Chapter 22

It was partially an unpleasant surprise and partially a relief for Aaron when he awoke and found Dorothy gone from the room. Rolling to her side of the bed, he found it cold, although her perfume still lingered on the pillow, a dark floral scent with jasmine and rose.

He wanted to take his wife in his arms yet again, but he also wanted to run a hundred miles away from her.

Aaron had shared too much with Dorothy last night, from his boyhood experiences and how they had hurt him, to his needs and longings in the bedroom. She knew him now, for better or worse, and his heart quailed at this thought.

"For better or worse," he said aloud and sighed before forcing himself out of bed.

The ripped green dress was still there on the floor where he had finally thrown it at some point in their shared frenzy. Picking it up instantly brought forth the image of Dorothy kneeling between his thighs in that dress, her naked breasts quivering as she pleasured him with her mouth.

Then came the memories of Dorothy beneath him or alongside him, naked except for her stockings, writhing and moaning with need as he caressed her body and worked himself inside her. Afraid of childbearing but determined still to have him completely.

Such passion, such innocence, such honesty… He had never met such a woman like her before, never mind bedded one.

"Dear God, Dorothy…" Aaron murmured quietly to himself and dropped the ruined fabric into the bin.

Ravenously hungry after the night's exertions, and lack of an evening meal, Aaron washed and dressed quickly before heading to the breakfast room. Only Miss Hughes was still sitting at the table when he arrived.

"Good morning, Your Grace," the woman chirped with her usual good humor. "Your mother is much improved this morning and is taking a turn in the garden with Betsy."

"Very good. And my wife?"

"Her Grace rose early and has taken the carriage out to do some shopping. She left a message that she would return before luncheon."

Aaron nodded equably, hiding his mixed feelings. "I shall be going to the House of Lords this morning," he announced, helping himself to an egg and a slice of bread. "There is a small group meeting to discuss the road network into London. I will be back for dinner if not luncheon."

This was true, as far as it went, although Aaron had originally planned only to join for an hour in order to meet the expert engineers brought in to brief the ministers about modern road planning, design and maintenance. Now he intended to stay for the full session. In such company, he would be safe from the urge to lose himself in every way in his wife's warmth and softness…

He swallowed a mouthful of tea to quell the dryness in his throat that had manifested as soon as he thought of Dorothy's curvaceous body in his bed, the way her sparkling eyes alternately pleaded with him for satisfaction and then demanded it, and her skillful hands that so quickly learned to rouse and excite his flesh.

"Are you well, Your Grace?" Miss Hughes asked, and Aaron realized that he had closed his eyes while trying to control his breathing.

"Yes, quite well, thank you. I simply have much on my mind, Miss Hughes."

"Your meeting sounds very important." She nodded. "I hope it goes well…"

But Aaron was already drifting off again, barely hearing the small woman's words.

Every time he was with Dorothy, another one of his carefully constructed defenses seemed to come crashing down. What if he ended up with none? How could he trust her any more than he could trust anyone else?

Knowing these were presently unanswerable questions, he temporarily put them out of his mind, collected some papers from his study, and departed for the House of Lords.

"We do thank you for giving us so much of your time, Your Grace," said young Lord Habelstock, private secretary to one of the government ministers from the Home Department, as he walked away from the meeting room with Aaron. "Your comparisons with provisions in Manchester, Dublin, Vienna, and elsewhere were most appreciated, as was your paper on trade, communication, and military needs from the English transport network."

"I'm happy to be involved, Lord Habelstock. As you know, I have interests in the rail network, the canal network, and the breeding and provision of coach horses. I can see things from all perspectives where some of our peers favor one over the other according to their sole personal investment."

"Very much appreciated," the younger man said. "Especially only a week after your wedding. My heartiest congratulations, incidentally, to you and the new Duchess of Dawford."

"Thank you." Aaron nodded politely, although wishing that Habelstock had not said anything on the subject.

He had managed several hours barely thinking of Dorothy while talking about roads, funding, and wider government transport strategy. Now she was once again front and center on his mind. The clock in the hallway struck three as they passed it.

"I suppose you'll be going straight home now?" Habelstock asked, still likely trying to be friendly but needling Aaron nonetheless. "Now that you have a wife waiting for you there."

Was the young man planning to walk him all the way out of the building?

"Yes, I shall," the Duke abruptly decided before anything more could be said, shaking Habelstock's hand in definite farewell and then walking away speedily.

Five minutes earlier, he had been planning to head to his club and remain there until at least five o'clock, and perhaps having a round or two of billiards with Nicholas or another friend.

But that would be blatantly cowardly. His entire day had actually been cowardly, even if no one but him would know. His lengthy attendance at the meeting in the Lords had been entirely for the purpose of avoiding Dorothy, not bettering the nation's roads. He could not allow himself such weakness.

Dorothy was his wife and would indeed likely be waiting for him. If he feared the intimacy growing between them, that was something he must learn to handle as an adult, not run from like a child.

She was frightened by the consequences of their relationship too, Aaron reminded himself, remembering last night. If she could name and admit her fear, should he not be capable of doing the same?

