Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"I need help," Evangeline said to Susan the next morning.

"With what, ma'am?"

"Promise me anything I say here and now will remain between the two of us?"

"Of course," Susan said immediately. "I take my duties very seriously, Your Grace."

"Good." Evangeline strode in nothing but her chemise to the closet where her gowns were hanging. "I have decided I need to seduce my husband."

Susan cleared her throat. "You need to… seduce him?"

"Precisely."

"In what manner?"

"Well, that is why I need your help." Evangeline turned around and considered. "Bring Joan to me. She still has a few weeks here before she leaves for her new position."

"Joan?"

Ah, yes. Susan didn't know of Joan's condition, and nor should she. That was a secret Evangeline intended to keep.

"Yes, Susan. Joan. There is something I would like to speak with her about."

"About your plan, Your Grace?"

"Never mind what about. When I'm done speaking with her, I will send for you again and we can discuss how I might achieve my aims."

Susan bobbed a quick curtsy and left the room. Soon after, Joan appeared. She had applied for a new position and had accepted but was working out her final two weeks at the castle before moving on, so no one would suspect her of anything. Mrs. MacDonald had been particularly understanding of the entire situation.

"Yes, Your Grace?" Joan asked, her head hanging.

"I realize this is an unorthodox thing to ask you," Evangeline said, running a nervous hand down her front, "but I have a wish to seduce my husband."

Joan raised her head and blinked. "You wish to… what?"

"We have not yet… consummated the marriage, although I don't believe that has anything to do with his desire for me."

Even as she said it, she doubted herself—until she remembered the hungry way he had looked at her in the carriage.

"I am not familiar with physical intimacy or men's desire, and so I am not sure how best to go about seduction." She met Joan's eyes and tried not to let her uncertainty show. "Can you keep this a secret?"

"Of course, Your Grace. You've done enough for me."

"Good. So, how would you recommend I go about it?"

"Well," Joan said slowly. "How often do you see him?"

"Not often."

"Then I recommend spending more time with him. Men like the female form. In particular, uh…" She blushed. "Breasts and backside."

Yes, he had already intimated he liked her backside. "You recommend that I draw attention to these areas of my body?"

"I recommend that you wear as little as you can around him." Joan's voice was matter-of-fact. "What you are wearing now would be perfect. Unless you have something a little less… robust?"

"I have some nightgowns my mother purchased for the wedding which are… more revealing."

"Perfect," Joan said, nodding. "Wearing something like those around him would be certain to heat his blood. Then anything with your mouth."

"My mouth?"

Joan's face turned as red as fire. "Gentlemen— their, um, member… Often they like to put it in a lady's mouth."

"Heavens!"

"It can be fun for the lady in question, too. At least in my experience."

"I see," Evangeline said, finding that she was not wholly opposed to the idea. "And so, you recommend that I attempt to… what?"

"Merely draw attention to your mouth where possible. Lick your lips. Look at him as though you were imagining eating him." She turned the mirror toward Evangeline. "Looking in the mirror and practicing is helpful for this."

Evangeline stared at her reflection. Imagining herself as a seductress would take some effort, but she was prepared to do this. If Hugh was going to be so unreasonable, if he was going to treat her like that, then the least she could do was return the favor.

She would drive him out of his mind.

She bit her lip, lowering her lids a little.

"That's it," Joan said. "Now release your lip. Smile—no, not that much. Smile like you have a secret you're not going to tell him. Yes, like that."

A little thrill went through her. This was a way of reclaiming her power.

"Do you know where His Grace is?" she asked.

"I believe he's breakfasting, Your Grace. After, he's got business in the village."

Then she would have to catch him before he left.

"Excellent. Send for Susan again, if you please—I must dress, and quickly."

* * *

Hugh was just finishing his morning tea when he heard a commotion from outside the breakfast room.

The door swung open, and Evangeline strode into the room.

After the carriage ride yesterday, he'd sensed just how angry he'd made her. Interesting, that she had channeled her frustrated arousal into rage—and something he could understand.

Anger motivated him, too, even when nothing else did.

The thing that caught his attention today was the gown she was wearing. Underneath, he suspected, there was not so much as a chemise, and she had slightly wetted the material so it was sheer. Through it, he could see the pearled nubs of her nipples, the exquisite curves of her waist, the lush swell of her hips, and he could almost convince himself that he could see the thatch of hair between her legs.

