Chapter 5

Tabitha could think of nothing she would rather do less than speak alone with the Duke of Hillsburgh. After his strange reaction to her confession, Tabitha had watched His Grace speak to his sister and then retreat somewhere for a very long time.

She had not anticipated his return, or worse, she thought he might return and reveal her secret, what he knew of it, to everyone. Instead, he had reappeared and announced their engagement precisely as planned.

She had smiled at his declaration that they were engaged and had accepted all the congratulations of the ton. Now, the next day, she was to meet him at a tearoom. It was expected that she would spend some time with her betrothed. Even as Tabitha entered the room, she felt sick and wondered if she could feign a violent onset of illness well enough for him to believe that she ought to return home.

His Grace was already present, and he rose when she entered. “Lady Tabitha,” he said, bowing.

She curtsied. “Your Grace.”

The Duke of Hillsburgh pulled out her chair so she could sit. Tabitha carefully folded her hands in her lap, resisting, as usual, the impulse to fidget. His Grace sat across from her. At once, a change seemed to come over him. The polite fa?ade of the gentleman who had greeted her and pulled out her chair was gone in an instant, replaced with a stone-faced man and a sharp, intense gaze.

“I will not waste your time with pretty words,” His Grace said, “since neither of us have any illusions about what our marriage is supposed to constitute.”

“I see.”

The Duke of Hillsburgh smiled thinly. “I am pleased to see that you are agreeable. I want a wife for my family.”

“I think that was established when you agreed to marry me.”

As she spoke, Tabitha felt a sharp spark of regret. It was likely not the best idea to provoke the man. She needed him to marry her, and she could not afford to offend him. Otherwise, he might very well change his mind.

His Grace leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. “And I want, above all else, a woman to provide the dukedom with an heir. I trust that will not be a problem?”

Tabitha stared at him, feeling unbalanced at the blunt delivery of that question. She shivered, her mind full of half-formed thoughts of what bearing a child would entail. Tabitha did not know all the details of what happened between a man and a woman to produce offspring, but she knew a sketch of what was supposed to happen. It had occurred to her that night with Cassius in the parlour, and during the dance of their engagement ball, she had felt those same feelings coursing through her.

It was expected that a duchess would produce an heir for her husband. Had she not thought of the prospect of being married to him in terms of herself being a farm animal auctioned to the highest bidder? There was no reason to be surprised by his bold declaration, yet she found it hurt to hear him confirm her own thoughts. She was nothing but a means for him to produce a healthy son.

“Of course, it will not be,” she said coolly. “At least, I will have no problem bearing an heir.”

Tabitha knew that was the furthest thing from a lady-like response, but hot fury boiled in her veins. He had the gall to smirk as though he found her endlessly amusing.

“I can assure you that I will have no problems,” he said. “I wish to have a child as quickly as possible, and after you deliver my heir to me, you may do whatever you wish, provided that it does not bring shame to the title or my reputation.”

This man was certainly as far as any could be from Cassius. Tabitha felt an uncomfortable twinge of longing for Cassius’s honeyed words. Even if he had betrayed her, she could not help thinking about the kind compliments and attention he paid her.

His Grace could have at least feigned some interest in performing the role of a doting husband. If he did not, Tabitha supposed that his callousness ensured she would never fall in love with him, however, which was the desired outcome, after all.

“I shall give you a child as quickly as I can,” Tabitha replied, “so I may then pursue whatever I wish for the remainder of my life.”

“I think that a fair exchange.”

“Indeed, I am sure that all the ladies in the ton will be terribly jealous that I have found such a romantic and loving man to be my husband.”

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shook his head. “I was under the impression that you did not want that. You would never become so foolish as to love another man again. Was that not what you said?”

“It is what I said but given that I am going to be carrying your child, I had assumed you would offer some sweet words, at least, to seduce me.”

“You may say sweet words to yourself if you desire them so badly.”

Tabitha took a steadying breath. A small part of her, which she always tried to bury deep within her, loved arguing. She loved exchanging clever words with another person and laying out clever arguments. Although it was not an entirely proper course of study for a young lady, Tabitha had loved learning rhetoric as a child. Had she been a man, she liked to think that she would have become a barrister and enjoyed besting other clever men.

