Page 39 of My Beastly Duke

Chapter 16

“Thank you for doing this,” Marina placed her hand on his arm and smiled, making his heart jolt.

“It’s the least that I can do.” Aaron relaxed slightly at her side as they watched the carriage approaching the house in the distance.

He had not wanted to have tea with his wife’s friends' husbands, but he knew it would make her happy. And after the last time he had stood her up, he did not want to disappoint her for a second time.

The carriage came to a stop right in front of the house as Marina practically pulled him down the stairs.

A footman opened the door, revealing Marina’s two married friend’s along with their husbands.

A strange look flashed across the men’s faces when they simultaneously locked eyes with Aaron.

“It is lovely to have you all here again.” Marina beamed with pride as she greeted her friends.

The first of the women to come forward was a lady who introduced herself as the Duchess of Larsen and her husband, Xander Harrison. “It is a pleasure to finally make your, Your Grace.”

Larsen’s face was stark and unreadable, yet his eyes spoke of the defiance and outgoing nature that would undoubtedly clash with Aaron.

This is going to be a long afternoon.

Aaron returned the gesture with a stiff smile before Marina took his arm.

“And this is Penelope, the Duchess of Huxton, and her husband, Rhysand, the Duke of Huxton.” She beamed with pride and gave his arm a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

Reminding himself why he had agreed to the afternoon, Aaron welcomed them after a brief introduction from Marina. “I hope you will all feel welcome here this afternoon.”

“Just this afternoon?” Eleanor whispered under her breath, but quickly looked away with a sheepish smile when she noticed that Aaron had heard.

“I think we should all go inside and have some tea to start things off.” Marina quickly intervened to avoid any kind of awkwardness and proceeded to usher them all up the stairs and into the house.

What have I gotten myself into?

Aaron heaved a sigh and practically dragged himself into the house. Penelope Patterson and her husband seemed quite nice. Rhysand at least seemed to be the quiet brooding type, but Aaron could tell then Eleanor was quite chatty and her husband equally outgoing and sociable.

They had barely entered the house when Marina stopped and turned in her tracks, making a face as if she had forgotten something. “Shoot, I completely forgot about that new dress that I wanted to show the ladies.” She shook her head in a comical fashion that made Aaron want to roll his eyes.

Penelope looked slightly confused, but Eleanor nodded vigorously and hurried to Marina’s side. “How silly of me, I completely forgot to remind you about that, don’t you recall that we discussed this, Penelope?” Eleanor raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes.

Aaron almost felt like sighing and rolling his eyes when Penelope caught the hint.

“Oh yes,thatdress. How silly of me.” She hurried forward and linked her arm through Marina’s.

“Will you gentlemen mind excusing us while we head upstairs? We shall call down later when we are done with the dress.” Marina shot Aaron a bright smile that tugged at his heart once again.

The men all watched the ladies ascend the stairs before Xander turned to face them. “I do not know about you gentlemen, but I think that the three of us have just borne witness to a plot. If none of us were married, I would begin to fear that we were being set up for a marriage of convenience.” He turned to Rhysand with a grin. “I am afraid that you are not my type, Huxton.”

Aaron felt more at ease when the Duke of Huxton rolled his eyes.

“As if I would consider an obnoxious fool such as yourself,” Rhysand grumbled under his breath.

Bursting out in laughter, Xander turned back to Aaron. “You must excuse the Duke of Huxton, Harper. He has the personality and sense of humor of a wet piece of cheese.”

The corner of Aaron’s mouth curled into a smile as he relaxed in their presence. “Shall we have a glass of brandy while we wait?”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea.” Xander rubbed his hands together eagerly and followed Aaron into the study where he poured them each a glass from the cabinet.

Taking their seats in front of the unlit fire, Aaron watched as Xander lifted his glass to his lips and sipped before swirling the amber liquid. “So, are you going to tell us where you got those scars, or are we to stare at them all afternoon without knowing?”