With this determination in mind, he set out for home.

"Mr. Hoskins is here, Your Grace," Toynton told the Duke impassively as he took his hat and cane in the hallway.

"To see me?" Aaron sighed, really not in the mood for that foolish, little man today.

"No, Your Grace. He came to call on Her Grace an hour ago. They have already taken tea in the drawing room. Would you like fresh tea?"

Aaron shook his head, pleased to hear this. If Hoskins had come to call on his sister and already had his fill of tea and cake, he should be relatively easy to dislodge after an hour.

"There is no need, Toynton. I will go and join them for a few minutes, but I expect the call is almost over."

"Very good, Your Grace."

As Aaron approached the drawing room, he could hear the voices from inside, Dorothy's measured and weary, her brother's loud and excitable. What could they be discussing?

"I'm telling you, Dorothy, now is the time to strike. I have at least five other investors interested if your husband agrees to support my scheme."

"Patrick, you're not listening to me," Dorothy said.

"Stuff and nonsense, Dorothy. This is the moment I've been waiting for ever since I first had the idea of matching the two of you. If you're in his bed every night, then you have his ear, Dorothy. All you have to do is…"

Aaron froze with his hand on the doorknob and then very slowly released it, feeling as though his blood was turning to ice in his veins.

The Hoskins family were in league against him, hunting him, just as the Talbots had hunted him…

Turning on his heel, he walked away quietly.

"This is intolerable, Patrick," Dorothy snapped. "You have not listened to one word I've said since you arrived here. Not one! I've had a full hour of this and cannot take a minute more."

"You really don't seem to understand the importance of what I'm trying to do here, Dorothy," Patrick replied with an expression of harried self-importance. "This is a scheme that could potentially double our family fortune and social prestige. Imagine the bride I could hope to win in that scenario. If you only understood?—"

"Patrick, I understand perfectly, and still I want no part in this or any other scheme of yours."

"But you must, Dorothy."

She shook her head firmly. "I'm not a pawn on your chessboard, Patrick. I have free will and a mind of my own, at least as sharp as yours. I have told you that I want no part in your schemes, and I mean it."

"You're a silly, little girl who doesn't know her own mind…"

Something inside Dorothy snapped at this. She no longer had to tolerate such remarks from her brother. In this house, his word carried no currency whatsoever.

Walking to the door, she held it open and looked expectantly at him. "Get out," she said curtly without raising her voice. "Now."

He laughed uncertainly and fiddled with his teacup, confused by what seemed to be happening.

"I have had enough of your scheming, your grasping nature, and your attempts to control me, Patrick. I am the Duchess of Dawford, and I do not take orders from you or anyone else. Now, get out, before I have you thrown out."

"I forgive you for your show of temper and ingratitude, Sister," Patrick said, rising from his seat. "The recent weeks have been tumultuous, and you are clearly still overwrought. I will call on you again when you are in a calmer state of mind."

Now Dorothy did raise her voice, although only enough to hopefully unnerve him. "I will not welcome you back to this house unless you come here to sincerely apologize for your behavior. As I believe you to be an arrogant, self-centered excuse for a man, with no ability for self-reflection and no affection for anyone or anything but money and admiration, I appreciate that we may therefore never meet again. Now go. I am done with you, Patrick."

"Of all the ungrateful girls who ever lived and breathed!" he huffed, puffing out his chest in its turquoise checkered waistcoat that Mary would certainly have disliked. "You are the one who should apologize to me, although I don't know that I will accept it. I shall certainly speak to Father in no uncertain terms…"

At least he was now progressing to the door as he spoke and walked past her down the hallway. Toynton was already there, readying Patrick's hat and jacket, his face expressionless although he must have heard a large part of their exchange.

Snatching his belongings from the butler, and throwing a final glare back at Dorothy, Patrick stormed out the front door and down the steps.

Returning to the drawing room, Dorothy let herself collapse into a chair and finally relax, feeling as if a weight was lifted off her chest. While she hadn't intended to cause a permanent rupture with Patrick, it might well have been unavoidable in order to make him accept her refusal to aid him in his scheming.

His visit that afternoon had been unexpected, but Dorothy had seized the opportunity to draw a line in the sand with her brother.

Alarm bells ringing loudly in her head, Dorothy had warned him about the Talbots as far as she could without revealing what Aaron had told her in confidence. Patrick had seemed no more inclined to listen on that subject than others, and she had not pressed hard, more concerned with her husband's well-being than her foolish brother getting involved with conmen cleverer and more devious than he could imagine.

One way or another, her old relationship with Patrick was over. Either they could rebuild it on new terms, or it would be gone forever. Dorothy did not mind which right now.

Walking back out into the hallway, she saw that Aaron's hat and cane were now hanging there. He must have come home while she was with Patrick. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him, and a deep warmth animated her smile as she set out to find him.

One consequence of her rupture with Patrick seemed more important than all the others. Without her brother's manipulations and threats in the background, she had a chance to get closer to Aaron on her own terms. If they could learn to trust one another, maybe they could even be happy together…