Page 43 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction

For an instant, Leo was tempted to reach for her and draw her close. He wanted to know if the passion they’d shared that night could be rekindled.

Instead, he stepped back, maintaining a proper distance. “Until dinner, Duchess.”

Marina paused at the threshold, her blue eyes studying him with an unreadable expression. “Until dinner, Duke.”

After she left, Leo returned to his desk and tried to focus on the correspondence awaiting his attention, but his thoughts kept drifting to his new bride and the unexpected direction his life had taken.

He had married to protect his reputation and to save Marina from ruin. It solved a mutual problem. Nothing more.

Yet as he recalled the flash of spirit in her eyes when she spoke of her writing, the graceful way she’d handled their wedding guests, the pride that prevented her from easily accepting his help, Leo wondered if he’d underestimated the complexity of their arrangement.

Perhaps marrying Marina would prove more consequential than he’d expected.

The question was whether that would prove to be for better or worse.

CHAPTER 15

“Your bath is ready, Your Grace,” Betty announced as she entered the bedchamber with an armful of fresh towels. “And I’ve laid out the blue silk for dinner.”

“Thank you, Betty,” she replied. “Though I still think the blue might be too formal for a simple dinner at home.”

Betty’s eyes widened a little. Calling this place “home” still felt strange—the grand house was very different from the cozy townhouse on Mount Street they’d left behind that morning.

“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, but it’s your first dinner as a duchess.” Betty set the towels down beside the steaming bath two maids had already prepared in the dressing room. “And from what I’ve seen, His Grace is rather particular about appearances.”

Marina suppressed a smile at her maid’s assessment. Leo was indeed fastidious in his dress, his aristocratic bearing evident in every precisely arranged detail of his attire.

“Very well, the blue it is.”

As Betty helped her out of her gown, Marina took in the luxurious surroundings. Her new rooms were enormous, filled with comforts she’d never even imagined—thick carpets, polished mahogany furniture, and linens so soft they felt like silk against her skin.

The bath was even better, deep enough to sink into completely with warm water scented lightly by lavender oil. Marina eased herself into it gratefully, feeling the tension slowly drain from her muscles.

“Feels a bit like a fairy tale, doesn’t it?” Betty said cheerfully, setting Marina’s brush and comb neatly on the dressing table. “You becoming a duchess, married to a duke—and a handsome one, too. The staff says he’s strict but fair, and generous, too.”

“Is that so?” Marina murmured.

She hardly knew the man she’d married. So far, they’d only argued—mostly about her writing and the desperate situation that had forced them into marriage.

“Oh yes, My Lady—I mean, Your Grace,” Betty corrected herself, blushing slightly. “Mrs. Phillips, the housekeeper, says HisGrace remembers all the servants’ birthdays, gives them little gifts, and never cuts wages even when he’s traveling.”

Marina absorbed this unexpected insight into Leo’s character. It aligned with his treatment of her so far—practical but not ungenerous. “He seems… considerate.”

“And the way he looks at you!” Betty exclaimed, her cheeks pink with excitement. “If you don’t mind me saying, Your Grace, I think you’ve quite captured his interest.”

Marina nearly submerged herself completely at that comment. The way Leo looked at her… she had noticed it of course. That intensity in his hazel eyes when he studied her, as if he were trying to read her innermost thoughts. But she’d attributed it to suspicion or calculation, not…interest.

“I think you’re romanticizing matters, Betty,” she said, reaching for the soap. “The Duke and I barely know each other.”

“Sometimes that’s when the strongest attachments form,” Betty replied sagely. “My mother always said her cousin fell head over heels for her husband the first moment she laid eyes on him, and they were married within the month.”

Marina allowed Betty to continue her cheerful speculations as she finished her bath. The girl was clearly delighted by their change in fortune, and Marina didn’t have the heart to explain that her marriage was one of convenience, not affection.

Once Marina was dry, Betty helped her into the blue silk gown. It was one of her nicest dresses though she knew Leo had already arranged for new ones to be made. Her sapphire and diamond wedding ring sparkled as she reached up to fix a loose pin in her hair.

“You look lovely, Your Grace,” Betty said, stepping back with a satisfied nod. “His Grace won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

Marina smiled at Betty’s enthusiasm. “Thank you, Betty—for everything. I don’t know how I would’ve managed today without you.”

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