Page 57 of Mad Duke March
She was quite happy with her appearance, so she wasn’t surprised when her husband couldn’t take his eyes off her from the moment he saw her, and even now, in the dimly lit carriage.
Her stomach tumbled and flipped inside her, her cheeks burning from his intense perusal.
“That gown looks marvelous on you,” he murmured. Emily held her breath, pleased that he was the one to start the conversation. Happier still that he’d started it with a compliment. Her happiness was short-lived, however, because he continued, “Who are you trying to impress? Sutton?”
“Sutton?” Emily repeated with genuine confusion. “Why would I want to impress another man?”
“Trying to find yourself a lover perhaps,” he answered with a shrug. As if the idea didn’t bother him one bit.
“And why would I need a lover when I have you?”
He scoffed.
Emily looked out the window, her fan tapping against her knee nervously, the hope for a civilized discourse dimming. “I resent your implication my morals are loose simply because I happened to share a bed with one man before I married you.”
“How do I know it was just the one?” he asked roughly.
Emily snapped her head to meet his piercing green eyes. “And how many women have you shared your bed with?”
“It’s not the same.”
“Because you are a man?”
“No. Because I didn’t bring another woman’s offspring into our marriage.”
Emily shook her head. “It is easy for you to judge me from your high throne. But if I gave birth to a child out of wedlock, I’d be shunned. My family would have suffered. Even if you were to bring another child into our lives, your standing in society wouldn’t have changed.”
“I understand that part, believe me.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t condemn you for making that choice. But forgive me for not trusting the loyalty of a woman who lied to me for weeks and tricked me into a marriage without disclosing the full truth.”
“Because I feared for my safety!”
“I would never hurt you,” he growled, his face getting closer to hers. Then he closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat. Hiding in the shadows, he repeated slower now, calmer. “I would never hurt you.”
“And I know that now. But you are judging me based on the actions of a woman who didn’t know you at all. Once I did, I told you right away.”
“You told me once you found out you wouldn’t be able to pass your bastard as my child! Now that you’re a duchess, I have no choice but to raise your bastard as my heir, give him my title, and—” He stopped abruptly.
“It’s not like that! How many times—?”
“Actually.” He raised a hand to halt her speech. “It’s perfect.”
“Do not interr—What?”
“It’s perfect,” he repeated quietly. “The reason I didn’t want children was because I didn’t want to leave my legacy behind. I wanted the Tyrone line to die with me, but this is more perfect!”
“What are you talking about?” Emily rubbed the bridge of her nose in confusion.
“Giving the title to someone not of my blood is ingenious! My father would be furious. It’s the ultimate revenge.” He settled back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. “I hope it’s a boy.”
Emily took a few moments to digest his words. “Is that really all there is to it?” she asked, bewildered. “Your actions were driven by your spite for someone who is dead?”
“He ruined my life,” he said calmly. “I will ruin his legacy. It’s only fair.”
“No.” She shook her head. “He ruined half of your life and you’re letting him ruin the rest. Your pride is your poison, Tyrone.” His burning gaze snapped to hers at the sound of his title. “It’s killing you from the inside. Spiting your father doesn’t hurt him. It’s just hurting the people around you. People who are alive.”
“I just came to terms with accepting your child as my heir,” he said evenly. “Do you want me to reverse my decision?”
“I want you to make your decision based on something other than vengeance. You judged me because I was ruining your ultimate revenge on your deceased father. Now that you’ve figured out how this can further your revenge, all is suddenly forgiven. What if I give birth to a girl—”
