Page 13 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
The housekeeper paled slightly as she clasped her hands together. “Perfectly, Your Grace. But if I may add just one thing…”
“What is it?” Aurelia snapped as she stood up.
Mrs. Jarrow rocked back and forth on her feet. “It was not I who made the arrangements, Your Grace. We, the staff, including Eilidh, are bound by loyalty to His Grace. It was His Grace who ordered the breakfast to be sent up, and who has forbidden any kind of gossip about your father and his brother, God rest his soul.”
“Very well. Thank you for letting me know, Mrs. Jarrow. That is all for now.” A feeling of dread welled within Aurelia as she dismissed the woman with a nod of her head.
“Shall I call Eilidh back, Your Grace?”
“Yes. I wish to get dressed.”
Mrs. Jarrow nodded and exited the room.
The housekeeper’s behavior had certainly been curt, bordering on rude. Yet, it was the Duke himself who had given the instructions.
I’ll see about that.
Eilidh scurried back into the room, quiet as a mouse, and set about helping Aurelia out of her gown.
Aurelia began to prepare herself for a confrontation with her husband.
He could force her into marriage and keep her prisoner, but he couldn’t restrict her from speaking to her own maid.
Philip had just finished his kippers when Aurelia stormed into the dining room with a face like thunder. Her eyes were dark with anger as she glared at him.
She had chosen an emerald-green dress for today. Its neckline drew Philip’s eyes to her breasts, which would easily spill over with the slightest of tugs. He rather liked the way she looked with her hair half loose down her back. Some strands had been pulled to the back of her head, making her face seem more open, highlighting her elegant features.
He would have found her irresistible if it hadn’t been for the anger in her eyes.
“I take it you slept poorly?” He tossed his napkin beside his plate and sat back in his chair.
If her behavior in the carriage was anything to go by, then he was in for a heated argument.
“I did not. In the future, I would appreciate it if you asked me what I want instead ofassumingwhat I want.”
Raising his eyebrows in question, he waited for her to elaborate as he flung his arm over the back of the chair next to him.
“I have never taken my breakfast in bed unless I was ill. It was you who brought me here as your wife, and as such, I am entitled to certain privileges, like having a proper meal in the breakfast room.” She almost ran out of breath when she finished.
Philip sucked his lower lip into his mouth as he sized her up. He had purposely instructed her maid to take her tray up to her chambers. He had been accustomed to eating on his own for years and didn’t see why anything needed to change just because he’d taken a wife.
“You may have your breakfast in here if you wish, Duchess. But I warn you that I prefer silence while I eat. I will not have my mornings disrupted if you are accustomed to yapping during meals.”
The blue in her eyes darkened as she glared at him. “I hesitate to remind you, Your Grace, but I am not the one who agreedto this union. If my presence in this house disrupts your life, then perhaps you should return me to my father and have our marriage annulled. One visit to the physician would offer plausible grounds.”
The import behind her words did not go unnoticed.
Philip clenched his jaw and stood up. If it was a challenge that she wanted, then he wasn’t about to let her down.
“You should be careful what you wish for, little lamb. Do you wish for me to visit your chambers?”
He made his way around the table and advanced on her until she began to back up. Her back was almost touching the wall when he stopped a few inches away from her.
“No.” She swallowed hard, feeling the panic spread through her chest.
His lips curled into a smile as his eyes fell on her slender neck and traveled all the way down to her chest.
Her lips parted slightly with a gasp when he pressed a hand to the wall above her head and looked into her eyes. Her breasts strained against the bodice of her emerald-green dress as he wrapped one of her loose curls around his finger.
