Lady Rachel's Dangerous Duke by Christine Merrill

Author:Christine Merrill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-03-07T14:00:10+00:00

* * *

The nerve of the woman. They had been married only a day and she was already trying to dictate his evenings to him, making him dance to her tune just as she had with the proposal. If he did not stand firm, she would own his life as fully as she possessed his mind. He had not had a decent night’s rest since the day he’d met her.

But, if he was honest, there was never any peace when it came to Rachel. He thought about her when he could not see her. He thought about her when he saw her again and, now that they were married, he thought about her constantly.

He drummed his fingers on the table, then looked at the direction on the invitation she had abandoned. Folbroke. He had intended to attend the ball in question even before the wedding. The smoking room would be full of fellow peers willing to trade support for the bill he had been working on nearly all session.

Of course, now that he was married, he would be required to bring his wife. He had wanted to give the world the illusion that he was capable of behaving himself in public for a few hours without running mad and committing mayhem. To leave Rachel at home would lead to rumours that she was afraid to be seen with him or, worse yet, that she was locked in a room somewhere and not allowed out.

He sighed and rang for the butler to summon Rachel back to the study. When she arrived, he had trouble meeting her eyes. Finally, he muttered, ‘I have reconsidered the matter of this invitation. We will be going to the Folbroke ball after all.’

‘Will we really?’ she said. But, rather than enthusiastic, she sounded suspicious.

‘You are correct that there is no reason we can’t be seen in public together,’ he said. ‘In fact, there are certain advantages to it.’

‘For whom?’ she asked, her eyes narrowing.

It seemed that he had not appreciated her cooperation when he’d had it. Now he was going to have to persuade her to do what she would have done willingly a few moments ago. He took a deep breath and began. ‘As part of my duties in Parliament, I need to be able to work with the other members.’

‘To appear sane, you mean,’ she said with a cool smile.

‘I do socialise in some limited sense,’ he said. ‘You have seen me in public recently because of that.’

‘And now you need me to accompany you,’ she observed, and a calculating look came into her eyes.

‘Because it would be strange for me to appear in public without my wife,’ he admitted.

Rachel let out a small, triumphant laugh before covering her mouth to stop it. ‘Our marriage will give you credibility.’

‘Or take it away,’ he admitted. ‘Depending on how we choose to act when we are together.’

‘This is too rich,’ she said, her smile softening to something that raised the heat in his blood. ‘You need me.

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