Page 40 of Married to the Ruthless Duke
She reddened at his praise.
“Come, wife.” He grinned. “You should sleep.”
“But…”
He quirked an eyebrow.
“Don’t I need to do anything for you?”
He kissed her forehead and pulled her into his chest. “The time for you to reward me will come soon enough,” he promised darkly. “Sleep now.”
And so, with those ominous words, she fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
ChapterTen
“Do you think this dress is all right?” Helen asked her handmaid, her hands fussing with one of the small floral embroidery on the bodice of her favorite day dress—the one she had had made for occasions when she wanted to make a statement.
It had been an expensive item that had cost her father a fortune, and he had scolded her endlessly about it, but now it’d serve its purpose.
“You look wonderful, Your Grace,” her maid affirmed. “The Duke is going to be positively breathless when he sees you.”
And breathless he was when Helen descended the stairs. Indeed, he had installed the perfect stairs for a moment such as this.
“You are… exquisite.” He looked up at her, giving her a wide smile.
Her heart fluttered in her chest. He looked so honest that she felt her earlier anxiety dissipate.
“I thank you for the compliment,” she replied. “Shall we go?”
He helped her into the carriage, and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that he kept stealing glances at her.
Her heart swelled, as they hadn’t been in such close proximity since their wedding night, and when she remembered their wedding night, a hot blush warmed her skin.
He had done things to her with his tongue and fingers that had haunted her dreams since then, but since he had been too busy, she had not seen him to suggest he do it again.
When they arrived at the Framptons’ townhouse, they were immediately welcomed into a beautifully furnished drawing room and didn’t have to wait long for their hosts to arrive.
The Earl and Countess of Frampton were a middle-aged couple that welcomed them warmly, although Helen could sense the Countess would rather be anywhere but there at that moment.
The woman stayed mostly silent during the discourse.
Helen saw for the first time why Alexander was called ruthless and was notoriously known to be a cut-throat businessman, and she was impressed.
“You have to admit that your terms are rather expensive,” Cecil Allen, the Earl of Frampton, stated. “What guarantee do I have that I’ll get the percentage of profit you mentioned?”
“You’ve heard about my previous investments. I’ve yet to make a bad one,” Alexander answered. “Plus, imagine being the first owner of a private railway service. That would cut product delivery time by half, and we’d definitely have more than a few companies willing to use our service.”
Cecil nodded. “How can I be sure then that you won’t try to buy me out of the deal?”
“I can’t assure you of that, My Lord.”
The Earl laughed, sipping his tea. “You are an honest man.”
“I find no reason to be otherwise,” Alexander admitted. “Do you agree to the sixty-forty deal?”
“I haven’t agreed to that yet,” the Earl retorted. “I am a major investor and your only one, so I should get a bigger share.”
Alexander gave a cold smile that made the temperature of the room drop.
