Page 30 of Duke of Silver
He straightened, his expression shifting slightly. “I did not marry you to have you skipping your meals and starving yourself, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth’s heart gave a painful twist.Like he cared,she thought bitterly. His concern rang hollow to her ears, given the distance he had kept between them. Still, she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the matter that had driven her here.
“You had a caller earlier,” she said, ignoring his remark as she folded her hands before her, doing her best to sound casual.
His brow rose higher, curiosity flashing in his eyes. “Oh?”
“Lady Winston was most disappointed when she was told you were out,” Elizabeth continued, keeping her tone light, though her stomach churned at the memory.
“Georgianna called?” he blurted before quickly correcting himself, “I mean, the Countess was here?”
Elizabeth noticed the brief slip, and it sent a fresh wave of hurt coursing through her. The way his expression shifted—something unspoken passing over his features—was all the confirmation she needed.
She swallowed the lump rising in her throat, trying to steady her voice. “Oh, do not seem overly surprised, Alexander,” she said, her words cutting. “After all, I am sure you wouldn’t be the first man in England to be paid a visit by his mistress during what is supposed to be his honeymoon.”
His expression darkened instantly, his brow furrowing in confusion and displeasure. “The Countess is not my mistress, Elizabeth. Wherever did you get such a notion from?”
Elizabeth’s chest tightened at the earnestness in his voice, but the hurt from Lady Winston’s visit still burned fiercely within her. “I’m afraid her visit and your relationship couldn’t have been clearer even to a blind man,” she retorted, her voice betraying the sting of her emotions.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed, and his tone grew more serious. “Do not make assumptions and conclusions without any basis,” he warned.
“Oh, but the Countess gave me all the basis I needed,” she replied, her words sharp as she met his gaze head-on, refusing to back down.
He exhaled, his patience clearly thinning. “Did she mention why she called?” he asked, his tone more measured now, though there was an edge of frustration beneath it.
Elizabeth’s composure was slipping, the anger and pain she had been holding back now spilling forth. “Perhaps you should return her call and ask her yourself,” she suggested coldly, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.
The room seemed to grow heavier with the weight of their silence. Finally, Alexander spoke again, his voice low but firm. “There is nothing between me and that woman, Elizabeth,” he repeated, his eyes locking with hers.
For a fleeting moment, something about the way he spoke, the earnestness in his expression, made her hesitate. There was a sincerity in his voice that almost made her want to believe him.
But who was she fooling? This was no business of hers. She was not truly married to Alexander, not in the way a wife should be. Whatever affairs he conducted and with whomever he pleased, it was no concern of hers. They had entered into an arrangement, nothing more—an arrangement to protect boththeir family honors after the unfortunate misunderstandings that had brought them to this point.
Elizabeth swallowed hard, the bitter reality settling in her chest. She had to accept it. This was her life now.
“She claimed to have called to give you a warning about some… unpleasant rumors she’d heard in society about our marriage,” she said, keeping her voice as even as she could. “Specifically, about me.”
Alexander’s brow furrowed, his gaze darkening with curiosity. “And those are?”
Elizabeth hesitated for the briefest moment before continuing, the words tasting foul as they passed her lips. “Society believes me to be in an affair with your brother despite my marriage to you,” she said quietly, the humiliation rising within her as she spoke.
Alexander ran a hand through his hair in frustration, his expression hardening. “Good heavens,” he muttered, his voice heavy with exasperation. “Will the troubles never end?”
He let out a long breath, his hand running over his face. “Was that all she said?” he asked.
“All that you will not deny,” Elizabeth replied, her voice sharper than she intended. She was tired—tired of the secrecy, the suspicions, the distance between them. The pain that had beensimmering inside her boiled over, and for once, she didn’t care if her words cut.
Alexander’s jaw tightened, his expression hardening at her insinuation. She saw the anger flare in his eyes, but she was too hurt, too humiliated, to care about his feelings in that moment.
The tension in the room was palpable, the silence thick with unspoken words. Finally, Elizabeth broke it, her tone more controlled but no less determined. “The Viscountess of Compton has sent us invitations to her assembly,” she said, deciding that she might as well speak her mind while they had the opportunity for conversation. It wasn’t often that she had his attention.
“If indeed there is an element of truth to what the Countess said,” she continued, “and those rumors are circulating, then I believe making a public appearance together might help to douse them somewhat.” She hoped her words would encourage him, that he might see reason in her suggestion.
Alexander remained silent for a long time, his gaze distant as though he were weighing her words carefully. The tension between them stretched, the quiet almost suffocating.
At last, he spoke, his voice low and measured. “I shall think about it.”
Hardly reassuring, Elizabeth thought bitterly as she turned to leave his study.
