Page 80 of The Replacement Duchess

“That does not make any sense at all. He should have communicated that to you. Thus, it was a miscommunication, not a betrayal. You shall be fine, I am sure of it.”

“Be that as it may, life has not been the easy thing that I expected, and now I do not know what to do.”

“You could leave.”

Diana, at last, looked up at her sister. She seemed determined, almost, even though what she had said was so utterly preposterous.

“What do you mean?”

“You could be granted an annulment and leave.”

“Whyever would I do that?”

“If you are not happy, and you are making the Duke miserable, and you do not wish to do that anymore, it is the perfect solution.”

And it was. Diana knew that her sister was making perfect sense, and that if she truly did want to, then she could. The Duke would likely even agree to it if he felt the same, but all the same, she knew that she did not want that. She shook her head.

“As tempting as it is, and as easy as you make it seem, I cannot do that.”

“Then you are not as miserable as you claim to be. Therefore, you have no choice but to give your marriage a chance.”

Diana nodded slowly, looking out the window. It had been a clever trick of her to play—making her realize that no matterhow bad she thought it was, it was not so terrible that she would rather leave.

“Then where do I go from here?” she sighed.

“You try. It is as I said, we all know how happy you make each other, truly. It is simply a case of the two of you realizing that you would rather be with each other than alone if it is truly the case.”

“And if it is not?”

“Then we shall navigate it together,” Samantha promised, taking Diana’s hand in hers. “I know that you shall always see me as your younger sister, and a baby, no matter how old I am, but you need to know that you do not need to do this alone. I will always be here to help you find a way.”

“Samantha, you have your own life to navigate. As much as you do not wish for it, you shall eventually have to marry. Perhaps you would be wise to find a match of your own.”

“That is the least of my concerns, even if it means destroying my reputation completely. I do not wish to marry, and so I will not.”

“Love will find you.” Diana smirked. “I am sure of it.”

“Well, as it has already clearly found you, I suppose it shall come for me, eventually.”

“Love has not come to me yet. I do not believe that it ever shall, and that is fine by me.”

One look from Samantha made her no longer wish to protest. Diana did not wish to call what she felt for the Duke love, not at all. There was affection there, to be sure, and she liked him a great deal, but love? She had yet to see it between any married couple, and one that was formed out of convenience would not bloom into that.

Not when her husband couldn’t even look at her.

“Well, if it does not,” Samantha said, “you and I shall make our own way, just as we always have.”

“Samantha, whether you like it or not, the world will be worse off if you do not marry and you instead stay locked away forever.”

“The world would be at its best if I were allowed to contribute to it academically, but nobody is interested in what a lady has to say, and so I shall have to find my place elsewhere. However, that place will never be as the wife of a man who can do anything that he wishes. I want to be the one that can do as they please.”

“I am sure that there is someone out there that will allow you that freedom.”

“Well, we thought that the Duke would be that for you, and now look at the two of you. If it is as you say, then you had the best possible chance, and even that is not enough. If you ask me, thewhole thing about needing a man is utterly overrated, and I do not wish to partake in such a facade.”

“Very well.” Diana laughed softly. “Given what has happened to me, I would have to agree with you. It truly might not be worth the hassle at all.”

Samantha seemed to brighten for a moment before her face fell once more.

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