Page 46 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
Aurelia raised her eyebrows slightly, her curiosity piqued. “Really?” she asked, unsure whether to believe him. “And what exactly would that be?”
Oliver chuckled, his tone turning reminiscent. “When we were younger, Philip and Gabriel were inseparable. Always up to some mischief, mind you, but never the cruel kind. I remember once, at Oakdale Manor, there was this incident with a stray dog. It was badly injured and would have died if not for Philip.”
Aurelia’s interest deepened, and she tilted her head slightly as she listened.
“Philip nursed that dog back to health, refusing to leave its side for days,” Oliver continued.
Aurelia’s thoughts drifted to when she had sprained her ankle, and how her husband had stayed by her side until the physician left.
“Gabriel was right there with him, of course, but it was Philip who insisted on caring for the creature. He would not let anyone else near it. Said that if something was broken, it was his duty to fix it.”
Aurelia blinked, surprised by this glimpse into Philip’s past. It was the first time she had heard anything about the man she had married, since no one in his household was willing to talk about him.
Despite herself, she could hardly picture the distant, stoic man she knew as someone who would tend to an injured animal with such care. It was a side of her husband she hadn’t seen; perhaps a side she wasn’t meant to see.
Oliver glanced at her, gauging her reaction. “He is far more compassionate than you think, Aurelia,” he said gently. “Even if he does not show it.”
Aurelia said nothing for a moment, her mind reeling with what he had just told her. Could it be true? Was there a part of Philip capable of tenderness and care?
The memory of their recent dance, the way his eyes had bored into hers with a mix of desire and frustration, lingered in her mind.
Yet, she couldn’t reconcile the man Oliver described with the one she had married.
Philip stood on the opposite side of the ballroom, his hand gripping his glass with such force that it threatened to shatter. He watched them, watchedherdancing with Oliver, a man who was supposed to be his closest friend.
His jaw clenched and his chest tightened with possessiveness and rage that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was infuriating, maddening even to see his wife talking so freely with someone else.
Where were Thomas and Kenneth when he needed them? They’d wandered off for a cigarette, leaving him standing alone, forced to endure the sight of his wife in the arms of anotherman. Even if that man was Oliver, Philip still felt a consuming possessiveness.
His stomach twisted with jealousy, a dark, simmering fury that gnawed at him the longer he watched them.
Aurelia had never laughed like that with him. She had never looked so carefree, so happy in his presence. What was it about Oliver that could coax such a response from her?
His eyes narrowed as he saw her glance over in his direction, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment before she turned back to Oliver, her lips curling into a small, secret smile.
That smile ignited something in Philip, a raw, pressing need that only seemed to burn hotter with each passing second.
How could she smile like that at another man?His wife. She washis.
On the dance floor, Aurelia was acutely aware of Philip’s gaze even as she continued to move gracefully with Oliver. She could feel his intense stare burning holes into the back of her head. A part of her, one she didn’t want to acknowledge, relished it.
She glanced up at Oliver who was still smiling, oblivious to the storm brewing behind them.
His hand rested gently on her waist, guiding her movements with ease, but all Aurelia could think about was the way Philip’s eyes had darkened the moment she accepted Oliver’s invitation to dance. She hadn’t meant to provoke him, but now that she had she couldn’t help but enjoy the effect it had on him.
Oliver leaned in slightly as they twirled in time to the music. “You know,” he said softly, “I do believe Philip cares about you more than he lets on. He has never been good at showing his feelings, but he is watching you now as if you are the most precious thing in the world.”
Aurelia’s breath caught at his words, but she quickly masked her surprise with a light laugh.
“I think you are mistaken, Oliver,” she said, though her heart beat faster in her chest. “Philip and I…well, it is not quite what you think.”
Oliver’s gaze softened, but he didn’t push it further.
“Perhaps,” he said, his voice low. “But if I am right, then maybe you will see it for yourself, in time.”
Chapter Seventeen
As the final note of the waltz drifted into the air, Aurelia and Oliver broke apart, bowing politely to one another.
