Page 16 of My Beastly Duke

“This may have been just as big of a shock to the duke as it was to you, dearest. Give him time to come around, some men only realize they are married when they either fall in love or hear the yowling of their heir for the very first time.” Eleanor offered her comfort in a soothing voice.

“I guess it will be the latter for the duke then,” Marina added begrudgingly, eliciting more concerned glances from her friends.

The atmosphere seemed to fill with concern, as Cordelia watched her so intently that Marina felt compelled to set their minds at ease.

“Not that it matters, like I said before, our marriage is one of convenience and nothing more. I simply wanted to understand if the duke’s actions were normal.” She forced a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

Penelope and Eleanor seemed more relaxed, yet Cordelia’s eyes still seemed to harbor concern.

I do not need the duke to love me. I do not have to be like my friends. Their circumstances were different.

She swallowed hard at the reassuring thought. She tried to convince herself that the only reason she was struggling with his sudden departure, from her bed as well as their house, had more to do with duty than anything else.

It could not have been the start of something more, after all, she had only just met the man.

“Rest assured my dear, everything will make sense in time. Most men are strange creatures at the start of a marriage. Think of your husband as an imperfect tapestry. There may be a few stitches here and there that need to be unpicked and sewn back into place.” Penelope declared in a helpful tone.

Pursing her lips in disapproval, Eleanor gave her friend a disapproving glance before turning back to Marina. “I do not think that it is healthy to view your husband as someone you can change. He is who he always was and always will be. It is your job to make sure that you bring the best out in him. It will be your love, attention, and devotion that allows him a safe enough space to be his true self.”

“How is that different from what I said?” Penelope raised an eyebrow and challenged her friend.

Turning her body toward Penelope, Eleanor sighed. “It is very different; Marina should not be trying to change the duke. He is a man, not a tapestry. A married couple needs to learn how to coincide harmoniously. What good will changing him do?”

“Don’t you think Rhysand changed for me?”

The two entered a bickering match that did not require either Marina or Cordelia’s attention.

Cocking her head to the side, Cordelia stared at her friend, her eyes conveying the same question as before.

…Do you need the duke to love you?...

The pit of her stomach tightened with feelings of uncertainty as her friends' bickering match faded into the background of her mind. Nothing seemed clearer to her after all of their advice. What was she to do once he returned from wherever it was that he had gotten to?

Chapter 8

She was scared of me.

Aaron felt his chest clenching with anger as he thought of his wedding night. Marina seemed to have been enjoying his touch until she had whimpered. Had she been scared of him, or had she found him too repulsive? The sound that emanated from her throat when he had lain on top of her still haunted him at night.

He had tried to be gentle at first, yet his desire for her body had overpowered him in the moment.

Kicking at a pebble that lay in the middle of the road, he made his way past the quaint little cottages and picked a path that led into the woods beyond the village. He had needed some time away from the house and Marina. The sleepy little village allowed him the necessary quiet and anonymity that he needed to gather his thoughts. Leaving his wife on the day after the wedding had not been one of the best decisions he had evermade, yet he needed the distance to keep himself from hurting her again.

“Help me! Please!” A woman’s scream echoed through the high canopy of the trees as Aaron looked up in shock.

A nearby flock of birds took flight, making his pulse jolt with adrenaline.

His blood ran cold at the sound of the bloodcurdling scream. Whoever had screamed, was in a great deal of danger.

Setting out at a run, he headed in the direction of the scream as he pushed through the underbrush and low-hanging branches. A few thorny bushes tore at his clothes before he reached an opening where his blood ran cold at the sight before him.

“Please! Don’t hurt me, I beg of you!” A young woman with light brown hair and a terrified face lay at the foot of four older men who seemed to be enjoying her discomfort.

“Did you hear that, John? The lass is begging us now.” One of the men laughed as he turned to his friend.

The tallest of the men who sported bald head and dirty clothes, looked down at the woman with a wild look of lust in his eyes. “She did not seem so humble when she pulled her nose up at us in the tavern.” His voice was icy cold and devoid of emotion.

Looking back at the girl who had raised her arms in defense, Aaron realized that she wore the stained dress and apron of a young woman who presumably served beer in a tavern.