Page 27 of A Gamble with the Rakish Duke
It was the beginning of turmoil in the opera, but it had already spread all over his body.
Chapter Eleven
Alexandra felt bereft. She missed the heat of Oliver’s body. It was his way, always finding a reason to be close to her.
Those moments made her believe that their marriage might turn into something more, but she also easily dismissed them as a grand delusion.
Men only wanted to get women in bed. To control them. To parade them in front of thetonwhile they were free to find pleasures in other women.
Oliver said he had abstained since their wedding, but how long would that last? How long would he keep his supposed honor when he realized his growing resentment for her?
However, Alexandra could now understand what he felt about her interaction with John. She remembered slipping out of John’s lodgings. She knew the dangers and the implications of meeting an unmarried man without an escort.
At the moment, she was the one endangering the fragile fragments of their marriage.
On stage, a soldier died, and the music sounded like impassioned weeping.
A soldier. Dead.
Just like Julian.
She curled her fingers into the skirt of her gown while she struggled to breathe.
Calm yourself.
She felt a tear roll down her cheek and used her handkerchief to dab the wet spot, careful not to smear her rouge.
Oliver shifted in his seat but still seemed determined to look away from her. Patrons in other boxes would think that she was merely touched by the performance. That the music had overtaken her soul. And perhaps that was true.
But it became too overwhelming.
All she could think about was the gaping hole that Julian’s death had left in her life.
He was the only man who had actually cared for her.
But he was gone forever.
So, she rose from her seat, intent on heading for the powder room. The dark halls startled her out of her misery, and she wondered if she should have walked out of the opera in the first place.
She burst into sobs, anyway, more from frustration than despair.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps approached her. They were urgent and fast.
She turned around to see Oliver looking furious.
“Why did you leave?” he demanded.
When he was closer, he saw the tears on her cheeks. He faltered, his anger vanishing instantly.
“What’s the matter? Have I upset you?” he asked, stroking a thumb over her cheek.
The motion felt soothing on her skin, and Alexandra could only imagine the trails her tears had created.
“N-No,” she stammered.
“What is it then?” he asked softly.
“It is nothing. Let us return to the box,” she said and took a step forward, but he stopped her.
