Page 38 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
“You have much to learn about this new lifestyle,” he said instead. “You may have had only a handful of dresses in the nunnery, but you shall have the best of the best here.”
“If it pleases you, husband.” She gave him a small smile.
How could she possibly know that providing for her pleased him? He wanted to be the one she turned to when she needed something—dresses, invitations to parties, and even intimacy.
Plus, he needed to get her into clothes that fit so that he could start to think straight in her presence.
“Are you ready to go out?” He asked, pushing his plate away.
Theresa had stopped nibbling on the fruits on her plate.
“Will we ride into town?” She asked, hopeful.
“It would not do for my wife to be seen on horseback in the city. You will take the carriage, and you will need the carriage to carry back your new wardrobe.” Aaron rose from the table and extended a hand toward her. “But I have heard that you enjoy riding, so one day we will take a trip where there are more suitable places for a lady to ride.”
Theresa looked elated at the prospect of being on horseback again.
He would never have guessed that she could ride if he hadn’t seen her that day in the forest. It was one skill that he did not think would matter much in a convent.
She placed her hand in his, and he tucked it into the crook of his elbow. He caught his grandmother’s approving look.
Certainly, they looked like a happily married couple. Theresa seemed happy at almost every turn, but soon she would realize that life with him was not so grand.
He would soak up these moments with her now, before that time came.
Aaron dreaded the day she turned to him and whispered that she found him to be just as monstrous as everyone else. Though to date, she had yet to express anything of the sort.
If anything, she seemed almost… intrigued by his mask. His disfigurement had not diminished her desire to spend time with him.
They crossed the gardens to the stables, where the grooms were already steering around the carriage. They passed him the reins to his horse, but he waited until Theresa was seated in the carriage before mounting.
“It hardly seems fair that you get to ride and I don’t.”
Aaron was surprised. He knew very few accomplished female equestrians. Gently bred ladies were more likely to be found in the safe confines of a carriage.
“You would rather be riding today, too?”
“More than anything,” she said wistfully.
She reached out and petted his horse’s nose before she retreated into the carriage, out of view.
She was forever full of surprises.
As the carriage pulled away from Blackwell Manor, Aaron pulled his mount to the side of it. He could still see Theresa through the window of the carriage, and he was surprised that she was still watching him with envy. He purposefully directed his gaze elsewhere until they came to the heart of London.
People nodded at Aaron as he passed and peered curiously into the carriage at the woman who was so unfortunate to be wed to him.
Their naked curiosity infuriated him, perhaps even more so because Theresa did not seem to notice.
She was soaking up the scenery, the shops, and the hustle and bustle of the city. This was nothing like the procession from Wyndham Park to Blackwell Manor. This was a shoppingexcursion, a luxury trip through town. There was much for her to see and experience.
He thought about all the ways he could reason with her, to make her see the beast that everyone else saw. Surely, she would soon grow aware of the looks that followed them everywhere they went. Surely, she would soon realize the truth.
He was grateful when they pulled up in front of the dressmaker’s shop and she stepped out of the carriage. He jumped down from his horse and passed the reins to the driver.
“We’ll be awhile,” he told him, holding the door to the shop open for his wife.
“Your Grace.” The dressmaker hurried from the back of the shop, where she had been pinning together a new dress on a mannequin. “What a surprise to see you and your lovely wife.”
