Page 30 of Claiming His Lost Duchess
He seemed pleased because he continued his exploration eagerly, seemingly moving faster with each moment. Joan could feel the nerves within her pull tighter and tighter, and she shook her head, overwhelmed and in need of a reprieve.
Her husband seemed to notice, and he moved closer to kiss her sweetly, whispering softly,
“It is all right. Just let it go.”
Then he pressed a finger against her slippery nub, stroking it a few times. Shortly after, Joan fell apart.
She clenched her legs shut, with his fingers still in her as her body shook, wrought with pleasure. Joan gasped, the realization of what had just transpired hitting her like cold water.
“No, stop —” she muttered, pushing him away as she tried to gather her senses.
She almost expected him to assert his place over her and demand her body as was his right as her husband. To her surprise, he pulled away, stepping back a few feet until there was a clear distance between them.
Joan quickly pulled her dressing gown close, pretending that a part of her didn’t mourn the loss of heat at his departure.
Graham cleared his throat, looking as though it took a lot of energy for his eyes to leave her body to rest on her face.
“Henceforth, we will be a family. You, me, and Sophia… our daughter. I do not wish for any awkwardness or discomfort to fester between us — especially for her sake. This is your home now, both of you. Treat it as such. And starting from tomorrow, we will be having dinner together. Every night.”
He did not give her a moment to respond before he nodded and walked to the door, only pausing to tell her calmly with a glance over his shoulder,
“Good night.”
And then he was gone.
Joan sat on her bed, completely shocked and confused by his actions.
He had listened when she spoke to him and had opted to leave rather than demanding his way. She had never met anyone like him.
And she couldn’t help but wonder what this marriage between them would be like.
Graham barely managed to retain his senses long enough to arrive at his study.
The first thing he did was pour himself a glass of scotch and downed the entire thing the next moment. He poured another immediately and emptied half of the glass before he paused to calm himself.
He had done it. He had not only found the woman he had sought after for years, but he also managed to marry her.
Now that she had his, he thought that he would have regained some control of his senses, but it seemed his hunger only grew with their close proximity to each other.
Graham felt as though he wished to spend endless hours worshipping her body, preferring the taste of her lips to any spirit. But he knew he couldn’t rush things, couldn’t demand so much from her so soon.
Still, the wait was bound to kill him, if his greed did not make its mark first.
“My faither used tae say guid things would come tae those who wait. I wonder if he'd think me a fool or a puir soul for pittin' maself through these mad circumstances.” he mused quietly.
Only time would tell, he supposed. All he could do now was properly prepare himself to meet the needs of his family, a prospect that filled his heart with anticipation.
And for the first time in a very long time, Graham felt eager to see what the future had in store for him.
The very next morning, Joan was awake and out exploring the estate.
She had not gotten a chance to do so, seeing as only days ago, Sophia had been ill and needed to be looked after closely, followed by the preparations to be wed. With how much her life had changed in the span of a week, she felt quite displaced and out of her depth.
Still, she had no intention to be swept up in the storm that had overturned her situation — for better or worse, it was still too soon to say. Joan did not want to appear as a liability to her husband, or a leech that sought only the benefits of their marriage. She never imagined she would have a title, much less one ranked so highly, but she was determined to do right by the opportunity that had been presented to her.
“Oh, certainly, Your Grace! I would be honored to give you a tour of the estate.” The housekeeper beamed when Joan made her request.
“These grounds have seen several generations of Rutledge heirs, and I have been fortunate to have witnessed the ascension of two dukes to the dukedom. His Grace might seem… rough around the edges, but he is remarkably unlike what most assume,” Mrs. Wintersdown told Joan, and she led the duchess through the corridors of the house.
