“Elsie, go downstairs and don’t come back up here,” Ian said to the girl in his arms, but his gaze remained firmly fixed on Dillie as he spoke. Elsie cast Dillie a smug smile as she sauntered downstairs, leaving Dillie alone in the hall with Ian.
She was still unable to budge. Her mind was a whirl of confusion. What had just happened? She’d been with Abner only a few minutes. Ian had made a point of keeping both doors open so that he would hear her call out when she was ready to return. Had he planned to dally with the pretty maid in the meantime? Thinking he could finish with the girl and send her on her way before anyone noticed? Obviously, he’d miscalculated.
“Dillie, I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong.”
“Oh, I see. She came up here unbidden and untied her laces all by herself.” He was a rakehell, and until this very moment, she hadn’t quite understood what the word meant. She understood now. Rakehells were the depraved sort of men who sought their pleasure whenever the opportunity presented itself, no matter the circumstances and no matter who they hurt.
“In fact, she did.” He spoke softly, his voice calm and even. However, Dillie saw the thunderous swirls of gray in his eyes and knew he was angry. When at peace, Ian’s eyes were a beautiful, deep grayish-green. The haunting gray that swirled in them now tugged at her heart.
“Oh, Ian. I want to believe you, but I don’t know if I can.” Yet he wasn’t stupid. He must have known that he might be caught. Was that risk a part of the thrill? It seemed so opposite his nature. He was a careful, deliberate man, one who needed to be in control of his surroundings at all times.
Nor did it seem in his nature to be cruel, especially to her, and not after what they had shared last night. She’d felt safe and protected in his arms.
Still, the evidence could not be overlooked. “I just want to know the truth.”
He reached out his hand and took a step toward her, but she backed away.
“So that’s the way it is.” He dropped his hand to his side. “Your mind is made up. I’ve been found guilty.”
“No. I don’t know. The problem is, I don’t know you.” Her needs were simple. She wanted a happy marriage to a man she loved and respected. Was she now condemned to life as the ignorant spouse of a man who would spend his nights cavorting with any woman who caught his fancy? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her thoughts. Her head was spinning, and her heart felt as though it had been cut to ribbons. What she’d seen made no sense, yet the girl had been standing beside Ian with her lacings untied and Ian’s arms had been around her shoulders.
She waited for him to explain, but he said nothing further, so she hobbled past him with her head held high and made her way toward her bed. Her foot was swollen and painful, but that did not compare to the ache of his betrayal. They weren’t even married yet, and he’d already been caught dallying with the girl under her very nose.
Her eyes welled with tears.
No! She refused to cry in front of him.
“Damn it, Dillie.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her the remaining distance to the bed. He set her down gently in the center of it, and then stepped away and ran a hand across the back of his neck. “You have to trust me.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Why? Give me a reason.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, now appearing quite indignant, which would have been hilarious had it not been so tragic. Then his manner softened. “Because you’re the last person on earth I’d ever purposely hurt. You must know that.”
“I want to. I’m trying, but I don’t know if I can.”
“Is this how it’s to be between us? My groveling at your feet, begging for forgiveness for every perceived slight? I’m a damn duke. You’re to be my wife, not my judge and jailor.” That said, he stormed downstairs.
CHAPTER 14
DILLIE SPENT the next half hour angry and stewing in her chamber. She’d been too unsettled to remain in bed, so she’d moved to the chair beside the fire and propped her foot on the stool that Ian had ordered placed there. The pillow Ian had also ordered for her was atop the stool, cushioning her bruised and swollen ankle.
She took a deep breath to stem her ache and caught the scent of gingerbread. Ian had ordered those gingerbread cakes brought up to her as well. Was this the sort of care a rakehell offered to just any woman?
She simply didn’t know. Her parents had always made marriage look easy. Oh, they bickered at times, but only over small matters. She couldn’t recall any of their arguments ever starting with “What were you doing with that woman in your arms?” Her sisters seemed happy with their husbands as well. In any event, none of them were here to offer guidance.