To Love A Duke

The Game called marriage

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Song Recommendation: NERVOUS by JOHN LEGEND

A lady must follow her own rules, so far as said rules don’t include the bedroom, for that madame is another matter entirely..

She was Lady Talbot, She was married to the Duke of shewsburry , His grace, Orion Karl Talbot, she tasted the name on her tongue “Orion” how vaguely familiar and the way he had watched her after his name had been said like he challenged her to admit to something. Hmm how very strange indeed she was sure she had never met this man, she had heard of him naturally, seeing as his reputation preceded him, she recalled hearing he was one of Englands most notorious rake, she had also heard his majesty the king fancied him a great deal-Not that she paid attention to the rumors but one couldn’t help but notice talk of a libertine skilled in bed. She almost choked on the water she sipped. she had heard tales of his endeavors and how women married and unmarried swooned when his name was mentioned she had of course never participated in such conversations but people talk and nothing could be hidden from the ton. As she watched his lip curl at the sides in what seemed like a smile she wondered how many women he had kissed and she felt an unpleasant feeling like a tight ache in her gut she couldn’t and wouldn’t name it. she had also heard of his ravenous appetites and how he could entertain 3 women at a time. She almost choked. Oh dear she had never in the past let herself think such things, but she had to admit to some level of curiosity in that regard. she wanted to laugh at it all. She wanted to laugh at herself for it only just dawned on her what she had gotten herself into, in her childish attempt to anger her father she had gone and fumbled head long into marriage with a man who didn’t really even want her. The final agreement last night had set boundaries on their marriage and ensured the freedom she so sort. The only price was he had his own freedom too! Freedom to keep his many women and indulge his desires elsewhere. She was seeing red. Seeing as the morning passed in a blur she hadn’t had the time to fully process everything , The vicar had shown up and she had been wed she had said her vows and pledged to love and to hold this man with all her heart, her husband, her duke, who sat at the other end of the table for the wedding breakfast. He had sounded so sure as he had said his vows, but she knew better that he couldn’t wait to get into bed with his many women and abandon her hopeless, she was being ridiculous she knew, seeing as she herself had set the rules of the game, and had set him free. Her mind couldn’t help but wonder to his vows, he had sounded like he had waited a lifetime for her and she wondered again if he had personal reasons for marrying her but the idea was ridiculous seeing as she was a means to exact some form of revenge on her father, she had a lot to think about and she silently prayed for the strength to follow through with all the agreements they had in his study the previous night. As she meted out her conditions he had said he planned on being faithful to her as long as she granted him access to her bed and when she had refused him she saw the set of his jaw that told her he could easily seek his pleasure elsewhere m. she had immediately regretted it but her pride didn’t let her take back her words she sighed at this thought and the gesture brought his seeking eyes to her her midriff clenched. She studied him from across the table, he hadn’t said a word to her but she felt his gaze trailing her every move from the garden when they had been declared man and wife up to this moment he looked.. well rather hungry she wasn’t sure why, seeing as different courses of food lay out between them, those green eyes were saying a lot of things she didn’t want to decipher..she averted her gaze.

She had made it through most of the meal courses but at desert, Artermis shook herself for the 100th time to stop ogling her husband, she was a duchess now His duchess.and duchess never ogled, now she didn’t ogle she simply stared longing at those perfectly manicured fingers, who would have thought fingers could be so stimulating and make one feel… feel

“hot?” She almost jumped out of her seat at a voice so close to her, the maid had seen the beaded sweat and was making sure she was fine. she turned bright red, oh dear had she said his fingers were stimulating, what was wrong with her! She tried to divert her thoughts to other matters. Like the way forward, last night they hadn’t discussed at Length the turn this marriage was going to take, and despite the fact that they had a lengthy conversation on husband marital rights and a wife’s submission to her husband, Aunt Ophelia had told her in the past, that marriage was a game, if so, they would play it her way. she wasn’t so sure about that now, she looked up at him and found his eyes already on her, that uncomfortable clenching kicked up again. She gulped the wine, her palms were clammy with sweat, what was happening?