Chapter 14

Marriage Is A Negotiation

Alexander stared at Rose, startled by the fury in her eyes. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and she met his gaze stubbornly. Yet, even in his surprise, he felt anger rise within him.

She thinks to dictate what I can do? Who is she to decide such things?

"You will not let me do what, exactly?" His voice was cool and detached.

"Leave. Vanish and push everyone away." Rose let her righteous indignation color every one of her words. "You told your family and me that we would remain a fortnight, and yet we are scarcely three days into our visit and already you're planning to depart."

"Some urgent—" Alexander began, but she cut him off.

"Some urgent business has come up. Yes, the Dowager Duchess told me." Rose held his gaze. "Yet, I fail to see why it requires your return to London. My father may not be a duke, but rarely did his business require venturing out of his estate. Indeed, when it did, it was often to meet someone more important at their own estate."

"Just because your father need not travel for his business affairs does not mean we all have such luxury." Alexander's voice was soft, dangerous.

"You are a duke. You have the power to conduct your business wherever you like. My father may only be a viscount, but I have grown up understanding what title and wealth afford."

Something Alexander could not recognize flashed across Rose's face, but it was gone before he could decipher it.

"You have both title and wealth. Your business should come to you, not the other way around." Her brown eyes seemed to bore into his own. "I do not believe that you have any reason to return to London. And I can only assume that it is you returning to the man I have known these past few months."

"What do you mean?" Alexander frowned. "Are you accusing me of lying?"

Rose paled, but she did not back down. "I am simply saying that for the first time since we got married, I saw a different side of you. I saw the version of you that Olivia so often talks about, and now, having shown that to me, you are snatching it away. And not just from me, but from your family, too."

Alexander felt the shame rise within him and clenched his jaw. "My family understands that what I do, I do for them."

"Do they?" Rose said softly. "You were not at supper. You did not see the hurt and disappointment on their faces, but I did."

"And what would you have me do?" Alexander yelled, the shame threatening to undo him completely. "They do not need me. They have been fine without me for the last eight years."

"Look around you, Alexander." Rose gestured to the gardens around them. "It feels as though everything around us is waiting. As though Emberly slumbers, waiting only to be woken."

The way she said his name drew him up short. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness. It was simply a statement, and yet it seemed to tear right through him.

Alexander glanced around and saw the truth in her words. Anger and shame warred for control. He turned to her, doing his best to hide his emotion.

"What exactly are you implying?" His voice sounded harder than he had intended, but to his surprise, Rose did not flinch.

"I am not implying anything. I am simply stating a fact." Rose's voice was steady and strong. "I have been here only a few days, and already I love it. The castle, the grounds… there is so much potential here. We could breathe life back into it."

"We?" Alexander frowned.

"We. You and I." Rose took a deep breath. "You are the Duke, I am now your Duchess. We should be in our duchy. That is where our duty lies."

"And what would you know of it?" Alexander felt his temper rise and clenched his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms. "I have been the Duke of Emberly since I was seventeen."

Rose did not back down. She took a step towards Alexander, her own anger making her reckless. "I may not have been a duchess for long, but do not think I know nothing about duty. I have lived a life of duty. My duty to my family has always come before all else. I have sacrificed everything for them."

"And you do not think I would do the same for my own family?" Alexander's words were soft, but there was a hint of danger in his tone. "You do not know the first thing about me."

"And do you know anything about me?" Rose's voice held a challenge as she stared into his eyes.

His stomach twisted, and he opened his mouth to reply, before closing it.

She is right. Damn it, but she is right.

"Of course, you do not." Rose said, a mix of sadness and determination in her words that seemed to cut right through his soul. "You have barely spoken more than a few sentences to me. You have spent months avoiding me, and then, today, you showed me a different side of you. It may have only been a moment, but that was enough. Your sister insists there is more to you. I see the love your family has for you and that you clearly have for them. I will not return to our life in London."

"What are you saying?" Alexander frowned.

What does she want?

"I have said you do not have to return with me. You may remain at the castle as long as you wish."

Rose shook her head. "I do not wish to return to the silence. The the coldness and emptiness. Ours is a marriage in name only, but does that mean we are to remain strangers for the next thirty or forty years?"

Alexander swallowed. "What are you proposing?"

"I wish to get to know you. And for you to get to know me." Rose's eyes were soft, full of an earnestness that seemed to break through his defenses.

"Why?" he whispered without thinking. "Why would you wish to know me?"

Rose tilted her head, frustration etched on her face. "Because I cannot bear this any longer. We are not only man and wife but Duke and Duchess."

Alexander was baffled. "I do not understand."

"I have only been at Emberly Castle a few days, and already I can see how much potential there is here." Rose looked around the estate, her eyes full of wonder. "Your sister spoke of what the gardens once were. Your mother mentioned at least a half dozen simple repairs that are needed. This place is our home now. And a duke and duchess have a duty to their estate. How am I to perform that duty without the aid of a duke? We have a chance to revitalize Emberly, to become a team."

"And you need to get to know me to become a good duchess?" Alexander was nonplussed.

"How else am I to understand your vision for the future? And how else are we to overcome the awkwardness between us?" Rose threw her hands up in frustration. "I am not asking you to love me, Alexander. I am simply asking for the chance for us to get to know each other. To be more than strangers. Is that so very unreasonable?"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Alexander cocked his head.

What potential does she see?

"Firstly, we should reside at the castle with your family. There is plenty of space for all of us, and I see how your family longs for your company. Besides, a duke should be in his duchy for the majority of the time." Her tone made clear this was not something she was willing to negotiate.

Alexander only just stopped his jaw from dropping. "You expect us to remain here, permanently."

"Yes. I see no reason we should not live here." Rose's eyes held a challenge.

He felt some part of him recoil—though if it was in anger or fear, he could not tell.

Live at the castle. Walk the halls every day.

His heart began to race, yet he could not argue with Rose. He had no logical reason not to live at the castle.

If Rose had insisted that his family could not remain in the castle with them, that would be an entirely different matter. But that was not the case.

She expects them to stay, welcomes their presence.

He nodded, feeling as though he was walking to the gallows. "Fine. We shall move to the castle. That was your first proposal. I believe you have more to share?"

"Indeed. We will eat supper together every night. And take walks about the grounds, just the two of us." Rose held his gaze, and Alexander could see the hope in her eyes.

His heart twisted, and he swallowed. "My family will sup with us."

"Yes, unless they are away. And if they are away, I still expect us to dine together." Rose smiled. "Unless, of course, neither of us is in the castle. Though I expect you to do most of your work from the estate—as is befitting of your station."

Alexander pondered her words.

I had not expected such strength from her, nor such conviction.

He studied her face, trying to find some weakness in her resolve. She held firm.

Sighing, Alexander said, "I agree to your terms."

Rose nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent. Have you already been to the stables?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet."

"Good, then there will be no need to tell the grooms that you are not going to London, after all." Rose tilted her head to the side. "I am assuming you are not going to depart tomorrow?"

Alexander felt himself flush. "No, I shall remain at the castle."

"Very well. In that case, let us return to the castle and dine together." Rose paused, looking for a moment as though she might take his arm.

Alexander froze, but she did not move any closer to him. Instead, they walked side by side in silence. It was not quite a companionable silence, but nor was it the oppressive quiet that had dogged their marriage thus far.

As they approached the castle, Alexander glanced at Rose. He took in her face in the twilight. Her eyes and jaw still held that same fierce determination. The corners of her mouth were upturned, not quite a smile. She radiated satisfaction.

I married a warrior.

He found that the thought was not unappealing.