Chapter 5

M arina picked at the pieces of roast meat on her plate, pushing them around with her fork. Her stomach churned with nausea as she eventually gave up and placed her knife and fork beside her plate. Not even the potatoes or anything else seemed appetizing to her after the sight of the meat.

She had been surprised when Aaron summoned her to dinner, yet now she wished he had allowed her to stay in her chambers.

"Is something the matter?" The duke eventually growled, sitting back in his chair and glaring at her. "Is the dining room not to your liking, or did you have something else in mind for dinner?" He looked at the untouched plate of roasted meats on the table in front of her. His own plate was laden with beef and pheasant.

Marina pulled up her nose and made a face. "There is nothing wrong with your home, Your Grace. In fact, I have never seen such a lovely mansion. I am truly blessed to call it my home." She looked at the fine mahogany chairs, the crystal chandelier above the table, and even the portraits on the wall. It was clear to her that no expense had been saved when decorating his lavish home.

Aaron raised an eyebrow and waited for her response, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

Heaving a sigh, she averted her gaze from her plate, wishing for one of the footmen to take it away. "I do not eat meat, Your Grace. I cannot live in a world where animals have to suffer and die for the pleasure of humans. There are far too many animals that get killed for senseless pleasure." She swallowed hard when the scent of beef lingered in the air above her plate.

His brow creased into a deep frown. "I do not understand, what would you eat instead of meat?" He gestured to the feast of meat that had been prepared for their wedding. It was clear to Marina that no expense had been spared when picking the finest cuts. She wondered if any animals had been spared in the aftermath of her wedding.

Rolling her eyes, Marina sat forward and nudged her plate aside. "Oh, there are several alternatives, Your Grace. Vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and bread. Many things come to mind other than the formerly free and beautiful carcasses of animals. Rest assured that I will be having a word with the cook about the food that gets served on my plate. A larger spread of grains will be in order, preferably ones that have not been marinating in animal fat."

Swearing under his breath, Aaron turned back to his plate and shook his head. "Suit yourself, as long as I do not have to eat any of that." He cut into a large piece of beef, allowing some of the fat to drip onto the potatoes.

Disgust churned her stomach when a footman carried in a tray of roasted pheasants.

"I thought I said that the pheasants were to be brought out once I was done with the roast!" Aaron banged his fist on the table, making the poor footman jump along with Marina.

The poor man almost dropped the tray as he scurried to remove it from the room.

He is so harsh when displeased…

Marina swallowed hard as she watched him devour the piece of meat on his plate. She almost felt as if she should keep quiet in his presence, yet the defiance she felt to defend her convictions overtook her fear.

"Do you not care for the souls of the animals that you eat? Do you not think that they love in the same way that we do?" She became increasingly irate as she pushed the plate of meat completely away from herself. She had never been able to stomach the smell of meat, let alone the sight of it on her plate.

"No, I cannot say that I have. Do you not think of the poor animals whose food you are stealing?" He looked up from his plate with a puzzled expression.

His question confused Marina, making her frown. "I beg your pardon?"

The duke nodded to the meager spread of vegetables beside the massive roast in the center of the table. "Do the deer in the forest not eat the vegetables on the table? Has it ever occurred to you that by eating their food, you are doing them a far greater unkindness than eating them?"

"There is more than enough food on God's green earth to allow us to eat alongside the deer. Never in my life have I ever been faced with such a ridiculous argument. When you see an animal starving on the streets of London, would you rather kill them or give them some food? If your answer is the former, then I sincerely hope you grow a conscience!"

Aaron looked at her with a great deal of exasperation and speared a piece of meat with his fork. "You would certainly not do well in a war." The duke gritted his teeth and placed a forkful of roast beef in his mouth, chewing slowly as he held her gaze.

"Were you planning on sending me to war, Your Grace? If so then, I must protest to the terms of our marriage." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she glared at him.

"If anyone is going to war, it will be me. At least then I will be able to eat my meat in peace. How you have come this far in life with such an absurd view, is beyond me." Aaron continued to eat his food, unperturbed by her protests or anything she had said.