Her thighs. After last night, he thought he would never fail to see her before him, legs spread in invitation, her flesh soft and pink and wet for him.

She might never understand the true extent of her sexuality, but he did.

He replaced his teacup on its saucer, relieved to find his hands were steady, and he was not revealing the depths of his attraction.

"Evangeline," he said, amused by the annoyed flush that rose up her chest. "I had not expected to find you here this early."

She licked her lips, and he found his gaze drawn to her mouth. "I thought it would be fitting to breakfast with my husband."

"I had about finished."

"But no doubt you would not mind staying a little."

She pulled out a chair to sit beside him, positioning herself so her arms pushed her breasts together. The cut of the gown was low anyway, and in doing so, she all but spilled over the top. His fingers itched to take her in hand, to bend her over his knee and spank her until her buttocks were red and she was squirming, wet and eager for him.

If he knew anything, it was that she would enjoy it.

And he would enjoy giving it to her.

But that was not the agreement he had made with himself; he had told himself he would not engage in any sexual activity with her unless she acted out again. Both for her sake and his.

Mostly for his.

His sanity.

"What would you have me talk about?" he asked, letting his gaze drop over her body. "Do you have something in particular to discuss with me? The incident in the carriage, perhaps?"

"Oh, that?" She shrugged as she reached out for some jam. "No, that is all forgotten."

Given the fact she had dressed herself as a lady of the night, he doubted it.

He leaned back in his seat, enjoying the show, wishing he had not worn such tight breeches. "Is it?"

"Yes. I merely wish to know where it is you disappear to every day?"

"I have business on my estate, which as I may have mentioned, is considerable. Only so much of it can be done from the comfort of my study."

"Yes, you must be a very diligent landowner." There was a cutting edge to her voice.

"I feel it is my duty to be."

She made a non-committal noise and brought her bottom lip into her mouth as she surveyed the breakfast options. "I would appreciate the opportunity to join you."

"Excuse me?"

"I have seen all I am permitted to see of this castle. I would like to witness the land you own. I have it on good authority that it's half of the north."

He folded his arms. "What's your game?"

"There is no game."

"If you have objections to my method of landowning, you may as well say."

"No objection, my lord duke." She beamed at him, but there was a hard look in her eyes. "It occurs to me that if I am to prize your land above the city in which I grew, I should first know it. And if I am to submit to my husband, I ought to be given reason to."

Her defiance intrigued and aroused him altogether too much. He had known how it would be when he married her and saw the way she behaved in the church, but he had not known how much he would enjoy it.

"The reason you should submit to me is because I am your husband. You need no other reason."

"No." She pursed her lips. "You may think so, but I do not. You may be a man, but does that mean you are inherently my superior? You are a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter. Thus far we are equals. You are a duke; I am your duchess. Here, too, we are equals." The sparkle in her eyes brightened in challenge. "And if I am to obey you, it strikes me that you ought to go out of your way to please me. Would that not be fair?"

Fair had little to do with life. It was not fair that her former husband-to-be had seduced his little sister and gotten her with child. It had not been fair that he had summarily neglected her after their marriage and courted another under the assumption that she would die.

None of this was fair.

He had not married out of a desire to. Obligation was the iron rod that ruled his life.

Yet he could see her point. A lady with her spirit could find little joy if she felt herself to be locked up.

"If I take you with me," he said, "you will have to do as I say, and not question me on it. My word is law. We will be meeting with vulnerable people and discussing new farming equipment. That equipment will not be safe for you."

She curled her lip. "I am not a child. I assure you I can see something without needing to touch it."

The thought almost made him smile. "And this time, Evangeline, if you are asked, you will say that the north is the most beautiful place you have ever seen."

For the first time since last night, amusement danced in her eyes. "I shall be certain to praise it excessively."

* * *

Evangeline had not expected to be granted permission to accompany him so very easily. As she retired upstairs to change—her gown was dampened, as many young ladies did in London to enhance their figures—which made it a little uncomfortable and would be more so in a cold wind.

Now to put the next part of her plan into action.

He had claimed last night that he did not care if any other man wanted her, so long as she did not have him. So, she would go out of her way to make him jealous.

That he wanted her, she had no doubt: now she had reminded him of his desire, she was going to give her attention to another and see how he fared with that.

