Free The Unclaimed Duchess by Jenna Petersen Page A

the plain wooden table through the open door in the other room. “It’s quite heavy.”
    He nodded. “That’s why I was gone so long. There is a woman in the village who has been cooking for me. Normally someone from the family brings me a late supper, but I wanted to be certain you had enough to eat after your trying journey. When they heard my wife had joined me…well, the family went into a state to prepare something extra special.”
    Anne lifted her gaze from the fragrant basket that had been slowly seducing her with its succulent choices. She found a small but amused smile unlike anything she had ever seen on Rhys’s face.
    â€œYou like them, the family you visited,” she said as she returned her attention to the basket before her.She unloaded item after item onto the plates that had been sent along with the food.
    â€œDon’t be silly,” Rhys protested as he moved forward and took a place at the small table. “They’re pleasant, of course, but peasants. I played with their eldest son as a child, but things are different now.”
    Anne glanced at him as she took her place, but said nothing. This was the second time he had mentioned friendships he’d shared with village children. And though he dismissed them now as foolish, it was clear they had once meant a great deal to him.
    Now Rhys’s ideas about the sanctity of rank matched his late father’s. They were well-known, he had never hidden them. Still, she sensed he retained a bit more feeling for the village family than perhaps he was ready to admit even to himself. Once more her hopes were fed by this brief, unintentional glimpse into Rhys’s soul. If he could still care for a family so beneath him, surely she could give him reason to care for her.
    They began to eat. Anne couldn’t help her silence. The last time she’d eaten was a not particularly pleasing luncheon along the road just before her arrival. Now darkness had overcome the countryside, and the smells of the hearty country fare made her stomach growl.
    Still, the quiet wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, as she dabbed her mouth with a rough napkin, she realizedit might be the most intimate meal she and Rhys had ever shared.
    â€œYou know,” she said as she gathered the empty plates. “I don’t think we’ve ever shared a meal without ten other people at the table or a newspaper or book between us.”
    Rhys glanced at her with a shrug. “It’s difficult to obtain a good paper in these parts.”
    She frowned as she searched for a place to put the tableware. That wasn’t exactly what she meant.
    Rhys motioned to the door. “I put them in the basket outside. The village family…Parks is their name…they collect it when they bring the next basket. I’ve also arranged for them to tidy up the cottage when they come tomorrow. I don’t mind its current state, but you deserve more comfort.”
    She nodded and did as he had suggested. When she returned to the cottage, she found he had turned his chair to face the entryway and was staring at her.
    â€œWe’ll need to discuss our sleeping arrangements, Anne,” he said as she shut the door.
    Anne looked around them and then speared him with a look. “Because there are so many choices?”
    She thought his lip twitched with suppressed humor, but then it stopped.
    â€œI realize the accommodations aren’t up to the standard I would normally provide—”
    She held up a hand to stop him. “I love it, Rhys,” she interrupted. “I do.”
    His eyes widened with surprise, but then he continued, “Well, I’m glad for that, but it doesn’t resolve the problem. You see…well, there is only the one bed.”
    Anne folded her arms and tried unsuccessfully to keep a tinge of bitterness from her voice. “Yes, I see that. What is the issue exactly? We’re married. It isn’t the