fork in a most unladylike manner.

It didn’t matter, she decided, because nobody was there to watch her do it anyway.

Then she left after a while, and as she turned the corner, she heard Colin walking towards the dining hall. She turned and watched him walk inside, having clearly waited for her to finish before arriving. He brightly told the staff that he had been held up by his work, apologizing for the wait.

At least he was still able to apologize to some, she thought.

Dinner passed in the same manner, and Diana decided to at least eat something, even if it was only some bread and some meat. Nothing else appealed to her, and more than anything, she was hoping to go to sleep and awaken to an apologetic husband who smiled and told her she could do anything she wanted.

“Will the Duke come?” she asked a servant, who exchanged looks with another.

“He has told us that he will be occupied this evening.”

Diana wondered if, by how secretive they were being, she already knew where he was.

“Very well. I am finished.”

She retired to the drawing room, and he was not there. With a sigh, she took a book from a shelf and sat with it. She had been looking forward to some time to read and have some form of quiet, but now there was no joy in it. She simply thumbed the pages and scanned the words, not truly taking any of it in. She slammed it closed with a sigh after what had felt like an eternity and walked to her bedchambers.

And that was when she realized, in spite of herself, just how nice it had been not having to go by herself.

The bed felt far colder when she woke up the next morning, and she did not know how to feel about it. It was lonely, but she was far happier to be alone than with a man who so desperately did not want anything to do with her. And yet, even though he had never woken up beside her, she found herself wanting to blink and see him there.

But he was not. He had promised her that he would always be there for her, and he had so quickly changed his mind. He hadbecome someone that she did not recognize, and she did not like it at all. Fortunately, she heard something in his study, and so she went to find him.

“Am I permitted to enter?” she asked in the doorway.

“To be sure, so long as you do not provide any more distractions.”

“Ah, so I was a distraction to you. That is good to know.”

“You and I both know that I did not mean it that way.”

“I do not, for I am a fool and do not know anything, especially when it pertains to you and the things you do and the reasons behind them, or the lack thereof.”

“What do you want, Diana?”

“I want to know where you were last night.”

“I was walking.”

“Where?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“Well, I do not recall there being any gentlemen’s clubs here, but I do remember seeing a brothel.”

He dropped his papers and stared at her. “Tell me what you mean by that.”

“You are the Duke. You have all of the answers. You know exactly what I meant by that.”

“Do you truly think so low of me?”

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