Page 19 of My Demanding Duke

"Come in," she called, expecting a servant with the aforementioned tray.

Instead, Josie appeared, pink-cheeked and bright-eyed from her journey, carrying Anna’sportmanteau—which looked even more battered in its new opulent surroundings.

"Josie!" Anna exclaimed, happy to see a familiar face. "I did not know you had arrived."

"Just this moment, miss. I mean, your Grace," Josie said, the new title sounding strange to Anna’s ear. "Lud! I can’t believe this is your new home. You’re likely to get lost on the way to breakfast, it’s that big.”

Anna felt her anxiety lift, as Josie continued speaking in her familiar, cheerful patter. The lady’s maid exclaimed over the furniture, the drapes, and even the carpet, as she busied herself unpacking Anna’s bag. It was comforting to have such a familiar figure, in such unfamiliar surroundings.

“Now,” Josie sighed, as she came to the end of her task, “Lady Limehouse insisted on sending a few additional items, suitable for a new bride. Her words, not mine!"

"What has she sent?" Anna asked, curiously.

Josie's cheeks turned pink as she fished in the bag to extract Lady Limehouse’s gift. From its depths, she extracted a silk nightgown, which she laid out on the bed. Anna gasped at the garment; it was crafted of almost transparent silk, with delicate lace panels strategically placed to preserve its wearer’s modesty—barely.

"Lady Limehouse said it was from Paris," Josie explained apologetically. "She insisted every new bride should have something... special."

"Special?" Anna echoed faintly. "Is that what the French call it?”

Shall I put it away, Your Grace?" Josie asked anxiously, eyeing the nightgown warily as though it might bite.

Before Anna could answer, another knock sounded at the door. At her acknowledgment, the maid who had shown her to her room earlier, entered carrying a tray.

"His Grace sent this up, Your Grace," she explained, setting the tray on a small table near the fireplace. "Since you declined to join him for dinner."

"Thank you," Anna replied, uncomfortable that her cowardice had been revealed to Josie.

The maid moved to stoke the fire—a rather futile act, for it was already blazing—before bobbing a curtsey and departing.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Josie turned to Anna, her gaze anxious.

“I know His Grace is rather fearsome,” Josie began, her expression one of worry, “But you cannot hide away in your room for the entirety of your marriage.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” Anna answered, archly.

Josie’s face fell and Anna felt a rush of guilt; it was unfair of her to be so short with her only friend in the world.

“Forgive me,” Anna relented, “I did not mean to be so flippant. I am not hiding from His Grace. I was simply overcome with tiredness. It has been a very long day.”

“Indeed’in it has, miss,” Josie agreed, as she stifled a yawn, “My trotters are aching from it all.”

“Then you must go to bed,” Anna said firmly, waving a hand to silence Josie’s protest. “No, you cannot argue with me, Josie. I’m a duchess now, after all.”

Josie made a few feeble attempts at protesting further, but she quickly relented to Anna’s wishes.

“I’ll be back in the morning to help you dress,” she assured Anna, before departing for her new lodgings with a loud yawn.

Once Josie had gone, Anna settled herself by the fire and fell upon the plate of food the duke had sent. Falconbridge might be overbearing and high-handed, but Anna could not fault the duke’s concern for her stomach.

When her plate was empty, Anna rang for the maid to remove it and bring hot water for her toilette.

As the maid bustled about, filling the copper hip bath with steaming water and laying out scented soaps, Anna cast furtive glances at the scandalous nightgown still spread across the bed. Would the duke expect to exercise his marital rights tonight? The question had lurked at the edges of her mind all day, growing more insistent as night approached.

"Will there be anything else, Your Grace?" the maid asked when finished.

Anna shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, thank you. I can manage from here."

The bath, at least, provided temporary comfort from her worrying mind. Anna sank into the warm water, allowing the heat to seep into her tense muscles. As she washed away the remnants of the day, her thoughts returned to the duke. Despite her determination to remain aloof, she couldn't deny the strange fluttering in her stomach whenever he was near. Unbidden memories of the kiss they had shared stirred her belly. What would it be like, she wondered, to allow him to kiss her again? To allow him to take full liberties with her body?

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