Chapter 11
“Married? How could you do this to me?”
Edmund cringed. His mother’s shriek most likely could be heard from everywhere on the estate. Glancing at Carolyn, her straight back and wide eyes indicated she hadn’t expected a negative reaction from his mother. He silently cursed under his breath, wishing he could comfort her. But, he couldn’t. He would not show weakness in front of his mother.
“Mother, this wasn’t done to you, rather, it was done to me.”
She glared at him. “Don’t act smart with me. You have no idea what you have done here. How did this happen?”
Glancing at Uncle Joseph, he realized he’d get no help from the man. His uncle appeared as shocked as his mother, and completely speechless. In time, they would accept this. Although he was still angry and worried about the child, knowing he was seeing to his duties should be a relief to them. However, that revelation would have to wait until after they accepted Carolyn.
“I don’t know why everyone is so concerned with how my marriage came about. At present, the point is that Her Grace and I are now wed.”
His mother abruptly stood. “Excuse me.”
With that, she fled from the room, leaving them staring after the empty door.
Uncle Joseph chuckled, then turned to Carolyn. “Don’t mind her, my dear. The woman has always been spirited. So, I suppose I shall welcome you to the family on both of our behalves.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Her tone didn’t betray an ounce of her emotions.
“There is no reason to stand on formality here. I’m simply Uncle Joseph now.” The man speared Edmund with a look. “Although, I must admit, I am not overly happy to have been left to find out so late. A hint or a warning would have been much appreciated by both your mother and I.”
Irritated to be spoken to like a disobedient child, Edmund kept his direct stare on his uncle. “I stand by my decision.”
“Well, I would very much like a private word with you on the matter.”
Carolyn stood. “Of course you would. I can leave you.”
“No.” Edmund took her arm. “That’s not necessary. Uncle Joseph didn’t mean for you to be left alone in this unknown place. He and I can hold our conversation once you are settled.”
The tender smile she shot him nearly took his breath away. He imagined he must’ve done something right in his life to be able to claim her as his. At this moment, he wished his uncle far away.
“Don’t worry over me, I should very much like to see the garden. I can never feel out of place there.”
Before he could protest to her being out in the cold, she removed herself from his grasp and left the room. A sense of loss hit him. He should be there with her, easing her into her new life. Anger curled his hands as he faced his uncle.
“What is so pressing that you have sent the new duchess in the cold and deprived her of her escort upon her first day here?”
“Calm down, dear boy. I understand your need for female company, believe me, but there is plenty of time for that later.”
The insinuation that he only wanted Carolyn for her body brought a red hue to his vision, but he fought his rage. It wouldn’t do for anyone to know exactly how important Carolyn was to him. He wouldn’t allow anyone to use her in order to manipulate him.
“Speak your piece or stop wasting my time.”
Uncle Joseph let out a sigh. “I’m not against the idea of you marrying, but why her? Thomas has been talking about that particular lady for well over a year now. You should let him have her. Find yourself another.”
Feeling his fury taking over simply at the idea, Edmund forced a laugh. “It isn’t as simple as all that. Besides, I’ve already claimed her. Nothing will change that.”
Edmund clamped his mouth closed as his cousin entered the room.
“And, Thomas? How is the boy supposed to feel about all this?” Uncle Joseph demanded, clearly not aware of Thomas’s presence.
“Confused,” Thomas called from the doorway. “I think Thomas is very confused right now. Anyone care to fill me in?”
Edmund barely contained his groan. He wasn’t ready to face his cousin. Today was supposed to be helping his duchess come to terms with her new position, not appraising every one of his decisions and enduring their judgments.
“I will leave you to your discussion.” Uncle Joseph looked at Edmund and shook his head before taking his leave.
“I received your note. I came as fast as I could. Is Miss Ashford all right? Or, did she change her mind about marrying me?”
“Rest assured, she is very well. However, she is no longer an option for you to marry. The lady has found herself another husband.”
His cousin let out a breath as he fell back on the sofa. “My mother is coming here in a few weeks when the majority of the snow has melted. She’s determined to see the lady I have chosen. Tell me that Miss Ashford is at least happy. And, her husband, is he the father of her child?”
Edmund studied his cousin’s face. Besides a hint of disappointment, he seemed to only be genuinely concerned for Carolyn’s well-being. It was a bit of a relief to know Thomas would harbor no ill feelings.
“Yes on both accounts. I’d like to believe she is pleased with her current situation.” A smile touched Edmund’s mouth as he thought about Carolyn’s admission that she’d wanted to marry him.
Suspicion entered his cousin’s narrowed eyes. “I hadn’t really expected an answer from you. It seems you are very well informed about her. I wonder why that is.”
