A month had passed since their wedding. And Leo was dying. They still hadn't consummated their marriage and he couldn't take it anymore.

It felt like she was punishing him because of all the secrets he had kept from her. He knew she wanted him. He saw it in her eyes every time they were alone together.

It wasn't just lust he felt for her, they had this absurd pull between them.

Every time she entered a room he was in, he'd wait for her to meet his eyes. He'd wait for her eyes to light up when she saw him. And when she was distracted with her writing and didn't pay attention to him, he'd actually feel jealous and neglected. He felt like a big cranky baby. He could imagine how Crane would've reacted had he seen him like this.

At night, he'd lay awake in his bed, listening intently for any movement. Waiting for her to knock on his door. Every tiny rustling sound would leave him tossing and turning in his bed, longing for her.

Longing to make her his and hold her in his arms.

He'd stolen a few kisses from her, but that was about it.

Had he been an idiot to let her decide when they'd consummate their marriage?

But on the bright side, she had gotten very close to Isabelle.

Leo was walking towards the garden, a place he often went to when he wanted to think.

That's when he heard feminine laughter.

His wife's laughter.

There went his ding-a-ling again. Just the sound of her laughter was enough to awaken his pizzle.

Wait, why was she laughing?

And then they came into view.

Clara, Isabelle and that loiter-sack John.

He was holding up a skeleton and making it dance. And the ladies were laughing at that? What was wrong with them?

"Am I interrupting?" Leo asked, interrupting them.

John's face fell, but Clara's eyes lit up and he exulted.

"Oh Leonard, do come here." she called out.

He internally rolled his eyes at the lack of his self control when it came to her as he walked towards her.

He sat on the bench beside her and pulled her closer to him.

Isabelle happily climbed into his lap.

He looked at Clara's face to gauge her reaction at his blatant show of marking his territory. She was blushing and seemed pleased.

He was anything but pleased though.

What was the need for her to conduct her so called lessons in a garden alone with a young man with only Isabelle as a chaperone?

Oh Lord! Was he actually jealous?

No, it couldn't be.

"So what have you learnt so far?" he asked, trying to calm the beast in him.

"Well, I can name most of the bones now" she said, clearly proud of herself.

He wanted to feel happy for her, he truly did. But the green monster sitting on his shoulder was not letting him share her excitement.

"Most of the bones? You can name all of them correctly," John said.

Why was he even here?

Leo wasn't a particularly violent man, but he felt like putting a bullet through John's thick skull right now.

"Was I talking to you?" He raised one arrogant brow.

John looked like he was about to say something, but Clara spoke before.

"There's no need to be rude, Duke," she said a little sharply.

This was the last straw, she was taking John's side?!

"It's alright, Clara. I'll take my leave now. I have to attend to my patients," the sorry excuse for a man said.

"See that you do," Leo said.

Once John was gone, Clara pulled away from him.

"What was that?" She asked, clearly annoyed by his juvenile behaviour.

"Nothing."

He stood up, "I should go too."

"Yes. Maybe you should." Clara said, her nose tipping up a notch.

"Don't go, Leo" Isabelle pleaded.

"At least someone wants me here," he said dramatically and plopped down in the bench again.

Clara rolled her eyes and Isabelle giggled.

Soon Clara forgot her anger and joined him and Isabelle in their nonsensical banter.

By the time they went back home, it was already time for dinner.

The next day.

Clara was on her way to the west wing. It was time for her lessons with John. He was very late and this was the first time it was happening. She had waited patiently for an hour, but then she thought she should see if he was okay.

She found John walking from one room to the other and stopped him.

"John, what happened? You look terrible." His hair was disheveled and he looked tired.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't come for our lesson." John said apologetically.

"Oh that's alright. I just wanted to see if you were okay. Clearly you aren't. You desperately need a break."

"I don't have a break today. I've had continuous shifts since dawn. That's why I couldn't make it for the lesson."

"That's so unfair, does the Duke know about this?" Clara asked.

"The Duke is the one who assigns our shifts, Clara." John smiled wanly.

Clara stormed into Leo's office and tried her best to ignore the gawking patients. Leonard looked up at her and smiled widely. Half of Clara's anger melted when she saw his smiling face.

"What a beautiful surprise!" Leo said and Clara exulted.

"I need to talk to you about something." She said, ignoring his cheery face.

"What is it?" He asked, concerned.

"It's about John."

His expression changed immediately and he had his stony mask on again.

"He hasn't had a break since dawn. The poor man is so tired, he can barely even stand steadily."

"If this is about your lesson, I already told you that I could teach you."

"It isn't about the lesson, Leonard. It's about treating your interns right."

"You will not tell me how to treat my

interns," Leonard thundered. And then he walked to the door and shut it close so they'd have more privacy.

Leonard was enraged. He had taken away John's breaks because he didn't want him panting after his wife.

If he wanted to be a good physician, he couldn't afford such distractions, Leo thought trying to justify his actions. Was that childish intern of his that important to her?

She was arguing with her husband for John of all people?

"Being a physician is a serious job, if he can't handle it, he shouldn't be here," he said, trying to reign in his temper.

"You knows it's not that, he hasn't complained about it once,"Clara said.

"Then why are you so worked up about this? Does he mean that much to you?" He finally asked.

"So that's what this is all about? You're being a tyrannical monster because you're jealous?" Clara asked.

"Why should I be jealous? It's not like we're in love." Leo shrugged.

"Of course not. I'm so silly." Clara said and started to walk out.

Of course he was jealous. How could he not be jealous when a young, handsome albeit childish man was lusting after his wife? Especially when his wife liked him back. He didn't want to admit it to Clara but he didn't want her leaving either.

He walked up to her quickly and held her hand.

"Wait, don't go." Leo said in a completely uncharacteristic pleading tone.

But it seemed to have worked because she turned around slowly. "I don't have anything else to say to you." Clara murmured, not looking at him.

"But I do. I'm sorry, Clara. I admit that what I did with John was not right. I'll change his schedule immediately."

"Thank you." She said, still not looking at him.

"And I was jealous. Hell was I jealous, I was so angry. Every time I saw you with the damned man, I'd feel like pummelling him. I didn't know how annoying he was until you came here." He said.

"You're just saying that. You don't mean it," she looked at his face and then looked away as if she couldn't bear the sight of him.

"I never say things I don't mean."

Clara finally looked at him and smiled. It was like he'd given her the moon. Was that all that it took to make his wife happy? He realised he was smiling too. He pulled her to him and kissed her.

This wasn't a lusty kiss, it was a kiss born out of affection and love. Love?! His brain was shouting out warnings, but he was too happy to care. Then he pulled back and asked her, "you don't happen to have feelings for John, do you?"

"No, you silly man. He's just my friend."

He just hugged her, he was so relieved to hear those words from her mouth.