To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan Page B

drunk too quickly for she suddenly felt light-headed. Swaying, she brought her fingers to her temple.
    Rotham immediately reached out to support her elbow. “Sit down, Tess. Did you eat anything today?” he asked as he led her to the nearest chair.
    “Not much,” she admitted, consciously responding to his continued kindness.
    “Drinking wine on an empty stomach is not wise. We will go into dinner shortly.”
    “I am not particularly hungry.”
    “Even so, you should eat.”
    At his forceful tone, Tess stiffened out of habit, then applauded her instinctive response. She didn’t want to live in armed warfare with Rotham, but neither did she want to become even more vulnerable to him than she was now. She was making a poor job of keeping her distance thus far.
    “Is that a command, your grace?” she asked airily.
    That half-smile etched his mouth again. “A suggestion, merely. But I might remind you that not three hours ago, you vowed to love, honor, and obey me.”
    Glad to be back on familiar ground, Tess arched a taunting eyebrow. “Surely you do not expect
obedience
from me?”
    “No, I know you better than that,” he returned with amusement. “Obedience is far beyond my expectations. And you declared yesterday that you could never love me. So that leaves honor.” His smile faded, while his eyes fixed on her. “I expect you to honor our marriage vows, Tess, even though they were made under duress. I have no desire to be cuckolded.”
    The suggestion that she would ever commit adultery, regardless of how their marriage had begun, filled her with indignation. “I would never dream of cuckolding you, your grace. Although it is a matter of supreme indifference to me if
you
fail to honor our vows. Indeed, I expect you to seek your pleasures with your numerous mistresses.”
    At her adamant reply, he studied her for a long moment, as if trying to gauge her sincerity. Then his expression seemed to lose its intensity and his sardonichumor returned. “My numerous mistresses? How many do you think I have?”
    “Rumor suggests that you have several.”
    “Rumor would be wrong.”
    “You cannot deny that you have kept mistresses in the past.”
    “Never more than one at a time. And I have none now.”
    Tess shrugged, although her show of indifference was pure bravado. She sincerely hoped her husband would not choose to flout their vows so savagely and sully their union—or if he did, that he would be discreet about it.
    “I only meant,” she explained, “that I am not opposed to having a liberal marriage.”
    “I never realized you were so broadminded.”
    “I am, rather. It comes from having several married friends.…”
    She hesitated, debating whether to mention her friendship with Fanny Irwin.
    Just then Gaskell appeared to announce that dinner was served. She allowed Rotham to escort her to the smaller of Bellacourt’s two dining rooms. The table was still enormous and sparkled with crystal and china.
    Instead of sitting at each end, however, parted by the vast length of the table, Tess found herself seated at Rotham’s right. When they had begun the soup course—the first of many dishes and removes—and the liveried footmen had left them alone, Tess returned her attention to Fanny, not only to provide a distraction from her own marital difficulties, but because she sincerely wished to help her friend.
    “Do you happen to need a secretary, Rotham?” she began. “I know you are not much involved with politics in the House of Lords, but with your vast business enterprises, you must have numerous tasks that require clerical assistance.”
    “I have two secretaries now. Why do you ask?”
    “I know someone who would be ideal for the position. His name is Basil Eddowes. For the past several years, Mr. Eddowes has worked as a law clerk for a London solicitor, but just recently Lord Claybourne secured him a post as a junior secretary for an elderly nobleman. His salary is not sufficient for his