Page 73 of A Bride for the Cruel Duke

“Not at all.” Mr. Jeffries bowed deeply. “It shall be done.”

“Good.”

“May I inquire as to where you are going?” Mr. Jeffries then asked. “In case Her Grace asks me, of course.”

“Nowhere of consequence...” He turned to look at the closed bedroom door, knowing he should be in there right now with her, while knowing that he didn’t have it in him. To see her there, as broken and beaten down as she was, would only compound the feelings he held for her. Feelings that weakened him in ways he needed to escape. “Let her know that I am thinking of her, however. And that I will visit her this evening upon my return.”

“Your Grace.” Mr. Jeffries bowed again.

Anthony turned and strode down the hallway, determined to put as much distance between himself and his wife as he could. He yearned to go and see her. He wanted to let her know that he was there for her. But he feared what this might do to him, breaking him beyond what he already was.

I am weak. A coward, is what I am.

He left the manor after that, deciding on a horseback ride to clear his head and get his thoughts in order. This marriage was only ever meant to be a simple arrangement, one that had long since outlived its usefulness. Was it thus worth reinstating the initial parameters to keep Caroline at arm’s length? Or should he give in to how he felt and accept the reality of what his heart wished?Accepting both the good and the bad.

Anthony had no idea. Did he want love or did he want peace and quiet? He felt he could not have both and thus had to decide what was more important to him.

Regardless of my choice, I sense nothing is going to be the same going forward. Why oh why did I have to get married? And why oh why did it have to be to Caroline?

ChapterTwenty-Five

Caroline had been on the verge of losing hope when the door to her room opened suddenly. As had been the case for the entire day, each time that door opened she held her breath, expecting it to be Anthony, only for it to be Mr. Jeffries or another member of the staff instead. And each time this happened, she felt her heart crack just that little bit further. Still in one piece, she wasn’t sure how much more she could take until it shattered completely.

That’s right. For the entire day Caroline had sat alone in her bed, recovering from her accident, and not once did Anthony pay her a visit.

That is it then, I suppose. My question answered. Everything he told me, and everything I thought I understood about our relationship was a lie.

Her mood plummeted as one would expect. Such was the despondence she was feeling that her bruised body was barely felt. She had taken a chance on a man who she had known that she shouldn’t, it had backfired spectacularly, and she had only herself to blame.

Thus, when the door opened, she didn’t pay it so much as a glance, content to lie on her back and stare at the ceiling as if it were about to collapse and bury her...

“Caroline...” Anthony’s voice was like a bolt of lightning striking her where she lay. “Are you awake?”

Despite her bruises and the pain that she was in, Caroline sat up immediately, her heart soaring to see Anthony lingering in the doorway. Just like that, all the self-doubt that she had felt, all the worry, second guessing, and depression that she had succumbed to faded away as if they had never been.

“Anthony,” she said, doing her best not to sound too overjoyed, even if she was. She smiled for him, glad for the fire which had been lit just an hour ago, because she wanted Anthony to see how happy she was. “I was wondering where you had got to.”

Anthony grimaced. “I should have come earlier.”

“You are here now, and that is what matters.”

Still lingering by the doorway, Caroline didn’t need to see Anthony’s face, or to look into his eyes, to know how unsure he was.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“What was that? I cannot hear you from all the way over there.”

Finally, he smiled. It was subtle, a flicker across his face, but it was there. Then, he crossed the room for her, hesitating at the end of her bed before sitting himself down. He was by her legs, but still close enough that she was able to reach down and rest a hand on top of his. What was more, he didn’t pull it back at her touch.

“You look better,” he said.

“I feel it. Another night of rest and I am sure I will be as right as rain.”

“Good.” He smiled again, moving his hand so it was on top of hers now. He gave it a squeeze and met her eyes, letting her see that he meant what he said. “I am glad.”

This little moment was still thick with tension. The ease that the two had found in one another was not there as it had been in the glade. It felt more akin to those first couple of nights, when they were feeling the other out and getting a sense for how to act and what to say.

I cannot let this worry me. This is new for Anthony, as it is for me also. I cannot expect him to change overnight. Heck, I cannot expect that of myself either. What is important is that we are trying. That this is not the end, merely the beginning.

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