“I’m acquainted with her husband. Although he comes from a questionable family, he will do whatever it takes to make her happy. You have my solemn word on that account.”
Thomas jumped to his feet. “You bloody son of a bitch. You married her? I don’t know what bothers me more, the fact you married my betrothed or the fact that you had the indecency to get her with child. She was an innocent.”
“I am very well aware of that.”
With a growl, Thomas began pacing, then he froze. Ever so slowly, he turned to face Edmund. “Wait. You are married?”
“Yes,” Edmund confirmed, unsure of why he had to repeat it.
“And, soon to have a child?”
Edmund nodded, his jaw tight.
“Furthermore, Miss Ashford, or rather, the duchess, is pleased with the arrangement.”
“As I have already said.”
“Then, you have no more need for me to marry and produce an heir? I am free to go?”
A touch of concern prickled Edmund spine. “Not quite. If Carolyn gives me a daughter, I will still be in need of an heir.”
“Considering her current condition, I’m sure you can figure out how to get her in this situation again.”
Edmund shook his head. “I can’t give her another child.”
“So, you want me to do it?”
“Never,” Edmund all but bellowed. “You’ll not touch her.”
Thomas chuckled and held his hands out. “Careful there. I was only jesting. I don’t see the problem. If you already have one child, why not have another?”
Bile rose in Edmund’s throat. An image of three or four children running around with his father’s blood made him feel ill. He clenched his fists as he sat down. He would not let that happen. He would resign himself to a celibate life. Carolyn would not carry another one of his children
~ ~ ~
Carolyn pulled her shawl tighter against her as she walked through the massive portrait gallery. These days she couldn’t seem to get warm no matter where she was. It had been four days since her arrival at Moonlight Castle, and even Edmund seemed to have lost some warmth toward her. He remained constantly by her side during the day, but he was not the same man he’d been in the secret garden. Not to mention that he’d only joined her bed that first night.
“I was beginning to wonder if he would ever let you out of his sight,” Thomas commented as he came out of the shadows.
Embarrassment stung her cheeks as it had every time she had seen him. Not only had she not been given an opportunity to talk to him alone before now, but he was the only person who knew she had conceived a child before being married.
“His Grace doesn’t wish for me to get lost in the castle.”
He nodded. “It happened to me once. Took me near an hour to navigate through the floors and secret passages to find myself back in a familiar room.”
Excitement burned off her embarrassment. “Secret passages? As in hidden ways to travel through the rooms?”
A sly smile crossed his lips. “Shall I show you some?”
“Absolutely.” She eagerly took his arm.
“May I ask you something?”
Her joy dimmed. Nothing good ever followed that question. “Of course.”
“Why did you agree to marry me when you are carrying my cousin’s child? You told me you never intended to see the father again.”
She bit her lip. Clearly Edmund had only decided to tell his cousin part of the story. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have hesitated in keeping her mouth closed, but this was her friend. And, for his part, he deserved to know.
“At the time, I had no idea the man I had met was the duke. I only knew him by his first name.”
“He lied? It seems I am learning a great number of things about my cousin that I had never known before.”
She gripped his arm. “Not lied. We had agreed to not share our identities. It was a decision we both were content with.”
“I see. So, when you saw him in the carriage, you fell into his arms as the two of you escaped to Gretna Green?”
Swallowing, she nodded. “Precisely.”
He snorted. “You, Your Grace, are a terrible liar.”
“It might as well have been that way. Now, please call me Carolyn. We are family now.”
“Very well. I’m Thomas.” He stopped walking and faced her. “I’ve been watching you and Edmund. Although the man is highly protective, I see no tenderness from either of you. Just tell me, did he forced himself upon you?”
Her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe he would think so badly of his cousin, nor could she believe that he would imagine she would marry the man who had done such a thing to her.
“Never. He’s never been anything other than a perfect gentleman with me. Lately, he has not exactly been acting himself, but I suppose this has been a difficult change for everyone.”
“That’s not it. You have married one of the most ill-tempered, surly bastards I’ve ever met. Just don’t let him push you around. That man needs someone to take him in hand.”
She silently agreed, but refused to tarnish the duke’s image. Clearly, he intended for everyone to see him in a certain light.
“I daresay the duke wouldn’t be pleased to hear you say such things.”
Thomas shot her his typical smile. “Then, I suppose we shouldn’t tell him.”
They resumed their stroll, and explored the passages without another word uttered about her husband. However, Thomas’s words didn’t leave her. She didn’t know what had changed Edmund, but she wouldn’t allow it to go on any longer.
