Page 41 of The Scottish Duke Tames the Bluestocking
But until then, she would continue this delicate dance of avoidance and denial. She would play the role of devoted duchess and distant wife, all the while ignoring the simmering heat that threatened to consume her every time Hugh’s sapphire eyes met hers across a crowded room.
It was a precarious balancing act, one that grew more difficult with each passing day. But Harriet was nothing if not stubborn. She would maintain this charade for as long as it took... even if it meant denying the very essence of her passionate nature.
For in the end, guarding her vulnerable heart was the only way she knew to survive the perilous waters of her marriage. And survive she must... no matter how tempting it might be to surrender to the tidal pull of Hugh’s allure.
CHAPTER22
Despite her every intention to try, Harriet had to admit that she was not entirely able to escape the magnetic pull of Hugh’s presence, the way his gaze seemed to follow her after mealtimes or the way her own eyes drifted towards him whenever she spotted his imposing figure about the manor. Even harder to ignore was the way her heart ached and her pulse raced when she again rejected one of his requests to spend time together.
Her ability to avoid him ended bluntly one late morning. She was sat in the garden, a book forgotten on her lap. Abigail had decided to spend the morning with friends, and as such Harriet knew she could not use her sister-in-law as an excuse again.
So she hid in the gardens, hoping that her husband would busy himself with the heaps of paperwork she knew he had.
“Harriet.”
She was wrong, she realized when his voice reached her ears and she looked up hesitantly. His voice was low and he moved to sit down next to her, the heat from his body radiating towards her.
“I know this is all new and strange for ye,” he said softly. “I know that ye are still finding yer way in this new life we are meant to build together... but I want ye to know that I am here for ye. I will do whatever it takes to make ye feel at home - and at peace here.”
Harriet swallowed at this, her throat suddenly tight with emotion. Still, she managed to flash him a smile.
“It is new,” she admitted. “And I know that... that I haven’t been the best wife, but... I am trying,” she said. “I am trying to make this as normal as I possibly can.”
Hugh flashed her a melancholic smile and Harriet looked up at him. There was something about the look in his eyes that sent an uncomfortable fluttering to her stomach and she jumped to her feet quite quickly.
“I... I was going to take a walk.”
She did not wait for a response, immediately rushing to the garden, trying her best to get as far away from him as possible. To her surprise, she quickly found that the sweet scent of blooming roses and the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze was not enough. It could not soothe the tumult of her thoughts or the aching confusion that gnawed at her soul.
She soon made her way to her room, where she remained quietly until the bell rang for dinner. For a few seconds, Harriet considered faking another headache - but she knew that it would not do. It would only serve to concern her husband even more.
That would make her ability to avoid him even more difficult.
So, she made her way downstairs slowly and joined her husband and Abigail at the table. Dinner was tense - and uncomfortable. Harriet could do nothing but pick at her food, pointedly avoiding Hugh’s gaze across the table.
“Oh, and then Jessica said that Magdalene and Harold were going to get married soon, even though Jessica has only barely made her debut. Is that not grossly unfair?”
Abigail, unlike Hugh and Harriet, was chattering away eagerly - her youthful innocence shining through in every word. Though she smiled at Abigail’s innocent gossip, Harriet wondered if she could plead fatigue and excuse herself.
Before she could do that, however, Hugh’s chair scraped across the floor and he rose to his feet.
“Thank ye for the pleasant meal,” he said, nodding at Harriet. “I, however, have some work to do. If you’ll excuse me.”
With that, he made his way to his study and Harriet frowned. As much as she had been trying to avoid her husband, she could not deny that she didn’t like the fact that he now seemed to be avoiding her as well.
She sat for a few minutes longer, making small talk with Abigail before standing.
“If you’ll excuse me, Abigail,” she managed to get out. “I am rather... rather tired too. I think I need an early night.”
It did not take long for Harriet to fall asleep.
She woke hours later, with the morning sun casting a warm, golden glow through her room. Hugh was absent for breakfast and Harriet quickly agreed to Abigail’s request for a walk through the gardens.
This was how the two women made their way across the lush green lawns, arm in arm.
“Hugh and I have been through so much together,” Abigail said suddenly and Harriet turned her gaze towards the younger woman curiously. Abigail flashed her a smile before continuing.
“I know this seems to come out of nowhere,” she admitted. “But it is true. My mother... she died shortly after my birth, and my father followed soon after. It was Hugh who raised me, even though he too was only a child.”
