Chapter 9

"Where do you suppose he keeps it?" Lucy mused aloud as she strolled alongside Virtue through the grand yet unfamiliar halls of Castle Greystone, searching for the exit onto the veranda.

"Keeps what?" Virtue replied, only half paying attention. The majority of her focus was captivated by the imposing architecture and the haunting beauty of their new surroundings, a space as frighteningly alien as it was empty.

"The torture chamber," Lucy whispered in a half-serious, half-jesting tone. "Where do you suppose it is?"

Virtue pulled her eyes back and fixed her maid with a disapproving scowl. "Don't be silly, Lucy."

"I'm not! It is a fair question, one would think." She spun around and looked about them, a finger to her chin, surveying their surroundings with theatrical suspicion. "Deeper in the castle, is my guess. Likely in a cellar somewhere. Have you been below the floor level yet? How thorough was your search?"

"For this imaginary torture chamber? No luck. But I did come across a spinning wheel and a dandy imp called Rumpelstiltskin."

"Very funny, V," Lucy replied dryly.

"He doesn't have a torture chamber," Virtue replied with a subtle smile. "Although if he does, I would suggest you keep such thoughts to yourself. Unless you fancy being strapped to a rack. I might even suggest it to him."

Lucy smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Ah, but to do so, the two of you would have to actually speak first. At the very least, hold a conversation for longer than a minute without being at each other's necks. An impossible task," she tittered. "All that is to say, I should be fine."

"I fail to see how this is supposed to lighten my mood."

"I did catch a smile peeking through," Lucy countered with a grin of her own.

Virtue's was quickly replaced with a rueful glare, the implication being that Virtue was finished with this conversation and that Lucy should know better than to keep at it. But that was never her way, and her friend widened her eyes suggestively, appearing rather pleased with herself.

"Remind me to never ask for your help to distract me again. Better yet, remind me to keep my thoughts to myself from now on, lest you use them against me." Virtue turned back from her friend and continued on her walk through the grand and vacantly gray corridors of the castle.

"Ah, but then who would you complain to?" Lucy skipped to catch up, her voice light and teasing. "If you didn't have me to lament upon, I shudder to think what would happen. You would be a ball of pent-up energy, which would force you to speak with your husband, which would only lead to more arguing and more frustration, which would leave you needing someone to complain to. Honestly, it is lucky that I am here."

Virtue rolled her eyes and groaned, as the pair finally found the exit and left the castle to enter the infamous Greystone Gardens. "Are you quite finished making me feel terrible, Lucy?"

The maid pouted. "Oh, V, you know I only wish to see you smile. Besides, it was just a misunderstanding. As Papa would say, misunderstandings can be temporary bridges to deeper understandings. I am sure you and His Grace will find your way across this one."

"I suppose. And thank you, Lucy." Virtue appreciated the sincere words. Lucy had arrived late last night, well after Virtue had retired to her chambers. But just as ever, she had risen at sunrise, there to greet Virtue at her door to make her feel as home as possible as Virtue made her way to the dining room to break her fast; an activity that she did alone, for her husband had decided not to join her.

Virtue wasn't surprised by her husband's absence. Truly, after what had transpired between them the previous night, she might have been shocked if he had deigned to join her. Twice now they had tried to engage in a civil manner and twice now the moment had dissolved into one of them snapping.

It might have been amusing if it weren't so frustrating! Now that she had caught a glimpse beneath some of the layers of the man whom she had married, Virtue no longer held the fear of the Duke she once did. Yes, his temper was quick to flare—but then, so was hers. In a peculiar way, they were a perfect match: two fiery spirits trapped in a dance of defiance, each attempt at peace thwarted by rash words and sparked tempers. Even her attempt at an apology had spiraled into a heated exchange, an action that had seemed justified at the moment, but now seemed a little temperamental and short-sighted.

Virtue wanted to get along with Sebastian. She yearned to leave the bitterness of yesterday behind and see if they stood a chance at some semblance of happiness. But such a future demanded communication and mutual understanding—qualities both seemed reluctant to embrace presently.

"It really is unpleasant, isn't it?" Lucy clicked her tongue, her eyes sweeping over the sprawling yet neglected gardens of Greystone Castle. "One can tell His Grace has lived alone most his life."

"Oh, it isn't all that bad," Virtue lied, grimacing when she came upon a leaning wooden archway that seemed a light breeze away from collapsing.

