Page 26 of How to Capture a Duke

“I must meet him before I pass final judgment. Invite us to dinner tonight. It’s time he met your family.”

Olivia shook her head. “According to his housekeeper, he does not entertain.”

“When you say ‘does not,’ what do you mean?”

“It’s forbidden.”

“Forbidden? Well, as the new duchess, you must change that. We are family, and we would like to come to dinner to meet your new husband,” Ellie said.

“All right. But no one must know what I told you about our marriage.” She couldn’t bear the humiliation or the questions. Plus, her brother might leap over the dining room table and pummel Tristan if he knew everything.

“I shall not say a word, but Hugh can sense when I am upset,” Ellie said.

Olivia felt a stab of jealousy. What would it feel like to have a husband who adored her the way the marquess adored her sister?

“Fine, but please do not tell Ian and Grace.”

Ellie squeezed her hand. “I promise. You needn’t worry about them noticing anything amiss. They have our niece to keep them occupied. She is a handful, even more than little Alexander.”

“I miss them. All of them.” Thank goodness she had not obeyed her husband and had returned to town. Olivia vowed never to allow Tristan to separate her from her sister again. He’d rue the day.

Ellie tapped a finger on her chin. “Meanwhile, I am going to inquire about your mysterious duke.”

“What do you plan on learning that I haven’t been able to?”

Ellie’s lips curved in a mischievous smile. “You’d be surprised, my dear. The most valuable asset of the Raven Club is not money but information.”

…

The scrambling of his servants was Tristan’s first clue that something was afoot. Maids and footmen hurried past his study with an unusual energy and focused purpose, and he suspected his wife had something to do with it.

He left the study and walked by the dining room. The china was set, the crystal gleaming beneath the candles in the chandeliers.

Mrs. Ludson was seated at the table along with Cook and Olivia. From what he could hear, they were discussing a menu.

“What’s going on?”

Olivia pushed back her chair, and her lips curved in a smile.

His stomach tightened a fraction at her welcome, but he didn’t return the smile. He had his suspicions. She was up to something.

“My family is coming to dinner. Seven o’clock sharp. They are eager to meet you,” she said.

Blast! He’d been right to be mistrustful of that smile.

“I don’t d…d-o dinner parties.” Dammit, just the thought of hosting a dinner, let alone meeting her family, made him nervous.

“It is not a party. It is my family. They are eager to meet you.” She reached out to straighten his cravat.

It didn’t need straightening; his valet was entirely competent. Mesmerized by the plane of her cheek, he didn’t step back. Her scent wafted to him, a light and refreshing lavender, and he stiffened. Her fingers were white and slender, and he had a sudden image of her stroking his naked chest then downward to his groin.

He gritted his teeth against the erotic thought. “I will be out.”

She cocked her head to the side and regarded him. “I suggest you cancel your plans.”

He laughed hoarsely. “No.”

It was bad enough she’d disobeyed his orders for her to stay in the country. Now she was taking over his home and staff for her entertainment? He didn’t give a damn if it was her family. He wouldn’t put himself in that position.