Page 39 of Denying a Rakish Duke
Every now and then he shuddered in his sleep as if the sensation tickled him. If this was another aspect of marriage— she could be content with this too.
Carefully, she lifted his heavy arm so that she could wriggle underneath the bedding and into the hold of his arm. The weight was soothing over her waist as she curled against his side. She laced his fingers through her own and smiled softly to herself as she kissed each one of his knuckles. She did not know what must have happened in his past to make him so afraid to love, but she hoped that she would come to find out in time. She felt as if he had taken the first steps toward trusting her tonight. Their marriage was consummated, more than once. There could be no doubts to the validity of their status, and in the morning, when the Dowager saw them come down to breakfast together, there could be no more comments from her either.
The list of problems that had been plaguing her sleep with nightmares were slowly dwindling down into a manageable task list. If only she could get her sister to see them together, then perhaps Amanda too, might understand. She had never intended tostealthe Duke from Amanda— she had just been so enraptured by him that she lost all control of herself. Laying here, being held by him, she could not say that she regretted it either. Everything had to happen for a reason; that was what her father used to say. No matter if it was a sour business dealing or happy news— he would always say that everything happened for a reason even if one does not know what that reason might be right away.
She wondered what her Papa might say now if he were to see that his three eldest daughters were all married to Dukes. Would he be proud? Perhaps he would sit Joseph down and give him a stern lecture about love and the abundant secrets to a happy marriage. Or perhaps her father would threaten Joseph with harm should Vanessa ever come home unhappy— perhaps Joseph never would have made it out of her father’s study alive in the first place.
She was happy to be here in Joseph’s arms.
In the morning, she would find out the reasons behind the rumors about her family and with a small amount of luck— the keys to unlocking Joseph’s past.
ChapterTwenty-Three
“It behooves me to inform you that sharing breakfast with your wife each and every morning is tedious, Your Grace,” the Dowager’s voice filled the hallway before Vanessa even considered rounding the corner. Her steps paused. It was wrong to spy on a private conversation such as this one, but as she was the subject of the conversation, she did not feel guilty about it.
“You find most conversations tedious, Grandmother; how am I to presume that this is any different than every other situation you find yourself in?” Joseph said simply. He sounded as if he were rustling his clothing or moving while he was speaking. He did not sound the slightest bit bothered by his grandmother’s words.
“I mean to say that as you have not been there to play mediator— I found that I did not much care for the girl’s company,” the Dowager said bluntly to which Joseph gave a heavy sigh.
“I was not aware that you felt as if you needed to be coddled or that you suddenly found yourself too aged to maintain an interesting conversation,” Joseph laughed at his own comments “Though, if you are admitting to having a fault, then perhaps I ought to call the Doctor to come and attend to you— for you are surely ill if that is the truth.”
A smacking sound came from around the corner, followed by a bitter hiss of breath from Joseph. “I do not care for your insolent lip, Boy,” the Dowager whispered pointedly. “If you cannot tolerate your wife enough to share a meal with her, how am I supposed to do so?!”
“Need I remind you that you are the one who commanded me to marry her in the first place?” Joseph breathed, matching her irritated tone and pain lanced straight through Vanessa’s chest. What did that mean? She had thought that they were past all of that.
“Furthermore, perhaps you ought to look inward if you are incapable of holding a civilized conversation with my wife— as she is a most accomplished conversationalist.” Joseph’s voice took on a haughty air. “Perhaps what you are really frightened of is that my wife can not only match you for wit— but that her sharp tongue might defeat yours.”
“You will attend meals with us, Boy, or I shall make my will known!” the Dowager said simply, appearing to be unphased by his words whatsoever. Vanessa knew that their conversation had not fostered any love between them, but she had not thought that it had brewed such ire. It appeared to her that Joseph had yet to inform his grandmother of any shifting of things between them.
“You will quickly find that I do not care what you will is. I have done everything that you have thus asked of me—” Joseph started, but the Dowager quickly interrupted him.
“Not quite, Your Grace; there is still the matter of a child. An heir— that is the final thing that I demanded of you.”
Silence filled the space quickly. Uncomfortable waves of tension radiated all the way to Vanessa around the corner. She could imagine them staring at one another— she did not like to be the source of strife, but she could not help but to think that perhaps there might be another underlying reason as well.
“Yes, well, Vanessa and I will have children when we are ready.” His voice was smaller now. “I will return home for dinner; I have business to attend to this morning and well into the afternoon. I would very much appreciate if this unpleasantness was not here waiting for me when I return.”
Heavy footsteps down the hall and away from the conversation marked that the Duke had left the Dowager’s company. The woman, however, had yet to move from the spot she chose to occupy. She stood there for a long moment. When Vanessa mustered the courage to come around the corner, she did so with her head held high. She could feel the Dowager’s eyes on her, searching for something. Vanessa inclined her head curtly to the sour-faced woman with as much polite neutrality as she could muster.
“Good morning, Your Grace.” The Dowager made a soft ‘harrumph’ noise in the back of her throat but did not answer right away.
Vanessa felt childish for the way she refused to turn around and wait for the Dowager to join her, and she did not speak another word even as the sounds of the Dowager’s cane started to echo off of the pristine polished floors. Vanessa knew that the woman was watching her— and she wished so desperately to just put the whole thing behind her. She wanted nothing more to do with the unpleasantness. Now that she had more or less reached an understanding with Joseph, she had her family’s reputation to attend to. She could not allow their name to be dragged through the mud if there was anything that she could do about it.
As it had for the previous few days, breakfast passed mostly in silence. There were no sounds but the dishes being moved around and the wonderful meal being enjoyed as subtly as possible by the two women in attendance.
“The housekeeper reports that you are finally taking up the position of Lady of the Estate,” the Dowager started randomly, her eyes fixed on the poached egg in front of her. The Dowager was preparing her toasted bread and toppings and only gave a cursory glance to the woman she was addressing.
Vanessa’s spoon nearly clattered back to the table. “You are forcing the woman to makereportson me?” She could hardly believe it.
The corner of the Dowager’s lip twitched. She seemed rather pleased with herself for having surprised the woman across from her. “That I am. It is a grand Estate, and I must ensure that it is being run properly.”
“Not but a fortnight ago you were chastising me for allowing you to do too much! You claimed to be burdened!”
“I do not believe that I said any such thing.” The Dowager smiled slowly and reached for her teacup.
Vanessa was so frustrated that she could have spit. “Yes, you did. I do not know what you think that you have to gain here—”
“That is not the only thing that they report to me, Girl.” The Dowager sipped her tea elegantly. Vanessa had trouble keeping her mouth closed. She wished for little more than to give the woman a piece of her mind. “I suppose that some congratulations are in order— the housekeeper also tells me that the Duke has been visiting your chamber every evening and spending the duration there.”