"It is worse than bad. I would say all it requires is a woman's touch, but..." She clicked her tongue again. "Perhaps burning it down and starting afresh would be a wiser choice?"

Virtue snorted lightly. "You might just get your wish if His Grace ever decides to join me out here. Given our track record, I suspect our next heated exchange might very well set the hedges ablaze."

"Let me know if it comes to that," Lucy chuckled. "And I shall make myself scarce. The last thing I want is to be caught in the midst of a lover's spat."

"The Duke? A lover? Faith, I would sooner win the affection of a feral wolf than melt his icy heart," Virtue sighed.

The two ladies had decided upon promenading through the notorious Greystone Gardens earlier today, even if the term ‘garden' flattered the sorry state surrounding them. Although it was magnanimous in size, enveloping the entire estate like a small forest, it had long succumbed to such a state of neglect that Virtue could think of cemeteries that she had visited with more life to them. The flowerbeds were parched and mostly barren, the shrubs were withered and falling apart, the grass was a tapestry of decay, and the trees stood as lifeless specters without any leaves to boast of. Amidst the summer season too! The only compliment one might afford this garden was its fitting symmetry with the castle it encircled and the master it served.

The Greystone Castle was a vast fortress, a tremendously sized bastion made of gray stone towers and high-standing walls, and a keep that was twice the size of the manor that Virtue had grown up in. Tall, grim, and foreboding, it in itself was surrounded by a dry moat and a stout wall of solid stone, beyond which was a sprawling forest that ringed the estate in full. She had been told how isolated her new home might be, but she could never have guessed it to be this cut off from the outside world.

"It simply requires a touch of… color," Virtue mused as the two ladies walked a stone-laid path through the dead hedges. "And perhaps a generous amount of water."

"It demands a lot more than that, unfortunately," Lucy sighed.

"Well, it is not as if I have anything better to dedicate my time to," Virtue shrugged lightly. "And besides, perhaps His Grace might come to appreciate the effort."

Lucy's expression softened with understanding, as she ceased her skipping and joined Virtue's side. "Ah, so that is where your true motivations lie. In that case, I would be honored to be of assistance in this…" The maid took one final glance around the gardens, "formidable endeavor."

As the two women walked, a peculiar sensation washed over Virtue—the unmistakable feeling one gets from being watched. Subtly, she glanced back beyond Lucy's shoulder toward the castle, immediately spotting the Duke watching her from one of the high towers above. He stood, half-concealed in shadow, perhaps believing himself unseen. Yet there he was, gazing down upon her like some distant wraith, his presence almost certainly fixed on her from the moment she had stepped outside.

She was careful to maintain the pretense of ignorance, but now that she knew he had been watching, Virtue allowed herself a secret smile and felt a small tingle run down the nape of her neck at the thought.

Despite what had happened between them, Virtue wasn't such a fool to think that the Duke held any real animosity towards her. He might have been avoiding her. He might have been trying to keep her at arm's length, perhaps even isolating her as if he wanted nothing to do with her. But she could see the signs, for she recognized them in the books that she read. Not to mention how obvious he was being when he wasn't behaving so strangely.

He wanted her.

Last night, when he had mistakenly thought that she had approached him so as to be lured into his bed, she'd noticed the way his body had flushed and how nervous he had suddenly become. Then there was the charged encounter in the carriage—the intensity in his gaze, the electric touch as he cautioned her against delving into his past. He was indeed wild, a creature of deep passions, yet she believed he was not beyond her reach, should she choose to draw him in… should she choose to tame him.

It was a strange thrill, one unlike anything Virtue had ever experienced before. Not even around Lord Prescott. But she didn't mind it one little bit. There was a daring pleasure in it. She allowed herself a small smile, purposefully accentuating the sway of her hips a touch more now as she walked. If the Duke desired to watch her from the window, why not give him something to watch?

A sudden thought sparked in Virtue just then. "Oh, Lucy, I have been meaning to ask—did you not ride here with Lord Wellington?"

"I did indeed."

"And the two of you conversed along the way?"

"Only sparingly. He didn't seem too thrilled about sharing a cramped carriage with me and several trunks."

Virtue's interest peaked. "And did he mention anything of His Grace?"

Lucy arched a brow. "Regarding?"

"Perhaps how he and the Duke forged their friendship? I understand it involved his brother, but His Grace wasn't very… forthcoming." Her mind flashed to the previous day and a warmth spread up her body.

