Page 52 of The Replacement Duchess

“You will be such a wonderful duchess.”

“I hope to be. I may not be a loving wife to the Duke, but I hope to serve him well as a duchess.”

“He shall be content with that, I assure you. Now, we ought to leave for the altar.”

“The altar,” Diana echoed. “It truly is time, isn’t it?”

“It is, but the sooner we arrive, the sooner it shall be over and done with. You can do this.”

“I hope so.”

Hope was quite a fickle thing, Diana had found. It never paid to have hope in anything, in her experience, and it only ever left her with disappointment. However, seeing the Duke at the other end of the aisle, she felt the rising of her chest, the quickening of her heart rate.

He was there, and he was going to rescue her from the life she had so hated. He would rescue her sister too, and with any luck, they would find contentment, and that was something to hope for, even if Diana was quite sure that doing so would be futile.

There was his face once more, the one that lit up upon the sight of her. It seemed too good to be true, Diana thought to herself, because why would he be so happy to be ensnared in such a loveless marriage?

He was keeping up appearances, she decided, and nothing more. Even so, her heart pounded at the sight of him. He was wonderful, and within a few mere moments, he would be hers.

Throughout the ceremony, she could not hear a word, even the ones she said herself. Her mind was filled with her soon-to-be husband and how he looked and smiled and spoke.

Then her soon-to-be husband became her husband, and she was happier than she had expected to lose those three little words. She was a wife, a duchess, and as they boarded the carriage, waving to the few guests that attended, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

She would never have to see that house again, see that man again. She could start over completely, and be Diana Novak, the Duchess of Abaddon. There would be a house to tend to, events in their village to attend, and a sister to rescue, but she would know peace, and that was a precious gift that she had never expected to receive.

“How are you feeling, Your Grace?”

Her attention snapped to her husband, who was looking at her expectantly.

“I thought we were going to drop the formalities,” she replied with a smile.

“I would very much like to, but I thought you might like to hear it just once. You are a duchess now, after all, and so you ought to get used to the title.”

“You are right, I suppose.”

“But from now on, if it pleases you, I shall like to call you Diana.”

Her name sounded beautiful when he said it. She had never much liked it before, but when he spoke it, it was as though she was hearing it for the first time.

“I shall like that very much,” she said gently, “but only if I can call you…”

“Say it,” he teased.

“I cannot. It is too improper.”

“It is not in the least bit improper. You are my wife. Regardless, when have you ever cared for propriety?”

“I suppose you are right… Colin.”

“There. That was not too difficult, was it?”

“It was not at all. I believe I will adapt quite well to it.”

“Wonderful.”

She wanted to tell him about her father, and all that she had discovered, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She did not wish to ruin the moment, and with the two of them in some sort of marital bliss, she wanted to hold onto it as much as she could.

“Is something troubling you?”

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