Page 84 of The Duke's Jilted Bride

As the final note faded, he spoke low and firm. “We’re leaving.”

“What?”

“We’re leaving,” he repeated, his tone brooking no argument. “Now.”

He offered his arm once more, aware of the curious glances directed their way.

Rowan didn’t care.

When they arrived, Simmons opened the front door, his expression carefully neutral despite the early hour. Rowan gave a curt nod as Selina slipped off her evening wrap and handed it to a waiting maid.

“That will be all,” he said. “We’ll see ourselves up.”

Once the servants had withdrawn, the silence stretched in the grand entrance hall.

Selina turned to face him, color high in her cheeks. “Would you care to explain what, exactly, that was back there?”

“I acted entirely within my rights as your husband.”

“Rights? You speak of rights while treating me like a possession to be displayed or hidden according to your whim?” Her voice rose with indignation. “You disappeared for days with little explanation, then tonight you behave like a jealous schoolboy because I danced with a friend.”

Rowan stepped closer, his control fraying. “You seemed to be enjoying his company.”

“And if I was? What concern is it of yours? You’ve made it abundantly clear that our marriage is a business arrangement, nothing more.”

“That doesn’t give you license to encourage former suitors.”

“I wasn’t encouraging him! I was helping him court Miss Thornton,” Selina cried in exasperation. “Not that you bothered to ask before making assumptions. Not that you ever ask me anything, or tell me anything, or treat me as anything more than a convenient living arrangement.”

“I do not see you that way,” Rowan replied, closing the distance between them.

“How do you see me then?”

“As my wife.”

“What does that mean to you? Apart from having a lady manage your household.”

“That’s not the only…”

“What other reason did you have to marry me, then? To produce an heir? From what I’ve heard, a husband must touch his wife to accomplish that!”

“I—” he began, but stopped abruptly, blinking once, then tilting his head to the side. “What do you mean, ‘from what you’ve heard’?”

Selina’s face flushed crimson. She looked away, suddenly flustered. “I only meant… that is to say…”

Why was she so flustered all of a sudden? She never had any problem discussing or pointing things out before. Even if propriety dictated that wives be demure, Selina was anything but. Rowan was certain she wouldn’t shy away from something she’d had experience with. She’d been a countess before, after all.

Unless…

“Are you saying,” Rowan began carefully, “that you have no experience of the marriage bed?”

“This is hardly an appropriate conversation?—”

“Answer me.” He moved closer, backing her against the wall. “Your first husband. Did he not consummate your marriage?”

Selina lifted her chin, meeting his gaze despite her obvious embarrassment. “He… he was elderly and… incapable.”

The revelation struck Rowan like a physical blow. All this time, he had assumed… but of course, he had never asked. Never questioned why she had approached their wedding nightwith such obvious terror. He had interpreted her reluctance as distaste for him specifically, not fear of the unknown.

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