Page 58 of An Accidental Bride for the Duke
“My…” She could see from the corner of her eyes, his eyes widened with recognition. “Ah, yes. My rules. What of them?”
Iris couldn’t wait for the rest of the month. And she certainly couldn’t wait for a year or two years or however else long Philip told her she could take. She had started to fall for her husband, she sensed he felt the same for her, and if this marriage was to stand a chance they needed to treat it as being real.
All this was to say that Iris was finally ready to sleep with her husband.
“Yes, well…” Her cheeks were growing redder by the second and try as she might she simply could not look Philip in the eyes. “First of all, I want to thank you for being so understanding.”
“Of course.”
“But having said that, I was also thinking that… I have been considering the circumstances and I… I do not think that…” She couldn’t say it! What was more, she sensed that he knew where this was going, happy to sit back and let her finish. “I appreciate that you are happy to wait, only I do not know if that is?—”
The sound of crashing coming from somewhere inside the manor silenced Iris’ stuttering.
The two of them turned their heads as one, listening to what sounded like a door being slammed shut, followed then by heavy footsteps stamping through the house.
“What on earth…” Philip was up, concern etched across his face as he hurried to see the cause of the noise.
“Philip!” Iris gave chase.
They arrived together moments later in the foyer, just in time to see Percy storming up the staircase.
“Percy!” Philip cried after his brother. “What do you think you are doing?”
Percy spun about to see them standing there, and Iris gasped. His eyes were bloodshot red, his cheeks swollen and dripping wet with tears. His body shook, and Iris had never seen someone so broken.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Percy whimpered, looking away.
“I don’t care what you want!” Philip went after him. “What happened to you?”
“What do you think!” Percy hissed.
Despite Percy’s protests, he did not finish his journey up the steps. Rather, he waited for his elder brother, happy to fall into his arms when he reached him. He was not sobbing loudly, or wailing, but his body shook violently as Philip held him.
“The villagers,” Philip growled. “I told you—did I not say you should not go.”
“I thought… I thought… it has been so many years.”
“Not nearly enough,” Philip growled angrily as he patted his brother on the back. “They are vile people. Every last one of them. Do not concern yourself with men of their ilk.”
“Easy to say…” Percy sobbed. “Harder to do. The things they said, brother…” He sniffed. “How can they say such things?”
“Come…” Philip peeled his brother from him, but kept an arm around his shoulder. “Let us go somewhere more private.”
Iris stood at the base of the staircase, watching the scene unfold with a broken heart. She had only known Percy for a few days,but she had come to care for him deeply since then and to see him in such pain hurt her more than she could believe.
She wanted to go with him. She wanted to help comfort him. Only…Philip still does not know that I know about Percy’s past. And somehow I sense now is not the time to tell him.
Yes, Philip had changed. And yes, she was certain that he would not care if she knew about his past as he once might have. But she found she did not want to risk it, still unsure if her husband had changed that much. And that if he found out what she knew, it might ruin everything.
“Philip…” she called after them. “Do you need… can I…”
“It is fine, Iris,” he said without looking back. “There is nothing you can do.”
“Are you sure –”
“It is fine!” He growled, anger taking him. She winced and reeled back, knowing it was not her that he was angry at. But it still hurt to be denied this way.
She was not yet a part of this family, and never before had it felt so obvious.
