Page 8 of An Accidental Bride for the Duke
She shuddered again to hear him use that word. “I…” Unable to speak, she offered him a nod of her head.
“Good,” he said with a satisfied smile. Then, he released her. She fell back with a gasp, and he turned once more, back to looking out the window.
Iris’ heart was racing. She could hardly breathe. And it was so hot in the carriage all of a sudden that she was sweating through her dress.What just happened…Iris knew she should have felt afraid. For how powerless she was, how weak and helpless and utterly at the duke’s mercy.
But that wasn’t it at all.
Excitement rose inside of her. Confusion, brought by such a thing. She was still angry. She was still annoyed with everything that had happened. But the feel of his hand on her chin, the look in his eyes, and how her body had reacted to his touch…maybe this marriage won’t be nearly so boring as I thought.
Chapter Three
Iris’ heart leapt through her throat every time she heard footsteps walking down the hallway. Each time they did so, they would continue past her closed door, and she would breathe a sigh of relief. But whenever she did, she would remind herself that before this night was through one such set would stop at her door, push it open, and step inside to claim her.
Should I lock the door? Should I pretend that I am asleep? And would the duke so much as care if that were the case…
The thought terrified her as much as it elicited excitement. She wanted to hate the idea. She thought that she should. But each time that she found herself thinking of such things her mind would then go back to the carriage, the argument she’d had with her husband, and how she hadreallyfelt in those few moments when he had forced himself on her and shown her just how little power she had.
A shiver ran through her spine, and she gave her head a shake, determined not to think about such things. Just as she was determined to ignore the way her heart quickened its beating and her body flushed with desires never before felt.
“We will stay here tonight,” the duke had told her when he’d led her to her room. “And we will leave first thing tomorrow.”
“Oh…” She had hesitated, her eyes falling on the bed in the room’s corner. “You and…” She swallowed. “You and I?”
“My room is down the hall,” he said simply. “If you need anything, send for me.” And then he’d left her, no indication that he meant to see her against before the sun rose.
It was two hours ago now when they had arrived at the small roadside inn. Just before dusk, the duke had asked for two rooms and dinner, also ensuring that there was a place for them to wash. Iris had cleaned herself first, arriving back to her room to find a plate of food ready for her.
I should be relieved that the duke has no intention of dining with me. That he has no intentions with me whatsoever. Is that not what I wanted?
She ate alone, the whole time keeping her eye on the door and her ears listening for the sound of his arrival.
Iris might have been innocent in the ways of the world, but she was not so much that she didn’t understand the true meaningof tonight. This was her first night as a married woman and for that reason it was expected that she would lay with her husband. She did not know what this would entail. She did not know the ins and outs of it, beyond what her sisters had told her. All she knew was that it was intimate, that it was her husband’s right, and if her sisters were to be believed, that she would enjoy it immensely.
“But what about love?” she had once asked her sister, Aurelia. “Does one not have to be in love to enjoy… that?”
Aurelia had laughed. “Sweet, Iris. Love has nothing to do with it.”
“But… but… but…”
“Trust me,” Aurelia had told her as she stroked her hair. “Love or no, if the man knows what he is doing, you’ll likely forget your own name, let alone if you love him or not.”
Again, Iris had little understanding of what this meant. Just as she was not sure if she should believe Aurelia. All she could go on was how she felt about the duke and this marriage, and as she was adamantly opposed to both, she had to assume she did not want anything to do with him.Even that…
It was just as Iris was finishing dinner that she heard a knock at her door.
She caught her breath and froze as if the duke might lose interest. As she did, she caught her reflection in the mirror, only just now remembering that she was dressed in a light shift for bed. It was translucent, flowing over her curves, showing them off too in a way that made her feelexposed.
Another knock. “Iris?” the duke’s voice spoke.
“Y—yes?” she stammered, looking about for something to cover herself with. There was nothing, so she hastily crossed her arms over her chest as the duke stepped inside.
He saw her standing in the middle of the room. His dark eyes roamed her body, and she could have sworn she saw delight flash behind them. A nervous step back, not wanting to look weak and pitiful but unable to appear confident all the same.
“There is something we must speak of.” He closed the door behind them and Iris flinched to hear the lock click.
“Th—there is?” she stammered.
“Yes,” he said simply. “There is.”
