Page 74 of Duke of Pride

It has been days since Victoria left Colborne House in the middle of the night as if chased. Yet it didn’t feel like she was back home. Walden was not the home she grew up in, just something her brother inherited. But the past year with Dorothy in Colborne House…

She missed that place. It had nothing to do with the building, the gardens, or the lake. Walden was beautiful enough. But the love she had received in Colborne House, the acceptance…

Dorothy was more than a friend, and the fact that they had been through so much together made her feel closer to her than almost anyone else. Victoria was surely missing Euclid, his adorable face and his happiness.

Anyway, the fact that she missed Colborne House had certainly nothing to do with a tall, wide, insanely good-looking duke who had managed to break her heart. Her jaw tightened. She was biting down so hard, and as it happened so often these past few days, her jaw ached.

“Aunt Vicky! You didn’t hide!” Camilla screamed as she launched herself at her.

Her niece was quickly followed by Anthony, who skidded across the floor and tackled them on the rug. Victoria let out a hearty laugh that brought Penelope to the drawing room.

“Please, leave your aunt be.”

“No!” both children cried in unison. “We missed Auntie.”

Victoria hugged them and squeezed them tightly. She placed sweet kisses on their little heads and let their clean, fresh scents calm her nerves and soothe her heart.

“I missed you too, my sweetlings,” she said softly.

“Come on, children,” Penelope urged, herding the children to their nanny. “Go get ready for bed, and I will be right there to read you a little story.”

“We want Aunt Vicky!”

The twins managed to present a united front, and they demanded something.

Victoria smiled. “I will be right there. Get ready quickly.”

If it weren’t for Camilla and Anthony, she would have collapsed long ago. Even now, the moment they were out of the room, she wanted to break down and cry and scream into a pillow.

The moment the children’s excited footsteps faded down the hallway, Victoria’s smile slipped. She exhaled, long and slow, as if she had been holding her breath for days. She regretted it immediately.

Her friend and sister-in-law studied her, and Victoria winced, wanting to avoid the scrutiny.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Penelope said calmly.

“Seeing how we spent this morning talking about the million spices you tried in India, I am pretty sure we talk to each other.”

“How interesting,” Penelope murmured. “The definition oftalkingmust have changed this past year. I thought it meant two people exchanging words. Not one talking and the other nodding absently while thinking about something else.”

“You may have underestimated my interest in the different kinds of curry out there,” Victoria tried to deflect.

Penelope gave her a pointed look, but then she softened it.

“I understand that something has happened and you don’t want to talk to me about it. It hurts that you don’t trust me enough, but like I said, I understand. I am not trying to force you to talk about something you are clearly not ready to discuss. I was merely trying to let you know that I see you and that I am here.”

Victoria’s fingers curled into the fabric of her skirt, the damask pattern blurring before her eyes. Penelope’s words, so gentle, so understanding, cut deeper than any accusation could have.

“I do trust you,” she whispered. “It’s just that it’s too many things all at once. I?—”

That was the moment when her brother came in. Maxwell took one look at the duo and knew that something was wrong.

“Ah, what a charming tableau,” he drawled. “My wife looks concerned, and my sister looks like she’s just swallowed a lemon. Do tell, what earth-shattering crisis has befallen the household now?”

Victoria’s fingers dug deeper. This was another reason she felt as if a heavy burden, as if an elephant, like the ones Penelope had described, was stepping onto her chest every waking moment.

If she thought that coming back to Walden one year later would change Maxwell’s attitude toward her, she was mistaken. With Penelope and his children, he was a changed man—responsible, mature, and dedicated. Caring and considerate.

When it came to her, they both turned into immature youths, fighting over everything and nothing. Only the problems they had were real adult problems that they needed to address seriously.

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