Taming the beastly Duke

Chapter 11

The next morning Alexander had informed Cassandra that they would be having their lunch down by the river. She had spent most of the morning trying to find the perfect dress to wear. When she realized what she was doing she silently scolded herself. "You're acting like a virginal debutante. Well the virgin part is correct, but I am married women so I should act the part." She thought to herself.

Deciding not to put too much thought into choosing a dress to wear out with a man she barely liked she picked a simple yellow dress and quickly got herself ready. It was difficult to do without her maid but she accomplished the task quicker than she thought she would. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was just about time to meet Alex in the garden.

Leaving her room she headed down the hallway that she was now familiar with. While walking down the stairs she saw Thomas walking up towards her. He had a deep scowl on his face and looked to be deep in thought. "Hello Thomas." she said. It seemed as if Thomas had not even heard her. He continued to walk up the steps unil her was nearly in front of her. Only then did her look up and notice her. "Oh, hello Cassie. I'm sorry I didn't see you there. How are you this afternoon?" he asked with a small smile. Cassandra could tell that the smile was forced but decided not to comment on it. "I'm fine, and you?" she said. Instead of answering her he just nodded his head and continued on up the stairs and out of site. Not knowing what else to do about Thomas' strange behavior she continued on to the garden.

When she arrived there she saw that Alex was already waiting  for her.  "Well I see that being punctual is not one of your strong suits" he said. Feeling slightly defensive Cassandra answered, "I am  barely a minute late."

"Calm down, Cassie, I was only teasing you. Come on, the food is already set out." he said before walking towards the far side of the garden. Cassandra followed and tried to memeorize the way to the lake so that she could come out on her own when she felt the need to get away.

The walk was fairly short. It took maybe ten minutes or so and she was not dissapointed by sight before her. The lake was nearely double the size of the one that was at her old home. Surrounding the lake there were a couple trees offering shade and just a little bit of privacy. It looked to be the perfect place to come and relax. "It's perfect." she said while she continued to admire the scenery. "It is one of my favorite places to come when I need time to think, although I admit I have not been able to come out here as frequently as I use to." He said with a slight smile. Gesturing over to the picnic blanket that had food laid out on top of it they both walked over and sat down.

It was a simple lunch of cold meats and cheeses with bread and sliced fruit for dessert.  They both dug in immediately and were silent for several moments while they took in the calmness and tranquility.  "So tell me," she started, "What is the real reason you have brought me out here?" She had been trying to think of a reason why he would want to spend time with her. It was obvious that he did not care for her presence much.

"Can't a man spend time with his wife without being questioned for it?" He said.

"Perhaps a normal married couple would, but you and I are not a normal married couple at all. In fact we are the opposite of a normal married couple."

Laughing he said, "That is true Cassandra,  very true."

"So then why are we out here?" She questioned again.

"Do you want the truth?" He said seriously.

"Of course."

"I promised my mother I would try to form some sort of friendship with you. So this is me trying."

Cassandra didn't want to admit it but his words stung a little. She didnt know why but she had secretly hoped that he had wanted to get to know her on his own accord.  Knowing that he was only doing this because his mother had asked it of him made it seem forced.  "I assure you that if you'd rather not be out here with me I won't be offended of you leave." She lied. Her feelings were hurt and she was trying very hard not to show it.

"It is a beautiful day out Cassandra,  and as I've said this is one of my favorite places. If I truly despised you as much as you think I do I would have never brought you here. Now eat and stop over thinking things like I know you are."

"And how do you know that." She retorted.

"Because you are a woman." He said simply.

Giving him the best glare that she could muster she continued to eat her food. When they were done they went down to the edge of the lake to watch the fish swim.

"If we wouldn't have been forced to marry and had met at a ball it some other function, would you of been interested in me?" Alexander asked suddenly.  The question threw Cassandra off guard. She had never thought of what it would've been like if they had met under different circumstances.  "I dont know, " she said truthfully,  "you are handsome enough but your attitude would have probably scared me away. What about you?  Would you had tried to court me?"

He walked closer to her and picked up a loose strand of her hair. "No," he said simply, "your hair is the most unnatural shade of red I have ever seen. It can be quite unnerving. "

Snatching her hair out of his grasp she said, "I can't help what color hair I was born with. That's a very insensitive thing to say, especially to a woman."

"You're right. It is insensitive.  I've never had much of a filter on my mouth, but wouldn't you rather me tell the truth then to lie?" He asked.

"Yes, I guess I would rather have the truth. What kind of women do you prefer if not redheads?"

"I like blonde women. Ones that are quiet and don't interfere with my day to day life. I think most men want that. Wives that are sometimes seen and never heard."

"Poor you, you've gotten the exact opposite of what you would like in a wife. " said Cassandra sarcastically.  Appalled that he thought that way.

"Yes, yes it seems I have." Alexander answered with the first  genuine smile that Cassandra had seen on his face.