Page 76 of The Lady Who Said No to the Duke
They met in the hall on the hour, and it seemed to Thea that Hal was making rather a fuss over whether she was warm enough and whether her boots had soles that would not slip on the frosty ground.
There were formal lawns at the front with statues and urns set about them.She was familiar with that view, the one she had from the windows of her suite, so they walked around to the right where there was a small shrubbery with paths that led to an ornamental pond.
That had affronted-looking ducks sliding on the ice, and she made Hal promise to have the gardeners break it for them.
‘The maze is down there.’He pointed.‘But I am not negotiating that in this cold.We will save it until the Spring.This path leads to the South Lawn and the terrace.’
Thea walked with him, her hands tucked into her muff.The South Lawn was one great sweep of grass running down from the terrace to a ha-ha from where the vista of the park opened up.
There was another shrubbery at the far corner, and Thea began to walk towards that.
‘It is too cold…you should come in now.’Hal put his hand under her elbow and began to steer her towards the house and the French doors that led inside.
‘Not yet, I haven’t seen it all.’She tugged free and kept walking, in no mood suddenly, to be ordered about.
‘Thea.’
‘No.’
He waited until she reached the edge of the terrace and started down the steps before he strode after her.‘Thea.’
‘It is warmer in here,’ she said from just inside the shrubbery.‘Come on, show me what is on the other side.’
‘No.’Hal caught up with her, stood in front and tried to turn her back.
‘For goodness sake!I am not cold.I am not fragile.I want to see the gardens.Mygardens.’
‘I would very much prefer that you turn back now,’ he said tightly.
‘Really?Just as you would prefer to come to my bed occasionally and retreat back to your own room immediately?I suppose that I have to learn to live with that, but I do not have to put up with being barred from one quarter of the garden for no reason.’
‘There is a perfectly good reason,’ he began.‘One that I do not intend to stand here discussing.’
‘Oh, I was so wrong.You are just as objectionable as you were as a boy, ordering me about, mocking me.’
‘I would not mock you!Thea—’
She saw a flash of red on the ground and snatched up the twig with its one brave scarlet leaf left clinging to the end and brandished it at him.‘I am just your Twig again, aren’t I?You have married me and you have bedded me and I suppose you are finding me a good enough duchess, but you don’t… You don’t wantme.’
‘Damn it, Thea.’He snatched the twig from her and tossed it aside.‘I love you.’
‘What?What did you say?’
‘I.Love.You.I love you, Thea.’
She stared at him, saw the truth in his face, the hurt that they were fighting.
‘But why don’t you come to me and… Why isn’t it like it was the first time?’
‘Because you don’t love me.You cried yourself to sleepthat night.I saw your face in the morning, felt the pillow soaked with your tears.I had done that.’
‘No.’She shook her head.‘No.You had done nothing to make me cry.Only make me happy.’
Thea turned, blundered out of the shrubbery, hardly aware of where she was going, and found herself teetering on the edge of a five-foot drop.Strong hands grasped her shoulders, pulled her back, and she found herself clasped to Hal’s chest.
‘I made you happy?’
‘I love you,’ she managed to say through a mouthful of woollen scarf.‘I have for so long.And you made me feel so wonderful that night.And then I woke up and remembered that you didn’t love me.’
