Page 99 of The Replacement Duchess

“Then what luck you have.”

“I could always help you, though.”

“I do not need you to take it off for me.”

“I could loosen it for you, though,” he offered. “That is not so bad of a blow to your ego, is it?”

“My ego is perfectly intact, I can assure you.”

“Then allow me to help you,” he pushed. “There is no shame in it. You can either lie here in discomfort, thus making it impossible for me to sleep too, or you can undergo a few mere moments of accepting someone’s aid.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “but do it quickly.”

It was strange, because even though it was dark, when she turned her back to him, he seemed to know exactly what to do. His touch was not rough or wanting, but soft and deft. As he moved, she felt her breathing become easier and easier, and soon enough she felt as though the fabric may fall away from her completely.

“There,” he said gently. “It is loosened, and you have managed through the suffering. How brave you are.”

“Do not stop,” she said quickly.

“What?” Colin asked. “Is it still too tight?”

“No!” she gasped. “No, it is perfectly fine. I simply—oh, for heaven’s sake, I want you to keep going.”

She could not believe that she had said that. Had she not asked enough of him? He was exhausted, he had said so himself, and after refusing initially to allow him to help her, now she was begging for more. She was impossible, and she knew that he was likely exasperated with her, possibly even hated her, but?—

He continued without any further discussion. She had missed the feel of his hands on her in the few mere moments that he had pulled away, and she wished for the first time in her life that her corset was longer, so that he might be able to continue.

“Do you want me to pull it off you, too?” he asked. “Or would you rather do it yourself?”

Diana thought about it for a moment, but only a moment.

“You,” she replied, “please.”

Again, he obliged with no argument, and at last she felt like she could sleep. Rather, she might have been had she not felt a strange burning sensation rush through her. The room was completely dark, save for the glow of the moonlight, but she was sure that with all of the heat rising within her, she was lighting the entire room.

“Thank you,” she whispered, “for everything.”

“You need not thank me, it is my duty.”

“I give my thanks all the same. I know that I have not been easy as a wife.”

“Nor have I been easy as a husband, but I cannot tell you how fortunate I am that you have stayed with me this long.”

“You say that as though I plan to leave.”

“Do you—do you not?”

Diana sat up in bed. Colin joined her, sitting behind her with his lips dangerously close to her now bare neck.

“When have I ever even suggested doing so?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “Our marriage may not be perfect, but we are only husband and wife as of a short time. We can learn, we can get by. Why would you expect me to do otherwise? Would you rather that I did?”

“Of course not,” he sighed. “Do you know, I have been beside myself for the longest time now, trying to find a way to change so that we can make this work. I want this to be good, and I want to learn how to be the man you need me to be.”

“You already are,” she protested. “You are willing to try, and that is all that I need from you. It is all that I shall ever need from you.”

“Then why did you leave?”

The words echoed in her mind.

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