Page 33 of Married to a Frozen Duke
“We’ll need an heir, eventually. But there’s time for that. When we’re both more… accustomed to the situation.”
“I see.”
“Do you?”
“You’ll do your duty when necessary, but otherwise maintain your distance. Yes, Your Grace, I see perfectly.”
Something flickered in his eyes, like... annoyance? Or something else?
“Is that not what you want?”
“What I want…” She turned to look out the window at the perfectly manicured gardens below. “What I want has never mattered less than it does right now.”
“That’s not...”
“Isn’t it? Tell me, Your Grace, if what I wanted mattered, would we be here? Would you be showing me rooms I’ll occupy in four days as your unwanted wife?”
“You’re not unwanted.”
“No, I’m necessary. You made that quite clear.”
“I’m trying to be kind.”
“By showing me the cage before you lock me in?”
“It’s hardly a cage. You’ll have everything...”
“Except affection. Respect. A husband who can bear to look at me.”
“I’m looking at you now.”
“And hating every moment of it.”
He was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was different. Tired.
“I don’t hate you.”
“You hate what I represent.”
“Yes.”
“Then you hate me. Because I am what I represent. A Coleridge. A merchant’s daughter. Everything your family has taught you to despise.”
“You’re also a person.”
“Am I? Sometimes I wonder if any of us are people to each other. We’re just… symbols. Representatives of our families’ fears and prejudices and wounded pride.”
“That’s rather philosophical.”
“I have a lot of time to think. Being invisible gives one that luxury.”
“You’re not invisible.”
“Aren’t I?” She turned to face him. “When you look at me, what do you see?”
He was quiet, studying her. “I see…” He paused. “I see someone I don’t understand.”
“What’s to understand? I’m simple. Boring. Forgettable.”
