Page 74 of A Necessary Wife

That hope was hers alone, and it bloomed in her heart until it threatened to overwhelm her now.

Oh no.

This was the beginning of the end.

She was falling for her husband.

Had fallen.

And that terrified her far more than the duke’s scowl or Lucy’s disdain or any romantic rival’s smirk.

She needed air.

Amelia burst to her feet. “There is something that needs my attention upstairs,” she explained, voice unsteady. “Do excuse me, Your Graces?”

“Yes, of course,” the duchess murmured, with a kind smile.

The duke nodded and said nothing.

Chatham too did not inquire what could be so urgent upstairs and remained in his seat, silent and watchful. She paused a moment, hoping he might ask to come with her.

He noticed her watching him. “I will remain here with the children instead.”

Amelia felt her cheeks heating at the subtle dismissal. She had no other choice but to leave the room alone.

She lifted her chin and did not let her step falter until she was out of the doors. When the footmen closed them behind her, she exhaled a shaky breath.

“Milo,” she whispered, as though saying his name aloud might somehow summon him.

It did not.

She shook her head, recovering her ability to breathe in the process, and considered where to go so that Chatham could not find her until she had adjusted to the troubling discovery that she loved him.

This was no idle fancy.

It was a disaster.

“My, my, aren’t you a pretty sight this morning,” someone drawled. “A blush always suits a lady.”

Amelia glanced around, revolted to discover Mr. Dunstan leering at her again.

She inclined her head. “Excuse me, sir.”

“Where are you going? What say you and I take a stroll and continue our conversation?” he suggested, his smile indicating a stroll was the least he had on his mind.

“I have an urgent matter to attend to,” she told him.

“With me. Absolutely urgent and highly satisfying.”

Amelia gaped at his audacity, then recovered. “Definitely not with you. You have a wife.”

“My wife sleeps like the dead and doesn’t rise until midday.” The bounder planted his hand on the wall beside her head, trapping her there and blocking her escape up the stairs. “There’s no need to act so coy, but I grow tired of waiting for an invitation. You won’t find a better man here.”

“I’m not looking for a better man,” she said, straightening her shoulders. It had already been made clear that this man might have engaged in an affair with her predecessor. She wouldn’t be so foolish. Dunstan was a hound, a man without morals or scruples. “I already have the best.”

“Wife,” Chatham murmured, and she turned to see her husband looking anything but pleased by the situation she was in. He passed over the letter that she’d foolishly left behind, but his eyes never left Dunstan. “You forgot this.”

Amelia ducked under Dunstan’s arm and rushed to his side to collect her letter. “Thank you.”