Her irritation with his behavior suddenly made her want to see things in a different light. She had agreed to the marriage of convenience, yet she was not about to live in a house where none of her views were taken seriously. The baron had forced her to live in a home filled with his grotesque hunting trophies, but that would not be the case with the duke. "I will have you know that…" Marina's voice trailed off when the sound of clapping suddenly cut through the air.

"Bravo, Aaron, quite a brazen move, I must say." Adam stepped into the room, smirking at his brother before winking at Marina. His slow clapping petered out as he locked his eyes on his brother. "I see that congratulations are in order."

Her blood turned to ice as a wave of disgust that had nothing to do with the meat washed over her body. Seeing the man who had jilted her at the altar left her with a deep feeling of rage and resentment that coiled in her stomach.

Just who does he think he is?

She suddenly felt grateful that she had not married a man who would make such a mockery of serious matters.

"And what do you mean by that?" Aaron's eyes darkened as he glared at his brother. The look of irritation that had been on his face was suddenly replaced by a veiled expression.

Walking over to the table, Adam pulled out a chair opposite his brother and slumped into the seat, flinging his arm over the back of the chair. His boyish looks, light brown hair, and even lighter brown eyes stood in stark contrast to his brother's darker complexion. Even as they were seated, Marina could tell that Aaron was at least a head taller than his younger brother.

"Marrying the woman I left at the altar, of course. Even you have to admit that that was quite a brazen move, brother. I knew you were jealous of me, but stealing my bride is something else." He reached for a piece of the roast beef that stood in the middle of the table and popped it into his mouth. "Even if I no longer intended to marry her."

The sight sickened Marina as she turned her gaze back to her husband. It took every fiber of her being not to wipe the smug grin off of his face. Leaving her at the altar was one thing, but bragging about it was entirely a different matter.

Aaron seemed to be seething with anger as he ran his fingers over his jaw. "You are quite mistaken if you think that I married Miss Wallace to spite you."

Adam smirked, shaking his head as he took his arm off the back of the chair and leaned on the table. "Come, come, brother, let us not act coy just because Miss Wallace is present. You and I both know that this was a ploy to prove that you could win where I left off."

Miss Wallace?

Marina wondered what had happened to the ‘wife' that Aaron had used in the carriage. She seemed to have stepped into the midst of a family feud that did not make any sense to her.

"Marriage is not a game, Adam. Although I am not surprised that you would think of it as such." Aaron reached for his glass, taking a sip of his wine.

His words seemed to anger Adam as he clenched his jaw and glanced at Marina. "I understand, you have to act like the all-mighty duke in front of your bride. Never fret, brother, I shall play along if that is what you wish." He turned to Marina with a mocking smile that made her want to slap him across the face.

How dare the man who had jilted her at the altar, come traipsing into her new home as if he had not done anything wrong at all? He had not even offered an explanation or apology, but Marina had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with their feud. If that were the case, she was not about to play their game.

Placing her hands on the table, she pushed herself up and faced her almost-husband with a smile. "I regret to inform you that you are quite wrong. His Grace did not marry me out of spite or whatever reason it is that you think. It was I who went to your brother and offered myself up for marriage. You see after you so kindly left me at the altar, I was left in the very difficult situation of dealing with a scandal!"

The expression on Adam's face suddenly changed as he looked at the table. Something she had said seemed to have struck a chord.

"Your brother was gracious enough to accept my offer, saving me and my family from the scandal that you created. After the almost-ruin and difficult situation that you left me in, I hardly think it is appropriate to act with an air of superiority. Now, if you do not mind, I will excuse myself and head to my chambers. I am quite tired after such a long and vexing day. Good day to you, Mr. Marner." She felt an immense sense of satisfaction as she turned away from the table, leaving the men to continue their argument without her.

The look of admiration and surprise that she saw reflected in her husband's eyes, made her heart flutter as she left the room.

She had not been expecting to see Mr. Marner at dinner, but she also had not been expecting the duke to treat her as coolly as he did in the chapel and carriage. The fact that he had treated her like a burden made her wonder what the evening ahead would hold.

Would he treat her with kindness, or would he throw her on the bed and demand the consummation of their marriage?

Her heart raced with anticipation as she placed her hand on the banister and began to ascend the stairs of her new home.

I am the Duchess of Harper, wife to the Duke of Harper.