Married to the Marquess Read Online Free PDF Page B

something useful to do, her feelings of kindness towards him gone as suddenly as they had come, and just as fleeting.
    The next few days were going to be a very, very long indeed.

    It was not as though Derek meant to be so averse to London, for it truly was a city of much amusement and entertainment, he considered as he tipped his hat to a mother and her two daughters that passed. Their shared giggles and whispers at his actions brought a small smirk to his face as he jauntily continued on.
    Yes, London had much to offer those who chose to visit or inhabit it. But there were two reasons that Derek ever ventured into London apart from his own amusement and responsibilities.
    His wife was the first, and he had already dealt with her and had come out less scarred than he had predicted, which was always a pleasant surprise. The second was his father, the Duke of Ashcombe. That was his task at hand.
    His father was a good man, and a rather well-respected one. His opinion was sought after in the highest circles, his fortune was rather extensive, and his heritage impeccable. For these reasons, the duke was unnaturally focused and driven on maintaining all appearances of respectability and accomplishing one’s duty.
    This was not an issue for Derek, as he had a great deal of pride in his family. It did mean, however, that he came under rather close scrutiny from his father and much of the pressure in his life, what didn’t come from Katherine anyway, came from him.
    It could not be completely construed as being the duke’s fault, as he had not come from the direct line, and due to the lack of heirs there, his grandfather had inherited upon the previous duke’s death. Many had believed that this particular branch of the family would never amount to anything more than a gentleman’s status, and not very wealthy ones at that. The doubts of Society had only fueled Derek’s great-grandfather, and ever since then, it seemed that the one task that was paramount for the family was to prove them all wrong.
    It didn’t matter that it had been so many years ago that very few people even knew about it. The insistence on maintaining bloodlines and power, and garnering respect and admiration from all, was ingrained in every future duke’s mind from the time they were small.
    Marriages were arranged to ensure that future heirs would have the highest breeding that England had to offer, because the very idea of a future duke marrying someone of their own choosing was enough to terrify the existing ones. And Derek had not been old enough to know what all of that had meant until he had already been well acquainted with Katherine, and had learned the importance of his duty.
    And it was not until much, much later that he thought enough about it to resent anything.
    With a sigh, Derek approached the grand London home of his parents, and faintly he wished that they were only his parents and nothing else, but wishing was fruitless at this point.
    He knocked firmly, waited only briefly, and was then let in by the family butler, Wooster, instantly.
    “Hello, Wooster, how are you?” he asked, handing over his hat and gloves.
    “Very well, my lord, thank you.”
    “How is your knee?”
    The old man grinned. “Still there, I think.”
    Derek laughed and clapped him on the back. “That’s a relief. You keep up with all of Mrs. Tabbit’s remedies and you may be challenging me to a footrace soon enough.”
    “Yes, my lord, I think I shall.”
    “Very good. I have come to see my parents, are they available?”
    “They are, sir. I believe the duke is in his study.”
    “Thank you, Wooster. I shall take myself down there. You go on and sit down somewhere,” Derek said with a smile as he left the entryway, knowing full well that the butler would do no such thing.
    The door to the duke’s study was open slightly, but Derek knocked anyway. Rule number seventeen in this house growing up was Always knock when seeking entrance .
    “Come,” the voice