Page 95 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
It had been a month since they had made love in the clearing. A month since her husband told her he loved her.
They had not spent a night apart since that moment. While she still kept the Duchess’s Suite, she moved her things into the tower as soon as they returned. Aaron had instructed the footmen to unload her trunk from the carriage and take it to his quarters.
Juliette gave her a knowing look when she returned to Blackwell Manor on the arm of her husband, her trip abandoned. She laughed as the couple scurried up to the tower while the Dowager Duchess looked on. The older woman had had her own arranged marriage, and she knew what had likely brought them back to the manor in such a state.
“You will do no such thing,” he murmured against her skin. “Because if you return to your chambers, we will not be able to do this.”
He tugged her to her feet and pulled her into him as if they were going to dance. One arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her body flush against his, while his other hand held hers, their fingers laced together. Theresa was only too willing to go along with it. She stood on his toes as she had done when he had first taught her to dance.
Tonight, she was hosting her first ball, and she would be expected to dance with many gentlemen. Aaron had promised her every dance, but now she knew enough about social conventions to know that he would not be able to keep his word.
He led them in a dance across the room, but when they reached the mirror again, he pulled her even closer. The bulge in hisbreeches made it clear what he would do to her if given the opportunity.
But that would have to wait until after the ball.
“Your guests are waiting, Your Grace,” a footman called from the other side of the door.
It had become a common occurrence for the servants to catch them like this these days, and Theresa no longer felt embarrassed by the open display of affection.
“We should not keep them waiting, husband,” she said, pulling back from their embrace. “These are your friends, after all.”
“I should have no friends if they take me away from you,” Aaron scoffed, placing her hand on his arm and leading her down the stairs to the ballroom.
The entire place had been transformed with the help of Juliette and the Dowager Duchess. It was expected of the new Duchess of Blackwell to host a ball this Season, but Theresa knew not the slightest thing about throwing a party.
It took many lessons with the Dowager Duchess and Lady Sophia before she felt confident enough to send invitations to Aaron’s friends. After a month of attending balls and garden parties, she finally felt like she had a grasp on who was who.
The first person to greet them was Aaron’s friend, Morgan. She bobbed a curtsy, more from long practice than need.
Morgan took her hand and kissed the back of it, all while cocking an eyebrow at her husband.
“He has no reason to be jealous.” Theresa laughed at their silent exchange. “My husband knows that he is the only one I have eyes for.”
“You have chosen well, Duchess,” Morgan said with a chuckle. “I cannot imagine what attracted you to him in the first place, but he deserves to be loved by someone like you.”
“We need to greet the other guests. I must steal my husband away, though he would be glad to spend the evening with you.”
“The gentlemen will be getting together at Olympus soon. We can catch up then,” Morgan assured her. “I must return to the refreshments table anyway. The punch is excellent, Duchess.”
Theresa smiled, and it lit up her whole face.
She had spent an entire afternoon in the kitchen with the cook to come up with the recipe for the punch. It was the best part of every party. It would not do for her to serve mediocre refreshments at her very first ball, so they had labored over every detail.
She and Aaron wove through the crowd, greeting their friends. It took the better part of an hour for them to make it around the room.
Only when they finished greeting everyone did Lady Sophia take Theresa’s arm and steer her around the room to introduce her to her acquaintances.
It mattered not who stood in front of him or who attempted to engage him in a conversation. Aaron kept his eyes trained on her. While Theresa talked with his friends, she looked up to find him watching her with rapt attention.
His eyes were for his wife only.
Theresa laughed as Ashball leaped from under someone’s skirt as they passed by. He darted from one person to another, weaving expertly through the crowd as if he had done this all his life.
He was not unlike Theresa in that way. Neither of them had grown up among theton, but both had made adjustments in their expectations and had risen to the occasion when duty called.
The truth was that Theresa no longer thought of her arranged marriage as a duty. It was so much more than she had expected when her father took her elbow and marched her down the aisle toward a stranger. Now, she viewed it as a blessing.
They could have stuck to Aaron’s arcane rules on the night they wed. Their marriage could have been a passionless union where they did their duty to one another and nothing more. She could have allowed her jealousy to completely cloud her judgment and ruin their relationship.
