Page 17 of My Cruel Duke

The sheer audacity of that man! The sheer audacity she possessed made her talk back to him in that manner. He released a part of her she never knew she had, and she would be lying if she claimed she did not like it. He infuriated her, but he aroused her as well, and she hated that she did not understand a thing about it.

She had not known then that he planned to stay away from her in that manner.

Did he not want to have an heir anymore? Or did he plan to wait until Lydia was married before we tried for one?

It was not as though Penny cared for the process itself, but since his warning, she knew it was the only way they could interact. She would not admit it out loud, but she craved an interaction with him. Penny wanted to pick his brains, to know what went through his mind when he sat in silence, what he thought about when he attended to estate affairs, what he thought when he saw her. She wanted to know her husband, for she feared she knew nothing about him or that incident everyone seemed to talk about when they saw her.

What had he been up to in those four days?She doubted Rhysand would tell her if she asked–if she saw him to ask.

Penny sighed and mounted her bed, deciding a good rest was more important than thoughts about her husband's whereabouts or lack of.

The second she shut her eyes, she opened them up just as quickly. She heard shuffling outside her door. Back and forth, back and forth, then it stopped. She pushed herself up from her bed and tip-toed to her closed door, where she leaned her ear on the heavy mahogany, listening for any more movements. Then she heard it.

What is he doing now? Is he pacing the corridors to annoy me?

Having had enough, Penny pulled the door open, revealing Aunt Augusta with a candle in her hand. She resembled a thief caught red-handed as she let out a startled scream.

“Aunty?”

Aunt Augusta stilled and forced an embarrassed smile at her niece. “Thank heavens you are awake!”

Penny narrowed her eyes and stepped aside for her aunt to enter her room. She completely ignored the odd twinge of disappointment in the pit of her stomach that left her with an inexplicable feeling of emptiness.

Aunt Augusta made herself at home on Penny’s bed, adjusting the fawn shawl she had wrapped her upper body in.

“My dear, come here,” Aunt Augusta tapped the space beside her, and Penny went and sat there.

“What is wrong, Aunty? You could not sleep?”

“It is not that I could not. It is that I cannot!”

Penny furrowed her brows. What did she mean by that? As if hearing her thoughts, Aunt Augusta cleared her throat.

“I have the faintest notion that we cannot be too relaxed in this place. These dark walls haunt me, and for the life of me, I cannot help but imagine the duke will slit our throats while we sleep! We need to be very careful, Penny. This man–”

“Aunty, calm down. Why would the duke do that?”

“Because he has not been seen with a smile for the past days. He does not respond to the faintest pleasantry and always keeps watchful eyes… like a predator.”

Penny could not control her burst of laughter.

“I do not jest!” her aunt defended.

“I believe that you do not, and that is what makes it remarkably witty.”

“But what if he is as truly cruel as they say? He could…” Aunt Augusta frowned.

“I am sorry, dear Aunty, but you must understand how funny this is. I caught you parading the passageway with a candle in hand. If His Grace had found you, I only wonder what you would have told him.”

Aunt Augusta shook her head, and her expression turned somber.

“Dearest, I implore you, for our safety and yours, to be more placid and go with the duke’s demands. I fear for what he might do to you, to us, should you disobey him. Never forget that we are at his mercy, and he is also our family’s adversary. He is merciless. He put your father behind bars, dear girl.”

Penny bit the insides of her mouth. Aunt Augusta was right, but she had an edge now. They were married, and even though she was without a child, it would not be long until then.

“I am not afraid of him, Aunty. I am doing all of this to show him that I am not naïve or a simpleton that would take orders from him solely because he barked them out.” Aunt Augusta sighed woefully at Penny’s determination. “The duke detests change, and I shall bring that change to these walls. In doing that, I shall teach him a lesson for ruining our family and for ordering me around with that harshness in his tone. Oh yes, that will show him.”

“Whatever you do, ensure it does not end with our blood sprawled on these floors. I am still too young to die.”