Page 56 of The Duke’s Unwilling Bride

“You will put your nose in this corner, and you will not move from this spot until I give you permission. Is that clear?”

Teresa glares at me, all traces of fear gone. It’s as if she’s finally able to relax now that she knows I’m the one about to take her in hand and not some stranger.

“I’m not some errant child you can stick in a corner, Your Grace. I am your wife. A duchess.”

“Not in this room, you’re not. I’ve spoken with Madame Douler. She informed me you offered up your services to her. That you will work for her as any other common strumpet. To think that you still consider yourself a duchess when you’ve offered yourself up as a whore.”

Her eyes are bright once more as my words strike her just as effectively as any physical blow. “But I didn’t-”

“Do not dare make this worse by trying to lie. She has told me everything that’s transpired. You know, I was beginning to think better of you. Once I learned from my mother that you were innocent regarding the dresses and the wedding, I thought maybe I had the wrong idea about you. But this just shows me what a conniving snake you really are. Face. Corner. Now.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong. Why do you treat me in such a fashion?”

“You deny that you dressed as a man and traversed the streets of London, putting yourself in danger?”

“Well no. I-”

“And do you further deny that you lied to me when it came to your skills?”

“You know I did. But-”

“Then it is enough for me. Soon, I will know everything about you, every intimate detail. But until then, I can only go on what I’ve seen and heard. And as of right now, you do not give yourself any favors.”

“How? I demand-”

“You have no right to demand anything of me. Now put yourself in the corner and allow me to calm down before I do something I will regret.”

“Please, Your Grace. I cannot suffer such humiliation.”

I grab her shoulders and forcibly turn her, pushing her nose into the corner. “You better pray to God that’s all I do. You’re in a whipping house, my dear, a place that’s made for humiliation and degradation. Perhaps instead of a corner, you’d rather I take you out there and publicly whip your naked ass. Hmmm? Show the customers what they will get if they book a room with you.”

“Please! I-”

“That’s right,” I growl out, flooding the room with my ire. “You better learn to beg, for right now, that might be your only saving grace.”

CHAPTER 27

Joseph

I pace back and forth, glancing over at my wife’s quivering form. I don’t want to strike her with this much anger flowing through my veins. And yet, with each passing glimpse, I find myself becoming that much more enraged. Nothing abates it.

Striding back over, I ignore the soft hiccups as I tear the coat from her body and fling it over onto the floor. She moves to turn around, but I snarl at her, infusing my iron will into sound. With a soft squeak, she plants her nose back against the wood, her body shuddering.

With deft movements, I reach around her waist and fiddle with the buttons at the top of her trousers and remove the pathetic band keeping them in place. They fall to the floor, baring her arse to my gaze. Lust burns just as hot as my fury as her potent scent reaches my nose.

But all that does is reaffirm how much I need to make this lesson stick. She’s far closer to being in heat than I feel comfortable with. Any other Alpha would have pinned her down and raped her at just a whiff. She could have died if they went into a rut, fucking her without stopping.

A monstrous man could have torn her limb from limb. My fingers tremble as I slide my hand around her waist, holding her in place as I smack her arse hard. Though she cries out, she seems to have enough sense to stay put. Curling into her, I grab Teresa’s flesh, digging in until her cries are in earnest.

“Before this night is through, you will learn the consequences of what it means to make me worry.”

She turns to me, tears tracking down her cheeks. Despite the sorrow in her eyes, she juts out her chin, ever the stubborn omega. “Worry? Since when does any part of you care about me?”

Turning her in my arms, I slide my fingers up her breastbone and wrap them around her neck, pinning her to the wall. “I worry about what’s mine, and like it or not, my fragile little doll, that includes you.”

“I’m not fragile. I’m strong and capable.”

I know she means to defend herself, but all it does is make me furious. “Then by all means. Let’s test that theory, shall we?” I drop my hand and step back from her, holding my hands wide. “There’s the door. If you think you can, get past me and escape. If you can manage that, then I will say no more on the subject.”