"I am afraid not," Lucy said. "The only insight Lord Wellington offered was that His Grace isn't quite as he seems, so to not judge him as such—oh, and that kindness reciprocates kindness, which is as odd as it is obvious." She sighed. "I didn't ask what he meant exactly, mostly because I sensed he didn't want me to."

"Good to him..." Virtue nodded her understanding, smirking slightly at a daring thought that came to mind just then. "I think I can manage that."

And she could at that. Yesterday had been a test, one that she had failed miserably. But the Duke had failed also, and not because he was a cruel and callous and evil person whom she would do better to avoid. The way she saw it, he was as nervous as she, not very good with people at all, and likely still trying to figure out how to behave around her. She had to believe he wanted more from this marriage than simply sharing a home together. She had to believe they stood a chance. She would not lay down and accept just any given fate without working to mend it first.

She spent the rest of the morning wondering how she might approach her husband and what she might say. Each time reminding herself not to push him or ask questions he didn't want asked. At least not until they were on closer terms. And if he said the wrong thing, to try and keep her cool and not snap as she had. They were both new at this, and it might take a little more work than she had initially expected.

What she hoped was that when the supper bell rang, he might join her. In her impatience, she even thought to send Lucy to find out if he would. But shockingly, as she started her exploration of the castle, a journey that she knew would take hours for it was a truly breathtaking expanse of wings and towers and halls, the Duke found her himself.

He came out of nowhere. Like a specter in the twilight. One moment, Virtue was meandering through an unfamiliar corridor she didn't recognize, wondering if she might be lost, and the next, he emerged from the shadows, directly in her path.

"Finding everything to your liking?" Sebastian asked.

"Dear heavens!" Virtue gasped, a hand to her breastbone, her heart leaping through her chest. "Where did you come from?"

The Duke stood imposingly before her, his attire a vision of dark, tailored elegance that clung to his broad shoulders and muscular form. His shirt, just about buttoned at the collar, hinted at the strength hidden beneath, while the fitted cut of his trousers outlined his powerful legs. The white domino mask on his face, far from concealing his allure, only enhanced the mysterious, irresistible charm that constantly drew Virtue in, her breath catching as a surge of unexpected desire fluttered through her belly.

"Apologies..." He grimaced and shrunk back, his large frame retreating slightly into the dimness. "I did not mean to frighten you." She had momentarily forgotten how… imposing of stature he was. In the cramped confines of the stone hallway, no windows about, flame-lit torches their only source of light, he bore over her like a giant in a cave.

"N-no, it is quite alright." She tried to reassure him with a soft smile. "I just didn't expect to see you. Yet, I am pleased that I did."

This coaxed a subtle smile from him—a half-smile that remained visible beneath his white mask. "I had intended to seek you out earlier, but... but I had some matters that required my attention."

"That's quite all right. Lucy and I spent the morning in the gardens, anyhow. Taking in the sights, as it is."

"I am sorry it may not be the breathtaking sight you might have imagined. My duties leave little room for horticulture, you see."

She offered a light chuckle. "I hardly noticed."

The Duke tilted his head at that, as if uncertain whether or not she was jesting. "Are you perhaps… busy presently?" He lurked by the end of the hall, at least ten feet from where she was standing.

"Not at all," she said simply, taking a step closer toward him. "Why? Did you happen to have anything in mind?"

"If you would allow it, there is something I would like to show you. I know this castle doesn't have much in the way of entertainment or beauty, but I think there is something here you might appreciate." Another half-smile. "In fact, I am sure of it."

"Oh?"

He hesitated before responding. As was his way, he chose the silence to study her. She could see his eyes taking her in, his mind at work as he considered what he was about to do, or what he was about to show her. She wondered if he had spent all morning working up the courage to approach her. Or if he harbored doubts now that it wouldn't be as interesting as he hoped.

Yet, those eyes—how they meticulously traced her form… gave her an unexpected thrill. It stirred a sense of anticipation within her, igniting her imagination about what might lay ahead. Likely, it was something benign and simple. Nothing too exciting. Perhaps something dear to him. But she felt a small sense of enticement as she considered the possibility that maybe, finally... he intended to show her this beast in another light.

"Follow me," he declared abruptly in a low boom, as he then spun about and stalked down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

Virtue blinked in surprise, and then gave chase, that same small thrill working its way through her as she wondered what it was he meant to show her.