Duchess by Chance by Wendy Vella

given it.
    “There was no need, your Grace - “
    “There was every need,” Daniel said, moving closer until that subtle rose scent reached his nostrils. “What if he returns?”
    “I would have taken measures to have him removed again.”
    She was trying to stay calm as he crowded her but her breathing was rapid and her hands were clenched together. She’d gained weight, he noticed.   Her checks had filled out, as had her wrists, and she was now a woman who would draw any man’s eye.  
    “I was told that he threatened you, Duchess. Is this true?”
    Rather than dropping her eyes as she had when first they’d wed, she kept them on his, and again he wondered if she’d played him for a fool.
    “Daniel, must you interrogate your duchess when we have yet to be introduced?” Simon came to stand beside him. “Good evening, your Grace,” he added, holding out one hand. “My name is Viscount Kelkirk and it is an honor to meet you.”
    “Good evening, Lord Kelkirk.”  
    She offered Simon an elegant curtsy, unlike the lopsided affair she’d been prone to when he’d first met her.
    “If you will excuse me, your Grace, I am bound for my bed now, but shall look forward to becoming better acquainted with you in the morning.”
    “Of course. Good evening, Lord Kelkirk.”
    Daniel grunted something to Simon as his friend left the room.
    “Did Gilbert Huxley threaten you, Duchess?”
    “It matters not, your Grace, only that he left,” she said in a quiet voice.
    He ran his eyes over her again, lingering on the curves of her breast. Damn, Daniel had never wanted a wife he could lust after.  
    “It appears much has changed in my absence, Duchess. Had my carriage reached the end of the drive before you threw away your dowdy clothes?”
          “Wh-what are you accusing me off, your Grace?” She wasn’t precisely glaring at him but to Daniel’s mind it was pretty close. “I was informed by Mr Neil, your steward, that I was allowed to spend some money on my clothes. Would you rather I had not?”
    It seemed the timid mouse had found a backbone.
    “I have no problem with you spending money on clothes, Eva, as long as the change in you is an honest one.”
    Color washed her face, and she took a step backwards. Daniel wondered if she was protecting herself or him.
    “I will ask again, what are you accusing me of, your Grace?”
    What was he accusing her of? It was true he was an untrusting devil but had she really duped him? Now he had got over the shock of seeing her, he thought not, especially considering where she had come from. Daniel did not often speak without thought but in this case he believed he had.
    “Forgive me. Your appearance surprised me.” He was like any man in that an apology never came easily and his words sounded gruff.
    She nodded.  
    “Why are you here, your Grace? Surely you did not come just for the purpose of censuring me about Huxley and questioning my clothing?”
    “Need I have a reason to visit my home and my duchess?”
    “I had thought when you left that it would be for some time.”
    His eyes roamed her features before he spoke.  
    “My reason for returning to Stratton is twofold, Duchess.” She looked up at him, silently waiting for him to continue. “Firstly, I wish you to return to London with me.”
    “But I had thought my life would be here.”
    Daniel saw that the idea of going to London did not sit well with her. In fact, it terrified her.  
    “You are my duchess and under my protection and it is time for you to take your rightful place in society.”
    “But I was not born into society, your Grace, and have no idea how to behave amongst them.”
    Her words were calm, yet her eyes told another story. The deep blue depths were anxious.
    “My grandmother told me you were tutored in what was required, Duchess, and I shall be with you to help ease your path.”
    “Wh-what was the second reason?”
    Daniel decided to leave the subject for now, there would be