To Love A Duke

Warmth

Song Recommendation: One of a kind by trill mizzy

A Duke’s affection is his to give, and so is his jacket..

She woke up to the faint scent of lemons and sandalwood and an overwhelming scent of strawberry jellies. She still lay abed, but lucid. In her dreams a shadow watched her, and whoever it was made her feel safe and protected. Blinking into the light streaming from the partio, she sat up startling a very smiling Jules, narrowing her eyes at her maid who curtsied and smiled, moving efficiently around the room, tiding after her. she followed the scent to a food cart with trays of strawberry jellies and tart creamy cakes, dripping with chocolate. She smiled, her mouth watering. Making no attempt to reach for the jellies she simply stared. He had promised her a cart of strawberry jellies and he had kept his promise. Memories of the day before flooded her, she looked down at herself, she was still in his leather jacket. That explained the smell of wild lemons. A cart of strawberry jellies. Her Duke

“My lady?” Jules said seeming genuinely concerned. Artemisturned to her and c****d her head

“The Duke had it brought up this morn, and requested your presence at seven off the clock for dinner” jules smiled sheepishly and Artemis rolled her eyes, knowing jules. She had something of her own to say

“Spill it jules” Artemis chided, throwing the covers and placing her feet down to the cold floor. It was a chilly day and despite the stoked grate she shivered and burrowed further into the jacket, too bad she would need to remove the jacket to be laundered. She came around her dressing table and settled down on the chair

“oh my lady, nothing, it’s just so sweet how His grace dotes on you” jules said as she ran her fingers through Artemis hair and knotted it up tightly to get her ready for a bath.

“Hmm” was her only reply but she was smiling widely. Perhaps a bit too widely. She had found common ground with the Duke. She ought not read too much into their newly formed friendship or whatever relationship consisted of lip bites and hot ponds. She was having a hard time reminding herself why she was married to him in the first place. A few strawberry jellies and she wanted to lift her gown and run through the hallways in gratitude. A tiny warmth was spreading in her chest at the mere thought of seeing him again. It was exciting. It was scary.

Orion had watched her sleep. Again. As he had done for the past few nights. Without her knowledge he would come into her chambers when she was under the covers and all that was left in the grate were embers. Watching her sleep took away the dreams. Dreams that hunted him. Dreams that felt so real in his sleep. They had seized a few years ago, but they returned ever since She came here, it was the oddest thing, that the nightmares began again when she surfaced yet being close to her caused them to stop. in a way she was his curse and his cure. His Artemis. Last night she had slept in his jacket and he had felt a surge of possessiveness, a warmth he couldn’t explain. he could feel it in every breath she took. He watched her thick lashes quake lightly in the dim candle light, the mild curve of her chin that extended to the tender line of her neck. She seemed almost venerable but he knew better that she was his fierce woman. He could see the soft fall of her breast as she slept peacefully, That made one