Only a Lady Will Do by Tamara Gill
Chapter 14
The following day Iris sat in the Duke's library and listened to all the reasons as to why they would marry. Words such as honor demanded they marry. It was what was expected of him after being caught in such a compromising position.
A letter to her mama had been sent via express courier and the next few weeks deemed to be one of the busiest of her life. A marriage to a duke was not what she had expected when arriving in London. Nor had she expected him to kiss her last evening.
All the reasons he rattled out to her made her blood run cold. A tremor of panic rose within her that should she marry him, their marriage would be one of duty, forced wills, and not love. Not a marriage with affection, even though last night Iris had had a glimpse of what could lay between them if the duke opened his heart to her.
Where there was passion, there could be affection. She was sure of it. But the way he spoke now, no-nonsense, no emotion within his tone, merely a flat, point-by-point outlining of everything that would occur in the next few weeks. How large their wedding would be. How many guests. Who they would invite and what would happen after the wedding breakfast.
"We shall remain here for the remainder of the Season and return to Dunsleigh at its conclusion. I do not see any reason as to why we should depart. Mother and the housekeeper at Dunsleigh will guide you as to what will be required of you when managing your own home."
"While I have been raised to run a house of my own, Your Grace, Dunsleigh will be larger, I grant you, but it is still a home. I'm certain I can handle the expectations of me."
He met her gaze, raising his chin. "Have I offended you, Miss Cooper? You seem a little put out with me," he stated, watching her closely.
She fought not to roll her eyes at his aloofness, his use of her given name. Where had Iris disappeared to? Were they to be distant now? "We're to be married. Iris will do very well."
"You are angry over your name?" he pushed, wanting to know.
Not that Iris was willing to tell him. Not unless their first conversation regarding their future ended with an argument. "No one but your mama caught us kissing, Your Grace. Is it really necessary that we marry? I'm certain if you asked your mother, and I spoke with her too, she would spare us this ordeal."
He coughed, placing down his quill. "Ordeal? Is that what you think our marriage will be, Iris?" he said, using her name and blast him to hades. Her heart curled around his words, warmth spreading through her core at his use of it.
She gestured to him. "You are very businesslike. Cold and calculating. I do not like the tone of our conversation. I do not want a husband who does not feel anything for me. I came to London to look for love. That you kissed me is not my fault, and I do not see why I have to be punished by it by marrying you." There, she had said her grievances after all, and she felt better for it. He ought to know the truth now before it was too late.
It is already too late. Your mama has been written to. The duchess is demanding a wedding.
"My feelings are engaged, Iris. Our kiss stated such a fact, I thought."
His attention dipped to her lips, and she fought the urge to dampen them. Their kiss had been sweet one moment and then a kaleidoscope of need the next. To think about it now made her body throb.
"You kiss many women. I'm no fool to think you do not."
He held up his hand, halting her words. "I do not kiss many women, certainly not unmarried maids having a Season." He stood, came around the desk, and stood before her, arms crossed. He leaned against the desk, debating her.
Iris met his gaze, waited for what he would say next. "I kissed you because I like you. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you."
Iris did not know what to do, how to react, or anything. In fact, all she could manage was to gape at him before her senses came back to rights. "You wanted to kiss me?" Did he wish to kiss her again? She wanted him to, desperately so. She may state all she liked that marriage to the duke was a bad idea, love was not what they felt for each other, but his kisses were very nice. She would not mind so much had they simply kept those up.
"I did, and I think over the next few weeks and years to come, we shall partake in a lot of it." His voice dipped to a raspy tenor that prickled her skin. "Among other things."
Iris adjusted her skirts, not wanting him to see the heat blooming on her cheeks. No man, not even Dudley, had teased her so during their engagement. She had not even kissed him before he passed away.
"All I'm trying to explain is that a marriage between us will be viewed by the ton as odd. They will think you have compromised me in more ways than a kiss." She stood, needing to be on eye level with the duke. "I do not want anyone to think that I came here to your home and somehow compromised you into marrying a woman far beneath your rank. Even the thought of having to face Lady Sophie Hammilyn when she hears that you are betrothed will be torturous enough."
He frowned, shaking his head at her words. "Why would it be disagreeable for Lady Sophie? I have not promised anything to the lady."
"Because if you bothered to look at her at all, you would see that she is in love with you. Pines for you and has done so since your visit to her estate last year."
"I do not want to marry Lady Sophie. I would not have offered to you if I did so. I would not have kissed you."
Iris paced over to the window and back. "You do not wish to marry me either," she retorted. "All I am saying is that I would like you to think about things for just a moment. I will marry you should I have to, but if your mama does not say a word, and we do not kiss again, I see no reason why I cannot continue my Season, find a gentleman who does want to marry me, and then I'll be out of your way forever. You shall marry a woman who fills all your requirements, and both of us will be happy."
"Is that what you truly wish for, my dear?" the dowager duchess asked, entering the room and closing the door softly behind her.
Josh groaned, pinning his mother with a disapproving glare. "Sneaking up yet again on people, are we, Mama? Your stealing about the house like some ghoul is not appreciated."
His mother came over to Iris, taking her hand. "I will not force you if you truly do not wish to marry my son, dear. When I saw you both kissing, I assumed it was as my son stated," she said, accentuating the word. "Is it not so? Do you not wish to marry the duke?"
Iris met the duke's steely gaze, unsure what to say. In her dream world, she would marry the duke. Love him and care for him, have his children and all those wonderful things. But this was not her dream world. Their marriage would be cold with pockets of wild kisses and maybe nights too. But it would not be enough for her. She wanted her husband's heart, not a marriage born out of his honor and duty.
"While I did kiss the duke, it was a spontaneous action that was brought on by too much wine at dinner. I like the duke as a friend, but the one kiss does not warrant marriage, surely," she beseeched them both, unsure if she was getting through.
The duchess stared at them both, clearly torn. "Josh darling. Be honest with me. Had I not found you last evening, would you have proposed to Miss Cooper?"
Josh inwardly groaned, not wanting to answer that question at all. While he had not wanted to marry Iris, now that they were engaged, he'd warmed to the idea quite well.
Certainly, no one else had made his blood pump fast in his veins, his body to ache as it had all night, tempting him to take himself in hand. He'd not felt like that in an age, and Iris had been the one to stir his ardor.
"I would not have kissed her if I was not willing to accept any consequences of my actions."
Iris's shoulders slumped, and disappointment shone in her bright-blue eyes. She had such pretty almond-shaped orbs, her dark hair up in a loose bunch of curls atop her head just begged to be let down, admired as it lay over her undressed form.
He wanted to pull every pin from her locks, scatter them to the floor and run his hand through her hair. See it spread out over the pillows on his bed where he would make love to her until both their needs and wants were satisfied.
His determination to marry her doubled.
His mother turned to Iris, taking her hands. "You see, my dear. The duke would like to marry you if you will have him. What say you?" his parent pressed, squeezing Iris's hands. "Will you become part of our family? I know I shall love to have you as a daughter-in-law."
Iris met his eyes, and he could not tell what she was thinking, what she would say. Eventually, she sighed, just giving the smallest nod. "Very well, I shall marry the duke."
She did not sound pleased, but he would change her mind about that. The next four weeks would be filled with balls and parties, all of which he could be near her, touch her, steal kisses from her whenever he wished.
His lips twitched. The Season had just become a lot more interesting. In fact, he could not wait the several hours until tonight's Devonshire ball, where he could start introducing his future bride to the delights of the flesh.