The first place they visited was a small farm several miles away. Hugh met with the farmer and his boys at the crumbling walls of his land. Immediately, Evangeline saw the change in him. With her, or with men he saw as insolent, he could be imperious, the strength of his command a hurricane. But with these men, he was kindly, and patient, listening to their problems and proposing solutions as though it was a perfectly ordinary thing for a duke to do.

"Does he often come and advise?" she asked the farmer's eldest boy, a stocky but handsome young man in his mid-twenties.

"Oh no, ma'am," the man assured her. "Sometimes he comes to help. I've seen him work hard with the best of the men."

"Oh!"

"Yes. I didn't think he would be capable of that, being ranked so highly and all, but he is a good man."

"Yes," she murmured, eyeing her husband. "So I have heard." She smiled up at her farmer's boy, who had not taken his eyes off her. "Have you lived here all your life?"

"That's right, Your Grace. Northumbrian born and bred, though my father came from Berwick."

"Is that far from here?"

"Not too far. Some call it Scotland."

Evangeline knew that tensions over the border had been high over the last century, but she hoped they had calmed down now. "And would you say the land is beautiful?"

"More beautiful than any I've seen," he said eagerly. "Though I haven't seen much, I suppose, compared to you."

"Only London," she assured him.

"I've heard it's a very grand city. Bigger than Newcastle."

"Well, so it is," she admitted, remembering Hugh's warning. "It's very big, and it's very grand, and a lot of people live there. But that doesn't mean it's the most beautiful place in the world. Some places, indeed, I would say are particularly ugly."

"I would like to go one day, even so."

She smiled up at him, recognizing a gentle soul and appreciating it. "Then I wish you luck in your endeavors."

He flushed, ducking his head. "Thank you, Your Grace. You are very kind."

"No, not at all. You and your father must be hard workers. My husband respects that, and so do I."

As though summoned, her husband himself appeared before her. "Evangeline," he said, taking her arm. "Come."

"Are you showing me something exciting?" she asked.

"No. Merely ensuring you stay where you belong."

"Where is that?"

"By my side."

"Is that so?" She gave him her best-wicked smile. "But only when we are outdoors, am I right?"

His jaw worked. "Only when you are so openly bestowing your favors on a farm boy."

"But he is a very handsome farm boy." She laughed. "And you confessed to me it doesn't matter to you who wants me."

"Perhaps not." He met her gaze, and the expression burning there made her want to shiver. "But it matters to me whom it seems you want. That must be me, Evangeline. It will be me."

Knowing that his greatest pleasure came from compelling her—and perhaps her resistance—she merely smiled. "As you say, my lord duke."

"Evangeline," he growled.

"Shall we investigate the new machinery we have brought in?" she asked, cutting him off. "Is that not why you came here? It would be a shame to miss out on it, don't you think?"

By the irritation in his grunt, she thought she might have misjudged the situation, but the farmer greeted them with a smile. And after assuring Evangeline that he would deal with her later, Hugh turned his attention to the matter.

Evangeline smiled to herself. So, the grand duke was not as impervious to jealousy as he no doubt thought he was.

Nothing about her behavior with the farmer's son had hinted that she had any improper ideas about him—but Hugh had acted regardless, drawing her back to his side, insisting that she only show him attention.

Well, if that was what he wanted.

Over the course of the afternoon, Evangeline paid attention as Hugh took them around several farmers' houses, speaking to them about their plowing equipment and irrigation, a term with which she was previously unfamiliar. Then, when they visited a few of his mines, she listened as he discussed safety measures with the foremen and how best to protect the lives of the men working in the mines.

After they returned home, she took Joan's advice to heart and gave him full reason to admire her.

Leaving a message for the duke to say she had gone for a swim, she took herself and a towel to the beach below the castle and ventured onto the sand.

The sun was hot, and the sand soft and warm underfoot. She removed her shoes, then her dress, slipping it over her head and letting it fall to the ground. The duke owned the beach as he owned the rest of the north, and so she was not concerned about anyone trespassing and seeing her.

If one looked out from his study window or bedchamber, however, he would see her, clear as day.

She shivered as she removed her stays, then her chemise, then finally her stockings. The wind was cool as it darted across skin it had never seen before. The delicate flesh between her legs, the sensitive skin of her breasts. Her nipples pinched, and she remembered the way his hands had felt as he'd touched her.