Later that night as she lay in bed, she stared at the door adjoining her chamber to her husband’s. The knob didn’t turn. She’d waited near an hour before realizing he intended to leave her alone for the third night in a row. After falling asleep in his arms each night on the journey from Scotland, this was not acceptable.
Once she’d worked up enough courage, she marched up to the door and turned the knob. It was locked. Shock, then anger filtered through her system. He had locked her out. She glared at the offending door, then knocked a little harder than necessary.
She waited for what seemed like eternity before the door cracked open. Edmund appeared in his dressing gown with his long blond hair covering his face. In one hand he held a nearly drained glass of brandy.
“What is it?” His tone dripped with annoyance.
“Do you plan on joining me tonight?”
His eyes were nearly black as they traveled down the length of her body. She shivered. His open perusal caused her nipples to harden and her breathing to quicken. Perhaps he’d been waiting for her all this time.
When his gaze returned to her face, the longing she saw stabbed her in the chest.
“Go back to bed, Carolyn.”
He began to close the door, but she pushed against it. With a long-suffering sigh, he turned around and moved toward the fire blazing in the hearth. Anger and confusion swirled within her. How was she to deal with this man?
“So, you no longer find me desirable?”
He froze. “Don’t ever think that. I’m only trying to make things easier for us in the future.”
“What are you talking about?”
When he turned to face her, he was cast into shadows, concealing his emotions from her. “I have no intention of creating another mistake with my father’s blood.”
She winced at the venom in his voice and his choice of words. Mistake? She didn’t like that one bit.
“I wasn’t exactly thrilled to discover the child either, but this is ours. Not your father’s. Yours.”
His mirthless laugh gave her chills. “Exactly. And, you have no idea what lives inside me. My father’s genes will be passed on to all the children I have the misfortune of spawning.”
Needing to get to the bottom of this problem, she crossed her arms.
“Tell me about him. About your father.”
“No.” The one word echoed in the room.
“I think you need to talk about him. Holding onto everything is not good for you.”
“I said no. Don’t push me.”
He was being stubborn, and she didn’t like it. Marriage was not about shutting the other person out. She glared as she marched up to him.
“You know, perhaps that is exactly what you need. To be pushed.”
When she shoved at his chest, he stumbled back a step. Not nearly satisfied, she did it again. This time he didn’t move. Bracing herself, she put more force behind her hand, but he caught both of her arms. She struggled against him, trying to use her body to push him again.
The only good she did with her futile attempts was to make herself want him more. Her breath came in gasps now as her body hummed. Feeling as if she would die if he didn’t touch her, she stopped her movements and peered up at him. His dark face gave her no indication to his feelings, then his lips crushed hers.
She kissed him back, and a battle for control ensued. As their clothes hit the floor and they fell onto the bed, the fight continued. In the end, she decided neither of them ever gained full control, but they’d both won.
~ ~ ~
Edmund hefted another boulder up to his shoulder, using every ounce of his strength to fling it toward the pile. The loud cracking of the rocks making contact didn’t bring him any satisfaction as he picked up another. As he thought about last night, he bit down on his urge to yell while choosing the heaviest stone he could find. After mauling his wife last night, he deserved this punishment and so much more.
She pushed him too hard, and he’d wanted her too badly to resist. Although she hadn’t complained, he knew he shouldn’t have relieved himself of his anger like that. Then afterwards, he continued his selfish streak and hadn’t released her to return to her bedchamber. That only led to him giving into temptation twice more during the night. Leaving her in his bed this morning had been one of the most difficult things he done to date.
“I could’ve told you women are more trouble than they are worth.” Uncle Joseph’s laughing voice stabbed through his focus on self-punishment.
“What are you talking about?” Edmund growled, not in the mood for his uncle’s comments.
“The fury driving you to leave your warm house and remain in the snow can only be caused by a woman. As a man, I can tell.”
“Think what you must.” Edmund adjusted his mask, hating how the wind and his exertion dislodged the accursed thing. “Did you come out here to join me in my labor?”
His uncle waved his hands in front of him as if to ward off the thought. “Certainly not. I simply wanted to bring you some good news, at least in regard to one particular woman in the house.”
Deciding to end his punishment, Edmund collected his greatcoat and pulled it over himself. “I’m listening.”
“Then, you should be happy to hear I’ve spoken to your mother regarding your wife. She seems to have accepted the situation. However, between the two of us, I would refrain from calling her the dowager duchess to her face. At least, not unless you desire the consequences.”
Relief flooded Edmund as he clapped his uncle on his shoulder. “Thank you. I know this transition has been difficult for both women, but my duchess shall rest easier now.”
“Think nothing of it, my boy. You know I’m happy to help. I like to see myself as the father you should have had. I should have been my brother.”
