Page 33 of Duke of the Sun

“Thank you,” he stiffly replied.

They remained like that for a moment, till footsteps came from the opened doors.

“Your Grace,” a footman said after deeply bowing. “The carriage is ready.”

The Duke nodded, and raised a hand to Cordelia.

She looked down at his outstretched palm, unmoving. Immediately, Cordelia found herself staring at the barely visible scars that lined his hands. She swallowed, her throat becoming increasingly dry as she remembered the moment from the bathroom, and how all his scars still looked so prominent in her mind’s eye. It was something she believed she would seldom forget.

Cordelia reached, placing her gloved hand within his own. Despite the glove, she jerked backwards, the touch of his hand sparking something unfamiliar beneath her skin. Cordelia’s heart raced, the feeling almost forcing her to turn around and sprint back up the stairs.

“What is it?” the Duke asked, his gaze flicking between her hand and her widened eyes.

Cordelia shook her head. “Nothing,” she murmured as she retook his hand. “Nothing at all, your Grace.”

The Duke, now watching her with a wary eye, wrapped her hand around his arm, holding her tight against his side as she left the staircase behind. He walked a step faster than her, his long legs naturally giving him wider strides. Cordelia sped to keep up, feeling like a fool and a child at the same time.

Outside of the estate, the ornate carriage awaited them. A driver already sat at the top, and a footman held the door open. The Duke helped Cordelia up into the compartment, his fingers grazing the small of her back before jerking away in the same fashion she had done to him. She took a seat on one side, her legs twitching from the upcoming event. The Duke climbed in afterwards, giving a knock on the door to signal the driver. Within an instant, they were off to London.

The ride was quiet, at first. Cordelia kept her head facing the window, holding the curtain back to get a look at the quickly falling sun. The sunset sent brilliantly bright colors across the region, looking as if the entire forests surrounding Solshire were lit on fire as they left it all behind. Cordelia rarely moved. She could feel the Duke’s presence before laying her eyes on him. There was something about his stare that weighed heavily with heat, as if she stood beneath the sun in an empty field. The thoughts ran amok in her head.

Why does he watch me?

Does he even watch me, or do I make it up on my own accord?

He is watching me.

Cordelia glanced over at him. If he was watching, he made sure to look away long before she ever thought to catch him in the act. The Duke stared out the opposite window, his jaw tense and rigid beneath his skin. She found herself unable to look away, suddenly, falling victim to the very thing she was mentally accusing him of. But she found herself unable to avoid it. The Duke was an odd enigma, one she was never pleased with. Despite her displeasure, Cordelia ached to know what lies beneath him, what made the Duke be known to the Ton as a beastly man. All she saw was a man who hid behind walls. Walls that intended to keep the entire world out.

The Duke shifted, his head turning towards her.

Cordelia jerked away, flaming embarrassment and shame crawling up her face.

“Do you know what is expected of you?” he suddenly asked.

She frowned. “At the ball?”

The Duke nodded.

“I’m not sure. It has been ages since I have ever even thought of attending a ball, and -”

“Not what the Ton expects of you,” the Duke interjected. “But whatIam expecting.”

“Oh,” she drawled, raising one brow. “Won’t you enlighten me, your Grace?”

He stared at her silently for a moment, his gaze growing more and more narrowed by the second. “To be rid of the Ton’s rumors completely, we must act like a loving couple, one who had every intention of being wed in the first place.”

Cordelia frowned at the implication of his words, wondering once more what made him decide to wed her those few weeks ago. Instead of asking, she merely nodded. “I am aware,” she replied. “And how do you plan on doing such a thing?”

He raised a brow. “Me?”

“Of course you,” she said with a shrug. “I cannot recall ever seeing you smile, and yet, you intend on proving the Ton wrong about how you feel about me. Let us not forget, your Grace, thatyouwere the one who decided to live elsewhere rather than alongside your wife.”

The Duke ground his teeth together irritably. “I am perfectly capable of putting on a facade.”

“Perhaps,” she mused, reveling in her ability to be the one to make him uncomfortable in a surprising turn of events. “But might I suggest something?”

“I believe you are enjoying my uncomfort far too much.”

---