With only two feet of distance left between himself and the beast, Richard could already feel the phantom pain of teeth biting his ankle.
But it never came.
Because as soon as the command rang out in the air, Dash came to a stop. He trotted around a spot and eventually sat down on his haunches, staring up at Richard with an innocent expression.
It was in the stillness of that moment that Richard realized how fast and hard his heart was beating—he even felt the tremors in his head.
“I am so sorry, Sir. We are still trying to get him to stay still, but because he is so young, his attention often wanders. Are you all right?” the dog trainer asked.
Richard heard the explanation. He heard the question that followed right after, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak and assure the man of his well-being. His jaw had clamped shut in fright, a habit he had developed as a child which he had expected to outgrow, but he apparently never did.
“Your Grace.”
He shifted his gaze to his wife, his hands twitching as she held them in hers and led him away from Dash and his trainer.
“Breathe,” she told him softly, her grip on his hands warm and somehow gentle.
Richard inhaled shakily and much too fast because he choked a moment later.
“Your Grace, please,” she said in the same tone as he tried to catch his breath. “Slowly, breathe.”
He tried again for her—because she asked. And it was easier for his lungs to accept the air and expel it moments later. He repeated it again, once, twice, eventually feeling more settled in his skin.
“I am sorry. That must have been terrifying?—”
“It was not,” came his curt, gruff reply.
“It is all right if it was?—”
“Stop!” he snapped through gritted teeth, yanking his hands out of hers. “I am fine.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “If you say so.”
He glanced back at the trainer, noting how the man kept glancing in their direction even as he fastened a collar that was connected to a leash around the puppy’s neck.
“Tell your trainer that he needs to put in more work to get that thing under control. What happened last night should not happen again.”
“I am sorry. I had not realized that he had snuck out of my room?—”
“We had an agreement. You can keep that beast, but I do not want it anywhere near me. Do you understand?”
He expected disagreement. He expected that bold defiance to make an appearance, wondering if he had enough strength within him to hold his own weight in an argument.
All she did was nod and sigh. “I understand.”
There was nothing more he felt he had to say, no reason for him to linger before her.
So, he nodded back, turned around, and went back to the castle, desperate to put some space between them.
* * *
“That was the Duke?” Martin squawked in horror. “I-I called himSir! Oh, no—I have never met him, so I had no idea?—”
“It is fine. I am sure he will not hold it against you,” Nancy assured him quickly, only half certain about that.
She hardly knew what to expect from her husband when it was just the two of them involved. He remained as unpredictable as he had since the day they had gotten married. And with absolutely no progress in their relationship, she feared he would remain a mystery to her for much longer.
“Are you certain, Your Grace? He seemed a little… unwell earlier,” Martin pointed out.
