Page 16 of His Highland Duchess
And to be clear, Lysander was not hiding from his wife. She did not scare him. Nor did the idea of marriage, for that matter. As unexpected as this was, he knew in his heart that he had done the right thing, the only thing. Not that this made the circumstances any more palatable.
It was for his daughters that he had done it. The two apples of his eye. Oh, how he loved them, wanting only the best, and he had known immediately that if this scandal was left to grow legs, it might ruin them. Marriage was the only answer, and he just hoped his daughters understood that.
Truly, Lysander had never considered marrying again. His first wife, the mother of his daughters, had been a kind woman, and he had enjoyed her company as any husband ought to. But he had not loved her, reasoning that at the very least she had been a good mother to Aurelia before dying during the birth of Lenora. It was the formality of his first marriage that had tarnished his views toward the entire concept, instilling in him a belief that marriage was not about falling in love and being happy as much as it was about the children it bore, and then how they were raised because of it.I suppose that having Margaret around for a few months might not be the worst thing for the girls… or it would not be, were Margaret not so… well, her.
She was different, of that there was no argument. Outspoken. Hostile. Immature. She was unlike any lady he had ever met, which Lysander had yet to decide if it was a good thing or not.Better to be safe and keep his distance. Better yet, considering the other thing…
“At least she is pretty,” Julian spoke suddenly, as if he could read Lysander’s mind.
“What was that?”
“Your wife,” Julian said earnestly. “She is quite lovely on the eyes. If you were to be forced into a marriage, better it be with a beauty, no?”
“I hardly think it makes a difference,” Lysander said.
Julian scoffed. “It makes all the difference.”
“This is my sister-in-law you are speaking of,” Sampson added with warning.
“What did I say!” Julian held up his hands. He was a large man, a boxer in fact, although that was a past life which he didn’t give any sway to, now that he was a duke. Friendly, also. A gentle giant, who could rip the arms off another man without blinking if he dared but would likely vomit right after. “I know this marriage is not what you wished for, Lysander, but see the positives.” He looked between the two men and rolled his eyes when neither seemed to understand. “An heir, man. Surely, you will wish to produce an heir.”
“Oh…” Lysander blinked. “I… I had not considered it.”
“Liar.”
“I have not,” Lysander said rightly. “And to be honest, that is the last thing on my mind. My daughters are what matters to me, and they are who my mind and all my decisions are focused upon.”
Julian eyed him skeptically, a big grin on his larger face. “As you say…”
Lysander felt his face warm as his two friends looked at him. Again, that sense that they could read his mind.
Even though it was not the point of the marriage, Lysander was not such a liar that he could not admit to the attraction he felt for Margaret. It was unexpected, however. And it caught him by complete surprise. Ever the stalwart of propriety and self-control, there was just something about her that…she undoes me. Plays with me. Toys with me as if it were on purpose.
It was the way that she stood up to him that did it. How quick she was to denounce him, argue with him, try to rebuke his commands as if she had the power and he had none. He had found, too, that he enjoyed frustrating her, teasing and testing her, and seeing how far he could push her before she became completely undone. He sensed too that she enjoyed it as much as he did, that perhaps she spoke to him as she did for the same purpose.
His mind drifted before he could help it. Beyond the way she spoke to him. Further than the way he overpowered her.He imagined what might have been. Pushing her against the doorway. Pressing his body to hers. His hands moving down and lifting her dress, squeezing her soft thighs just to hear her moan. And then, if she was to have used her own hands on him, reaching for his breeches, undoing them and releasing his throbbing –
No! Control yourself, Lysander!He gave his head a shake, forcing those thoughts away, and had a drink to calm himself..
This marriage was never going to be a simple thing. Not with a wife like that. Not with the scandal that followed them. But considering how he felt around her, how easily he lost control, it would be made all the more difficult.I will have to learn to control myself. So long as she learns the same.
It was later that evening, after returning home, that Lysander made his way to his daughters’ bedroom. He was always sure to see them before they went to sleep, wishing to tuck them in and wish them a good night’s sleep, for no other reason than he loved them dearly.
“Time to sleep,” he said as he checked that they were both tucked firmly under their sheets. “And do not let me hear you two talking once I close the door.”
“We won’t, Father,” Aurelia promised.
Lenora, the youngest, giggled. “I won’t. Aurelia always does.”
“Liar!”
“Girls,” he chuckled. “None of that.” He walked to the open door and turned back to look at them one last time. “I will see you both –”
“Father,” Aurelia spoke out. “Might I ask you something?”
“Anything. You know that.”
“Mar – Her Grace,” she fixed quickly. “She is… she is very pretty.”
