Page 78 of The Duke’s Unwilling Bride

“Well, someone had to. You sure weren’t. The poor little dear was left to wander this house alone, with nary a friend.”

“Well,” I grind out, irritated with having my sins tossed in my face. “She has her lady’s maid back. There’s at least one other friend besides us.”

“That’s not enough.”

“I know it’s not.” With a sigh, I run my fingers over my face. “I am not one for grand gestures…”

With a pat on my arm, she looks off into the distance, her eyes misting for a moment. “Neither was your father. But then, he made it to where they were never necessary. It’s not the size of the apology, but the sincerity. You will never be perfect, and neither will she. But it’s how you come together after the hurt that shows your mettle.”

Bending low, I give her a soft kiss on the cheek. “You are indeed a wise woman.”

“Yes,” she smirks. “So I have been told.”

“And you must accept my apologies for how I’ve spoken to you. I was not in the best of moods. However, you did not deserve my ire.”

“No. I didn’t. But I thank you for the apology. And as for your wife?”

“She knows the true measure of my feelings.”

“Good. Then all is right in the world.”

“Now presenting Lord Walsh, Earl of Middlehey.”

The deep baritone of the presenter cuts through the noise, slamming into me as if a physical sensation. Through the bond, I feel Teresa’s apprehension, and I long to go over and comfort her. But as it is, I’m too far away, and shoving others to the side will not look good for either of us.

CHAPTER 37

Teresa

My heart seizes as my cousin waltzes through the door, his lips quirked in a self-satisfied smirk. This can either mean that he’s still in the dark, unknowing about the trap about to be laid before him. Or, and the worst possible thought, he knows and can counteract.

According to the barrister, he shouldn’t be able to fight it, and yet, I don’t put it past him to have something nefarious up his sleeve. It’s so like that sniveling snake to try to bite us just at the final moment. Keeping my hands to the side, I refuse to adjust the papers that lay against my chest, hidden between the fabric of my stays and my skin.

After giving me an odd look, Asher disappears into the crowd, allowing me to finally take in another deep breath. Soon, Joseph is back by my side, his arm wrapped around my waist.

“Steady, my dear. It is almost all over.”

I take his words to heart, and yet, it does nothing to quell the nausea rising up in my throat. Plastering a smile on my face, I continue to play nice, to be the welcoming hostess. It does help the time go by until we’re all supposed to dance.

Since getting caught in his library, Joseph and I hadn’t been able to take to the floor. So now, as he dances with me, it’s with a much lighter heart. There are no lies between us, no half-truths that muddy the waters. Now, it’s just a husband indulging his wife as we welcome all to the floor.

As with tradition, I dance with all who ask, keeping apart from my husband. I detest these rules. Who made them, anyway? Probably someone that didn’t love their spouse. But now, every breath, every sensation is attuned to Joseph, in a way I cannot separate. Nor do I want to. Now, it’s difficult being in the arms of any other man.

Soon, Asher takes his place with me, his eyes glittering as we go through the steps. “It seems that married life has agreed with you.”

“It most certainly has, dear cousin.” I keep my tone light, cordial, while inside I continue to seethe.

“Shall we have a discussion after this round? There is something I’d like to talk with you about.”

“I’m sure His Grace and I-”

“Just you.”

Blazes. I want to say no to his request, to flee back into the arms of the man who loves me. But I can’t. I cannot do anything that puts Asher on the defensive. And so, allowing myself to don a smile I do not feel, I give him a slight curtsy and motion to an alcove.

The thick scent of aggression follows in his wake, setting my stomach to turning. But surely, he cannot harm me in front of all these people. Especially knowing I’m bound to Joseph.

I long to cry out to my husband through the bond, to let him know of my distress, but I don’t dare. Not yet. I need to see what he’s planning first. It could be he reveals something new, something that makes this an all the more poignant hoisting.