Edmund nodded. Although his uncle allowed his mother’s manipulations and remained as her advocate, his heart was in the right place. After what she had suffered, she did deserve an easier life. The problem was, Edmund couldn’t help in that regard as she didn’t want him to be any part of it.
“Have you seen my duchess this morning?” Edmund asked as they made their way back into the warm castle. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know in order to go see her or to avoid her. Honestly, he wanted to do both.
“Yes. I saw Her Grace with Thomas when I was handling a matter with the tenants. You may want to keep an eye on those two. They spent much of yesterday in each other’s company as well.”
The thought had him clenching his fists, but he quickly forced himself to relax. He knew them and their history enough to know there was no threat. However, the two of them had been betrothed . . .
Once inside, he took leave of his uncle and asked the butler on the whereabouts of his wife. Learning she was in the drawing room with Thomas, he hurried there and froze to hear her laughing. She sounded so happy. Jealousy stabbed him. The carefree sound had been something he hadn’t heard in a long time.
When he stood in the doorway, both pairs of eyes met him. Thomas’s gaze narrowed, but Carolyn’s face lit up. He couldn’t contain his smile. She hadn’t looked like that when focused on his cousin.
“May I join you?” he asked, then grit his teeth when Carolyn and Thomas exchanged a glance.
“Actually,” Thomas stood, “I was just leaving. You may have Her Grace all to yourself.”
Edmund inclined his head as his cousin left. Although this was much preferred, he felt as though they had set this up. Clearly, they had been talking about him. He didn’t like the idea of Carolyn turning to Thomas instead of him.
“I take it you have something on your mind,” he said, stepping just inside the room.
She stood. “Yes. Would it be all right if I join you in your study?”
Just the thought of having her in that particular room had anticipation raking his body. Even after taking her multiple times last night, he wanted her again. How was he supposed to get them used to the idea of having a celibate marriage if he couldn’t keep his hands off her?
“Of course.”
As she took his arm, she smiled up at him. No hint of anger or disappointment from the previous night shown on her face. Although he wanted to take that as a good sign, he learned not to trust so easily. She could be trying to lure him into a false security.
He shook off the thought. This was Carolyn he was talking about. The one person who hadn’t manipulated or tried to use him. Or, had she? Distrust snaked through him. He hadn’t wanted a wife or child, yet here she was, his duchess and pregnant.
The second he closed the door to his study, Carolyn hooked her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Although surprised and still feeling uncomfortable with the situation, his traitorous body clasped her to him and he devoured her mouth. Lecherous thoughts filled his mind. He still hadn’t been able to have his way with her on the sofa, and he’d be damned if he didn’t fix the oversight.
She pulled back, but he wasn’t ready to end this. Moving his mouth to her neck, he savored the noises spilling from her lips as her hands tangled in his hair. She burned him like fire, and different from the one of his youth, he wanted to jump in. To let her consume him with her fiery passion.
“Edmund,” she gasped as his hand cupped her breast. “As much as I like this side of you, this isn’t why I asked you to join me.”
A groan ripped from his lips as he drew back, feeling as if she’d tossed a bucket of cold water on him. With his desire for her, he’d almost forgotten she and Thomas had shared a private conversation about him. He indicated the sofa, holding his breath as his blood pounded through him to see her rest upon the cushions.
Knowing he needed to contain himself, he sat behind his desk. He steepled his fingers on the oak surface and faced his wife. She seemed nervous. He narrowed his eyes.
“Now that you have me here, what did you wish to discuss?”
She put her shoulders back. “I have a few requests I’d like to make of you.”
An image of his mother in the newest fashions and jewelry flashed through his mind. His jaw clenched. Was that her desire, too? He wanted Carolyn to be different.
“Go on.”
“There are some things I would like, and I believe it would be better to be open in addressing my needs.”
My needs. Not what they needed. Her words echoed in his mind. Speech failed him as he gazed upon the woman he’d thought he knew. Perhaps she had sought him out in order to become the duchess. This was the part where she would make demands of him in exchange for being his wife. How easily he’d fallen into her trap made him ill. Even so, he couldn’t make himself regret the time he’d spent with her.
Unable to handle hearing the very words his mother had used on him all those years ago coming from Carolyn, he stood and walked to the door. She would have her way. He had discovered he had a weakness when it came to his wife.
“The Duchess of Demoon shall have what she wants. Talk to my mother about seamstresses and jewelers. Don’t bother me with such matters.”
He left the room feeling frustrated and angry. Inside, he’d known it all along. Carolyn was no different than his mother. He had gone against everything he wanted to have her, and now he would pay for it.