Page 68 of Three Rules to Wed a Duke

“Careful, brother. A girl who will fight the dragon for you has no need of a husband.”

“That’s what I fear,” he said softly. “I fear she doesn’t need me and is merely a visitor in my life.”

“Then you must make her need you,” Abigail explained, her tone now sounding wise beyond her years.

“This isn’t a story from one of your novels, I’m afraid,” Anthony said with a soft chuckle, though his voice seemed a little wistful. “It’s not so simple as that.”

“Why not? Don’t you love her?”

“How can I know that after only a month since we first met?”

“Did you not know it from the moment you first saw her?” Abigail asked lightly.

“I don’t know if it was love exactly,” he confessed, and Frances strained to hear more as his voice grew quieter. She knew him just well enough to know that he was most likely looking down at his hands, watching his fingers fidget nervously.

“But it could have been…”

“Most certainly.”

“And now? Do you love her?”

There was a pause that seemed to draw all the air out of the room. Frances held her breath. This has to be why Abigail had insisted on her coming up today, just to position Frances in this precise spot while she asked. But now, with no answer from Anthony, her hopes began to dwindle. What could cause someone to take so long to answer such a simple question?

“More than anything in the world, Abby.”

Frances covered her mouth before her gasp of surprise could escape. Part of her felt as if she was intruding, as if she was stealing knowledge that Anthony did not intend for her to have. She justified her eavesdropping, though, but remembering that the man she’d married was likely incapable of saying these things to her, no matter how much she’d longed to hear them.

“Are you only telling me that to feed my romantic hopes? Or are you sincere?” Abigail asked, sounding somewhat suspicious.

“I am completely sincere, I promise you. I love her so much that it frightens me, for I can never know if she loves me in return. As you said yourself, she only married me to avoid a terrible fate.”

“Which she didn’t have to do…” his sister reminded him pointedly.

“That still doesn’t mean she returns my affections. And she certainly hasn’t had the easiest time following the simplest of requests. If she loved me in any way, it wouldn’t be such an obstacle to simply dine with me.”

“How can she love someone when she doesn’t know that they love her, too? You must tell her you love her, Anthony!” Abigail pressed, her happiness evident without Frances even seeing her face.

“I don’t know how, Abby. I have these feelings for her so much already, yet I hardly know her at all. She would likely think me mad. Besides, we’re at odds with each other at the moment, and I do not know how to fix it.”

“Because of me, you mean. Because she came up here and saw me?”

“No! It is not your fault, and don’t you dare take the blame for it. I gave her a very simple request—all right, two, actually—and she’s ignored both of them. I was happy to overlook her unwillingness to take her meals with me, but then she came up here and upset you. I cannot simply overlook it, no matter how much I care for her.”

“But what if I don’t care? She’s to be my sister, after all. Would it be so bad if she was permitted to come and visit me? I know she would never tell anyone that I’m here.”

Never tell anyone? What on earth was that about?Frances thought, frowning as she sought to hear more.

“And what if she does tell someone, even in passing and without knowing the harm it can cause? Then what happens? I’m afraid she hasn’t proven herself to be someone who keeps her word.”

Ouch, Frances thought, all of her guilt flooding through her again.Of course, it’s not as though I can argue with him, for I’m hiding beneath his sister’s bed to overhear him at this very moment!

“If she knew why, I’m certain she would never tell anyone. You wouldn’t have married someone who couldn’t use reason,” Abigail protested. “Have you thought that perhaps her disobeying you is because you failed to explain why?”

“I shouldn’t have to explain why. I’m the Duke of Preston,” Anthony argued hotly.

“And she is the Duchess. You’ve said it yourself, she married you as a means of last resort. As a result, she finds herself in a house with strange people and even stranger rules. If you would only explain to her the need for the things you ask of her, I think she would have a far easier time remembering to follow them.”

Abigail’s dejected tone was heartbreaking, and Frances had a new reason to feel the guilt she’d borne since the day she’d uncovered this secret. The girl carried such a burden for her brother’s happiness. It was unfair to ask of someone whose shoulders were so narrow! Somehow, this girl had grown wise beyond her years.

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