Page 53 of Duchess Needed
Because he was furious.
“Edward,” Phoebe tried, swallowing nervously. “I-I can explain. I was just –”
“I was quite gracious with you. Patient even, as you adjusted to your life as a duchess. It was one thing to be inexperienced with the dealings of nobility and it was another thing entirely for you to refuse to think and choose to be smart about the way youhandle your business. If you needed to have an affair, then you should have been more discreet. What would people think if they were to find out? I had to call in personal favors to sort out the matter about your sister, but it had not been as difficult because she was not as significant to the ton. They would eat us alive if they caught wind of your infidelity –”
“There is no – firstly, do not bring my sister into this,” Phoebe snapped angrily, even though her heart was shaking from his cold tone. “Secondly, you are gravely mistaken. I am not being unfaithful!”
“And I am just supposed to believe that my wife is up and about, dressed as though she has a secret rendezvous with a lover in an alley for no reason other than the obvious? Surely you do not think me so stupid,” he scoffed stiffly, staring at her with what he hoped was an unamused expression.
“I do not think you are stupid, but you are jumping to baseless conclusions. Why on earth would I be unfaithful to you? What would I even gain?” Phoebe asked, feeling too exasperated to even worry about her secret.
“I do not know, Phoebe! That is what I have asked myself in the ten minutes that I waited here for you to return. But as much as I would like you to give me a reason, I do not know if I can trust a single word out of your mouth. I do not know how long this has been going on, I don’t know why you are doing this or who else knows about it, because if I have caught wind of your illicit affair, only God knows who else has,” Edward snapped, his tone cold even to his ears.
A look of hurt crossed Phoebe’s face and he felt his heart squeeze uncomfortably in his chest. As much as he would have loved to say he was unaffected by the issue, only annoyed by the risk taken on their behalf to settle whatever urges she has, the truth was, deep down, he felt jealous.
Who was this man? How dare he put his hands on Edward’s wife? What gave him the right to feel as though he had earned her moans? What audacity did he have to feel worthy enough to witness her pleasure?
It was a sickening feeling, and it was terrifying, how easily it was consuming him.
“I told you,” Phoebe began weakly, looking as though the fight was slipping out of her. “There was no affair. I work for the newspaper.”
Edward’s lips parted to refute her words as soon as they hit his ears, but then they echoed in his mind and he really heard them for what they actually were.
“You... what?”
The duchess exhaled and her shoulders drooped, making her seem like a defeated creature.
“The newspaper editor, Mr. Lambert gave me a job some time ago, after I had searched for some source of income in order to help my family’s finances. Those drawings you saw on my deskthe other day? They were a commission he gave me, and in a few days, they will be featured in the city’s newspapers. I know it is unseemly, so I have always discreetly met with him to pick up commissions and submit the work I have done and I only just submitted the most recent work I had completed,” she explained calmly.
Edward blinked at her and then glanced around his surroundings, for the first time realizing that the carriage was parked behind the newspaper house. And the man who had escorted Phoebe to the door had sounded distinctly like Mr. Lambert, who had come to Edward’s estate months ago when he invited him, and told him to publish the advertisement for a wife.
If Phoebe worked for him, then that was likely how she had found out about it. He had always wondered how she had gotten wind of it so early and there was no way to have known she was privy to inside information.
The anger in him dissipated slightly as relief gripped his insides, only for them to be flooded with distaste once he realized that there was another problem.
“Why are you still working for him, Phoebe? If you had this job before we were married, I would understand, but why are you still doing this?”
A strange look crossed her face and she sighed deeply.
“I still take commissions for the same reason I began in the first place – to take care of my family. Do you have any idea what it takes a household to ensure that a young lady of the family has a successful debut and season? New dresses, new shoes, eye catching accessories – everything that would make her stand out to catch the eye of as many potential suitors as possible. The dent that would have put in our finances would have made things incredibly difficult for Rowland, but Anna deserved to have a wonderful debut. She deserved to have a fair chance – as much as anyone else did. And she still does. Her needs do not magically go away because I am now married, Edward.”
Edward inhaled sharply, doing his best not to snap again.
“That is not what I mean. I would like to understand why you did not just ask me for money. You are my wife, Phoebe. I am more than willing to provide you with anything your heart desires, if only you just ask,” he told her, his veins pulsing with frustration.
“I did not want to be a burden!” Phoebe cried, looking as stressed as he felt. “They are my family – mine to care for. It was not included in our deal that you would also take on the duty of fulfilling the role I was handling just fine.”
“Just fine? Phoebe, you spent a whole day drawing and starved yourself. Only God knows how you handle your work before we were wed, but that doesn’t matter. You should know that I would never turn away any request that you have. What sort of husband would I be if I ignored the needs of my wife’s family? It might have not been included in our deal, but I am amendable tothe adjustments of our clauses. I only wished you have talked to me,” Edward expressed earnestly.
He did not understand why he was so upset about this. It was strange, how much he disliked the fact that she had not come to him in her time of need. It made him feel like a bad, incompetent husband.
Afterall, she was his. His to keep, his to adore and care for. So why wouldn’t she let him? How could he not have noticed sooner?
There were so many thoughts swirling around in his head, and they were confused him greatly because they spurred strange feelings he had never had before.
In the midst of it all, he wanted to touch her. She looked upset and while a part of him wanted to comfort her, another wished to claim her. He wanted to remind her who she belonged to, ached to ravage her until she was certain of that fact.
“Come, Phoebe,” he instructed hoarsely as he opened the door to the carriage. “Let’s go home.”
