Page 62 of The Odyssean Duke

“Evelina will produce my heir,” Stephan said calmly. “I am certain of it. Truthfully, I find it rather strange that you assumeshewas at fault for not producing an heir. Such a powerful woman, I would think you would at least consider that herhusbandmight be at fault.”

“You cannot know that,” Her Grace shot back. “You have so little time to produce an heir even under the most amenable of circumstances.”

“If that was true, you would not feel the need to disturb my wife,” Stephan said evenly. “It is clear to me that you feel threatened.”

His grandmother adopted a look of mock offense. “Did your sweet wife say that she was disturbed? I only wished to meet your wife. Any grandmother would want to meet the woman who her grandson married.”

“Somehow, I doubt that your intentions were so noble,” Stephan said. “This disagreement is between us?—”

“Disagreement?” The Dowager Duchess of Rothbury laughed. “It is something far more than adisagreement.”

Stephan clenched his jaw and forced his fury back. If he lost his temper with his grandmother, he would accomplish nothing. “I understand that your life has been hard. You are a strong and ambitious woman?—”

She scoffed.

Stephan clenched his jaw. Then, he continued, “You feel as though you have been treated unfairly by everyone—by my father, by the law, and by then. Regrettably, you have lost. The dukedom should be mine andwillbe mine. If you want to disagree and fight against the law, I cannot stop you. However, my wife is not a part of that.”

“She is,” Her Grace insisted. “When she agreed to marry you, she became involved.”

“No,” he said. “She agreed to produce my heir, something which any wife would do.”

“And you married her specifically because you hoped to keep me from getting what is rightfully mine,” Her Grace said, smiling tightly. “Youare the one who made her involved.”

Stephan shook his head. “Any duke would marry,” he said. “If you want to fight me, fine. But you will leave Evelina out of our feud. You have thought much about what you would do if you won this feud between us. Consider what might happen if you lose. I will not take a slight towards Evelina kindly. Leave my wife alone. If you do not, when she produces my heir and takes everything from you, I will be merciless. You will be left with nothing, abandoned and disgraced, regardless of what the ton may say.”

His grandmother’s lips curled, and she opened her mouth as if to speak. Stephan did not heed her. Instead, he simply walked away. He ignored the waiting butler—the traitor—and walked to his coach, a calm sweeping over him.

Stephan knew that he had not won; his grandmother would not be cowed by anyone. He had said what he felt, though. He had defended Evelina and made it clear that he would not ignore the insults paid to her, and now, there was nothing he wanted more than to return to his charming wife.

CHAPTER 27

Evelina’s body had settled into a strange numbness. She let herself wilt against the bed linens, too exhausted to move. For the past several hours, she had drifted in and out of sleep. Stephan was gone, and it was quiet. She inhaled softly and leaned her head back against the pillows. Evelina had never before noticed how comfortable a bed could be.

However, Evelina found herself faced with a rather vexing conundrum; she was terribly bored. She heard the faint sound of footsteps outside her bedchamber, followed by the creak of her door. “Stephan?” she asked.

The moment the words left her mouth, a little jolt of anxiety swept over her. Why had she assumed that it was him? It might have been anyone else, and as her lady’s maid Isabelle entered the room, Evelina realized that she had assumed incorrectly. Her husband must still be with the solicitor.

“Did you require something, Your Grace?” Isabelle asked.

Evelina sighed. “I am terribly bored.”

Isabelle’s face softened. “Perhaps I can bring something for you to read, Your Grace? Or maybe you would like to do some embroidery? I recall that you were working on a lovely set of cushions.”

Evelina had been. It was a set of four, three of which had been completed. She had intended them for her own parlor, not for a husband’s house, but maybe the house could do with something bright and new. The house was pleasant enough, but it did also look as if no one had given thought to the decorations in some time.

“I think I would like some flowers,” Evelina said slowly. “That would add some needed color to the house.”

Isabelle nodded. “I can see that is done for you.”

Evelina frowned, thinking. “And I will embroider the cushion. Bring it to me, please.”

Isabelle curtsied and hurried away, and Evelina let herself rest against the pillow. Embroidery would be a good pursuit. She could keep her hands and mind busy, and when the next wave of exhaustion swept over her, she would be able to simply set the cushion aside and resume her work at a later time.

After some time, Isabelle returned with the linen, which would make the cushion. Evelina had left it decorated with a ring oflovely pink and red roses. She carefully threaded her needle and resumed her work, her fingers nimbly working with the thread. As she embroidered, her mind wandered to Stephan.

He seemed rather calm about waiting for the consummation of their marriage, but Evelina knew that he must be frustrated by the delay. After all, he had little time. Even the smallest delay in Evelina producing an heir or any difficulties in her pregnancy might ruin all his designs for gaining control of the dukedom. She bit the inside of her cheek, torn.

Evelina had to admit that her husband was kind. Even if there would never be any real fondness between them, he was gentle and respectful. He was decent, and if she had married a man like him in her youth, she might not have become so fiercely independent. Evelina did not regret the woman who she had become, of course, but a small part of her wondered who she might have been.