Page 61 of A Bride for the Forbidden Duke
And yet there was a part of her that was excited to see the Duke. It had been mere hours, but she toyed with the possibility that those hours had been spent with him missing her. That he had paced endlessly, thinking of her.
In truth, when she finally returned to Westley Manor, she found the Duke in his study, working on his ledgers. He looked up, his head still bent towards his desk, and the piercing intensity of his stare shocked through her, as always.
The Duke nodded his greeting and said nothing. Reality settled back into Veronica, and she managed a smile at him.
“I had a very nice afternoon with my mama,” she said, hoping to instigate conversation.
“Good,” he answered.
At least, there is that.
“I… I understand a little more why you did not tell me about my brother and your investigation,” Veronica said, stepping into the room an inch further. He shot her a warning look as if to tell her not to approach further, lest she disturb him. “I shall tell her soon but… you are right. False hope can hurt.”
“I do not care about hurt,” he told her. “I have asked you before to stop assigning care to my actions. I am invested in my business only.”
Veronica was not convinced. Even though he’d barely lifted his head to give her his attention, his eyes were glaringly handsome, cutting right into her and spearing her thoroughly.
“Regardless,” she said, brushing him off. “I have visited my mother, and soon, she shall attend Westley Manor to visit me. I am the lady of the house, and I should like to invite my own family to this estate if I please.”
“You will not.”
“I will,” she said firmly, not backing down. “You cannot keep on intimidating me. We are wed, Your Grace. I shall not be movedat your behest to fulfill the role of a wife you pick and choose on various days that suit you. If you shall not play at being my husband and allowing me the simple pleasure of a visit from my mother, then do not expect me to do the same when your own family visits.”
“Duchess,” he growled in warning, putting down his ledgers.
He was on his feet in a moment, walking around his desk, and perhaps Veronica wished to rile him up, so he would come to her. She wished for the power to do that. Perhaps she wished for this closeness because distance between them felt unbearable at times when everything about him was imposing. From his glare to his size, she wanted to feel overwhelmed. And she did every time he came near.
“And on the topic of playing the part of your doting wife,” she whispered harshly, “we have received an invitation to a dinner party by the Earl and Countess of Lindbury in several days.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She matched his tone, and raised a brow at him, as if to challenge him.
“No, Duchess. We shall be declining.”
“And will you decline every invitation you receive for the rest of your days?” she questioned. “It is important we show our faces at events like this for the sake of my own family’s name.”
“I do not c?—”
“Do not tell me you do not care,” she hissed. “For you cared when you offered to marry me, so my mother did not have to keep falling prey to Lord Barwicke. And you cared when you found him trying to compromise me. So, stop pushing me away, and speak with me for one moment.”
Her insistence shocked him into silence. She saw the stun on his face as he reared back, but then he was back over her in a moment, his hand planted against the doorway next to her head. She fought back a noise of pleasure at his nearness. His presence blocked everything else out.
“I am not a sociable man,” he told her quietly. “Which you understand. I shall not smile and make pleasantries with my family while you spin happy tales for them that are fabricated for your own whim. I will not attend nor choose to spend more time with you than I must.”
But there was a tightness in his eyes, a reason why he suddenly kept avoiding her. He ran so hot and cold.
“You may avoid me if you wish,” she murmured, her eyes taking him in. “However, when you’ve tried that recently, it seems like you struggle to control your true desires. Or do you wish me to ignore those moments?”
She dared to take another step closer to him, only to receive a growl of warning. “If you wish to avoid me, Your Grace, then I look forward to meeting you in the hallway once again, whenever you are ready to erupt.”
Her heart raced with her boldness, but it worked. His face flickered, his throat worked around a swallow, and he glared at her.
“I will agree to this dinner,” he snarled, and Veronica had the great sense of being triumphant. “On one condition.”
“Yes?”
