Page 9 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
Any notions of civility that she may have thought he harbored disappeared like mist in the sun.
“On the contrary, Duchess. I am your husband, you belong to me now, and as such, I forbid you from ever seeing your father again. You are to obey my orders now.” He leaned back in his seat, a triumphant grin curving his lips.
“Was this part of your plan? You wanted to punish my father by never allowing him to see me again?”
Her blood ran cold when she thought of their final moments together in the chapel. She had been so cold toward her father, and had refused to listen to his side of the story.
Would the words she had said to him be the last she would ever exchange with her father?
I am not sure I know who you are anymore…
It broke her heart to think that their final encounter had been one of discord.
“You cannot forbid me from seeing my family,” she said more quietly, clenching the fabric of her dress over her knees once again.
“Family? Your father is a murderer, a liar and a scoundrel who frequents gambling halls. Is that truly someone you want close to you?” The Duke leaned forward in his seat and placed his hands on his knees. “You had better take stock of those you surround yourself with, Duchess. Your father could care less about what happens to you, and you had better come to terms with that.”
Aurelia took a deep breath, trying to ease the pang of hurt in her chest. “I refuse to believe that my father is a murderer. He married me off to you for my own good. We would have been left destitute if I hadn’t gone through with it. If that is not caring, then I do not know what is.”
“Even after everything that transpired, with the proof of his gambling debts? Are you so blind that you cannot see what he truly is?” The Duke’s voice was dangerously low as his eyes dropped to her lips.
Her breathing deepened as she recalled the kiss in the chapel, and all rational thought flew from her mind. Though the kiss had been brief, she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him again.
She quickly put the thought out of her head, for her husband was now the enemy.
“My father is not a monster. It is your actions that are proving to be harsher than his.Youare the monster here.”
The carriage lurched, propelling her closer to him, and she felt their breaths mingle.
Philip’s jaw twitched for a second. “If I am such a monster, then why did your father hand you over to me without so much as a second thought? Why did he push his only daughter into the arms of a monster?”
He sat back in his seat as Aurelia opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly as his words sank in.
Is he right?
She wondered if her father’s actions had been genuinely loving and in her best interests when he had handed her over so quickly. Even she had to admit that his effort in providing a ‘better’ life for her was questionable. He could have pleaded with the Duke to cancel the debts, or develop a plan to save them both.
Instead, he had offered her up quickly. Far too quickly.
“You see it yourself. Soon, you will come to realize that I am not the monster you believe me to be. A wolf can wear sheep’s clothing. Remember that, Duchess,” Philip whispered almost inaudibly.
Aurelia’s eyes narrowed, her voice steady and laced with defiance. “The same could be said about you, Your Grace. You are also a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Philip’s jaw clenched, his gaze darkening as he leaned in, his voice low and dangerous. “Fine. Cast me as the monster,” he growled. “For your own sake you would do well to stay far away from me, little lamb. I assure you, I am very much a wolf without the clothing of a sheep. What you see is what you get.”
The carriage lurched again, propelling her off her seat, and she yelped.
Her arms flailed for a second, searching for anything to break her fall. Before she could land on the carriage floor, Philip reached out and pulled her up as though she weighed no more than a feather.
“I…” Her cheeks suddenly filled with heat as she looked up from his lap and expelled a shaky breath as she took in his close proximity.
The firmness of his grip sent shivers down her spine. Her body simultaneously tensed and melted, and she found herself becoming lost in his gaze.
Why am I not pulling away?
Her heart pounded in her chest, and the sensation of her breasts rising above her corset inflamed her desires. She began to picture his hands roaming over her body.
“Whoa!” the footman suddenly called out to the horses, announcing their arrival at Oakdale as the carriage slowly drew to a stop.