And yet, this man was utterly infuriating. He had some snide remark for everything she said, and he delivered all his heartless words with an easy smirk and a stern gleam in his green eyes. Tabitha suspected that he thought her a delicate young lady who would wilt at the slightest provocation, but she was something far more than that.

“It is unfortunate that I have wed a man so lacking in wit,” she said, “that he cannot find a single pleasant thing to say to me.”

“I have wit aplenty, but I see no reason to waste it on an unworthy opponent.”

“Who are you to say that I am unworthy?” Tabitha asked. “We have only spoken on a small number of occasions.”

“You leave an impression.”

“As do you. But I cannot imagine that you have learned so much of me when you will scarcely exchange words with me. To determine the true breadth of my wit, you must engage with me.”

“I have already engaged with you,” he said. “But unless pleasant words will cause you to produce an heir more quickly, I cannot see the need for them.”

“Do you suppose that I will be happy in your bed without them?”

“Who knows?” he asked. “If you agree to an amorous encounter with me, that is all that is needed to produce an heir. I imagine that you will do your duty, as I intend to do mine. But if the idea of bearing my child sounds so arduous to you, perhaps we ought to reconsider this entire engagement.”

Tabitha tensed. She tried to look unaffected. Rather than answering, she poured herself a careful cup of tea and sipped it. The warm, herbal taste was steadying.

“What happened to your wit?” His Grace drawled. “Did you run out of words?”

“Not at all,” she answered. “I was merely taking a pause. It would be disrespectful to come to a tea house and not sample.”

“I see. You know, of course, that if you are so unhappy with this arrangement, you are welcome to break off the engagement,” he said, mocking raising his teacup. “I am not forcing you to come to the altar.”

Tabitha frowned. She wondered if he was trying to persuade her to break it off. Maybe he did not wish for this match, and his infuriating behaviour was a sly attempt to make her decide that she did not wish to wed. What possible reason could he have for doing such a thing, though? He was the Duke of Hillsburgh and had all the wealth and prestige that title implied. Sure, he had become a recluse in recent years, but the return of the mysterious Duke of Hillsburgh was precisely the sort of scandal that the ton loved. If he attended more events, he would find other young ladies who were willing to wed him. He did not have to marry someone like her, but he was.

He wanted an heir, but many young ladies could give him that. Why did His Grace not wish to find a lady with whom he might develop some affection? “Why did you react so strangely to me at the ball?” she asked.

Tabitha had a feeling that she had stumbled onto some secret to better understand the Duke of Hillsburgh, but she could not say what precisely that secret was.

“It seemed to me that we both desired the same thing,” he said. “A loveless union built on a foundation of duty.”

“Oh, I see.”

He might have told her that instead of returning her to her family like some unwanted thing. Tabitha took a large swallow of tea. She had seen the amusement on his face that night, and she had thought that he was planning some terrible revenge on her. But no, he had been amused because their goals seemed to align with one another, and he had said nothing about it.

“And that is the trait you desire in your bride,” she said. “I suppose that is why you have not entertained the affections of any other young ladies. You fear that they may grow fond of you, and that would be terrible. Would it not?”

“Doubtlessly. You implied as much.”

Tabitha traced a finger around the rim of her teacup and frowned, trying to sort through her feelings. This man was so strange. She could not decide whether she disliked or enjoyed his company. On the one hand, he was infuriating. On the other, he was witty and somewhat charming. And admittedly, he was very handsome, but that was another problem entirely.

“I am quite content with the present arrangement. You provide me with an heir, and I ensure that you are successfully married. Even if that man chooses to speak against you later, I will still not abandon you. I will be your husband for as long as we both live unless you have changed your mind about all this.”

Now, she definitely felt as though he was trying to goad her into breaking the engagement. Well, His Grace was about to be most disappointed, for Tabitha was not a fragile, wilting flower. For better or worse, her parents had taught her to be independent. She would not be dissuaded by this man, no matter how highly he clearly thought of himself.

She squared her shoulders and tipped her chin up, trying to effect the effortless authority that she imagined a great queen would have. Tabitha smiled. “Why would I wish to break the engagement? This arrangement works perfectly for me. I do not wish for anything save to marry you and spare my family’s reputation.”

“Very good, then.”

He sipped his tea, and Tabitha continued to watch him with that same false, pleasant smile. Then, she deliberately placed her teacup onto its saucer. “Now that you have discussed your terms for the marriage, it seems only right that I should explain mine.”