Page 70 of The Replacement Duchess

By the afternoon, Diana was exhausted, but the room was clean. She had worked tirelessly all day, but now she could take a seat and read for a while. She closed the door, sliding the latch across in the event that the Duke opened the door to look for her, not that she thought he would. He had never opened the door,clearly, and so he would not do so just to find someone that he was actively avoiding.

“How was your day?” Colin asked her at dinner that night.

It was clearly an attempt at making peace, and as much as Diana wanted to continue until her point was proven, she had to admit that she had missed him being kind to her.

“It was nice enough,” she replied. “And yours?”

“I had a very enjoyable day. I spent it down in the village. I’ve been thinking about making a link with a farmer for pork, now that we are living here, and I met with one that has a steady enough supply that we can use him.”

“That sounds good.”

“I only wanted to run it by you before I do it.”

She wanted to make some sort of comment, but she bit her tongue. The amiability between them was forced, but it was safe, and she did not want to risk losing that.

“It would be a wonderful thing to do.” She nodded. “Not only for us, but the contract given to the farmer shall have him set for the year. Might we do the same for our milk and cheese, do you think?”

“We can certainly look into it.”

The conversation ended there, with the two of them nodding about it, and dinner passed in silence. It was a nicer silence than the one that had descended upon the house since their dispute, but it was still not the sweet type that had been between them before. Diana did not want to, but she found herself missing it a great deal.

The following day, Colin disappeared before breakfast again, having not followed her to bed once more. She had wanted to ask him why, but she did not, as she already knew the reason. He was still angry with her, or at least he was not happy enough with her to stay in her room, which was perfectly fine by her.

She had found a room of her own to keep from him.

Now cleaned, the library was all set to be redecorated. Diana only made simple changes at first—a lamp, the candles, and the deer head on the wall. She had a maid hide it away so that the Duke would not see it and make the connection as to where it had come from.

“Miss Thornton,” she asked at lunch, “might you have the key to the library?”

“The library?” Miss Thornton echoed. “Goodness, has that room not caused enough trouble already?”

“That is precisely why I shall need the key,” Diana explained. “I am gathering them and handing them to the Duke this weekend. I do not wish to risk angering him again.”

“He is not angry with you,” Miss Thornton sighed. “He seemed upset more than anything, but he does not blame you.”

“Has he spoken to you about it?”

“No, of course not, but I have known him since he was a boy. If he was angry, it would be for the first time. He does not have it in him to have any anger towards a person, it is simply not his nature.”

“I had thought the same thing.”

“Then you must go back to thinking that way. It may seem like this terrible, horrible thing now, but the two of you shall come to an agreement about all of it.”

“Well, as you know what has happened?—”

“Because I know everything.” Miss Thornton smirked, a glint in her eyes.

“Yes.” Diana nodded. “I want to know what you think about it.”

“I think you are both acting like children.” Miss Thornton laughed. “I do not mean it in a bad way, though. The two of you,you are young. This is to be expected, especially in the early days of a marriage, where the two of you hardly know each other at all.”

“But who is in the wrong? Is your not telling me your way of saying you think it is me? Because you can tell me if you do. I shall not have you fired if that is what you are worried about.”

“This is precisely what I mean. You are waiting for me to be cruel to you, even though you should not expect it, and if the Duke were here, he would think that I am trying to find out for myself why he refuses to use the blasted room. The two of you need to look at yourselves and realize that the world is not out to get you. You asked me for my thoughts, and that is what I think.”

“I see.” Diana nodded. “I do apologize. I do not mean to sound like a child.”

“Your Grace, for all intents and purposes, you are still a child.”

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