Her clothes strewn across the beach behind her, she continued walking into the sharp coldness of the North Sea. The surf splashed up her legs and she let out a little squeak of shock. Despite the heat of the sun on her bare shoulders, she shivered. But there was no way she was going to back down now.

In she went, further and further until the water swirled around her private parts, then higher, around her breasts. By now, she had acclimatized, and she tested a few strokes to get a feel for the silkiness of the water against her skin.

The waves were rough, and she reveled in the feel of them breaking against her or raising her in the air as she floated over them.

As she swam, she thought about the way Hugh had been with his tenants and the men who worked for him. Always so patient, always prepared to listen to their perspectives. And if she ever asked him a question about the way things worked on the estate, he had always explained it in terms she might understand.

Perhaps he could be overbearing, but he could also be… kind.

"Evangeline!"

She started at the sound of his voice and turned to see him striding across the sand. At the slight of her clothes, he faltered slightly, as though he hadn't expected to see them there.

"Hugh," she called back.

"Get out of the water."

"Why, yes, my dear husband. Anything for you." She pressed her toes against the sand and pushed off, using the cresting wave to give her momentum to the shore.

She had learned to swim on her father's estate, in the lake there, and although the waves were new, she fancied she could handle herself. Not to mention that the salt in the sea was especially buoyant.

The moment she rose from the water, dripping and gleaming from the sun, his gaze dipped, and she saw him suck in a breath. This was the first time he had seen her fully unclothed, with nothing but sunshine on her skin, and for a moment, the harshness left his face.

If he could look at her like that for the rest of their days, she would never find another reason to complain.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

She continued walking toward him, her hips swinging slightly with the movement. "Merely swimming, my lord duke. Is that something else that is forbidden?"

His nostrils flared. "It's dangerous."

"I wasn't out deep."

"No one was here with you."

"Would you prefer I called for a footman?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. "After our conversation earlier, I felt as though that would be inappropriate."

"Swimming naked is inappropriate," he said through gritted teeth.

"But swimming in a dress is so difficult." She kept up her pace toward him, turning at the last minute so instead of throwing herself in his arms, she continued past him, allowing her arm to brush against his.

"I would be in far more danger clothed, I assure you."

She sent a wicked smile over her shoulder, doing her best to remember Joan's instructions.

Men were simple creatures, ruled more by base desires than anything else.

"And it's hardly as though anyone will see me."

His jaw snapped shut. "That's not the problem."

"No? Then what is?"

His gaze dropped down her body again, then snapped to her face. "Regardless of how clothed you are, it's dangerous to swim alone."

"I left you a note," she reminded him.

"And I had to come here and ensure you were safe."

"I understand your concern," she said, picking up her towel and turning back to face him, wiping the soft cotton across her arms and breasts. "And I am sorry for alarming you."

He snorted. "Are you?"

"It must be a trial to be such a devoted husband." She turned her attention to drying her stomach. "But perhaps your concern for my safety would not have been so assiduous if it were not for my state of undress." She tilted her head as she smiled at him. "Were you concerned I would get swept out to sea, or that someone who was not you may see my form?"

His eyes were dark, honeyed traps into which it would be very easy to fall. "I will not allow anything to happen to you, and you know it."

"I am very relieved to hear it."

"But I will also not stomach open defiance."

"By my taking a swim?" She dried her thighs, moving her hands slowly.

Her skin was sensitized, and she could feel his eyes on her. "I had no idea you took it so very personally, Your Grace." When she next looked up, there was strain on his face. "But I understand your concern. The next time I intend to swim, I will send for you."

With difficulty it seemed, he returned his gaze to her face. "I do not have the time to watch you swim."

"So join me." She dragged her towel-clad hands back up her body, then turned. "Might you dry my back? I can't quite reach."

He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, and when she glanced at him over her shoulder again, he had taken several steps backward.

"Enough," he said, voice low and gravelly. A shiver ran through her. "I have work to attend to."

She pouted. "A shame."

"Return to the house when you are dry. And at minimum, the next time you wish to go swimming, take a maid to watch so she may send for help if you encounter difficulties."

She hadn't thought there had been such a risk to her safety by swimming, and so she nodded. "As you wish."

"You have no concept of what I wish," he muttered, striding away back to the house.

If he did not look back to her once, she had the dubious pleasure of seeing him adjust himself on his way back up the cliff to the castle.