Page 124 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
Magnus’s eyes narrowed on him. “No. It isyourduty to honor the name you were born into, not to bleed your sister dry for the sake of your pride. You mistake marriage for charity, Lord Medlin.”
Lily’s breath hitched at that, because beneath his clipped tone and stoic expression, she could feel it—his fury, his care, his conviction.
Nathan stared between them, disbelief giving way to something akin to grief. “You’d send me away.”
“You’re lucky,” Magnus said flatly, “that I didn’t send you to the authorities.”
That shut Nathan up.
Not giving a damn whether he would still come up with a response or not, Magnus turned to Lily and held out his hand.
He did not speak, but she immediately understood that he wanted her to come along. She didn’t hesitate, reaching out to accept his hand. When their fingers met and locked, they began to walk away.
Nathan immediately stepped forward. “So that’s it then?” he cried after them.
Magnus didn’t bother to respond.
But Lily paused, just at the edge of the hall. She turned back one last time.
“You have one chance, Nathan. Don’t waste it.”
The couple walked through the halls hand in hand, but it felt like something more. Something final, yet new. Like shedding old skin that neither of them knew they still wore.
Lily leaned her head against Magnus’s shoulder for a moment as they rounded a corner. The silence between them wasn’t awkward now. If anything, it was reverent.
Magnus could feel it in the way her thumb rubbed idle circles on the back of his hand, the way her breathing synced with his as if their bodies already knew how to find the same rhythm.
He paused when he spotted Mrs. Gunther at the end of the hall, holding a candle and a ledger, her brow furrowed in that way only long-serving housekeepers could manage.
“Mrs. Gunther,” he said, gently releasing Lily’s hand, “see to it that Nathan is washed, dressed in something presentable, and fed a proper meal. He is to board the morning ship, so have someone accompany him and make sure he gets on it.”
Mrs. Gunther nodded crisply. “With pleasure, Your Grace.”
“Thank you,” Magnus said.
Then, without a backward glance, he took Lily’s hand again and resumed their walk. But before they disappeared around another corner, Lily turned her head and gave a smile to the elderly woman, who had become more like a mother to her in such a short period of time.
Magnus led her to her chambers, and they stood at the door for a moment. The light from the candles in the corridor flickered across her face, the golden hue bringing out the color of her eyes.
“Well then,” he said, a bit stiffly, as if he had more to say. “Goodnight.”
Lily curled her hand around the doorknob, but she didn’t turn it. Just like him, as if she had more to say.
Where was the fun in stepping inside if he wouldn’t come along?
She took a deep breath and turned around just as he stepped away. “That’s it?” she asked softly.
He turned to look at her, blinking slowly. “Should it not be?”
Her lips curled into a smile. “You’ve just decided to send my brother to the end of the world, lectured him like a righteous archangel, and now you mean to walk away with nothing but agoodnight?”
Magnus arched an eyebrow. “Would you prefer a soliloquy?”
“I’d settle for a promise,” she murmured, rolling her eyes.
He tilted his head to the side, his expression sobering, before he stepped back toward her. “Of what?”
“That you won’t vanish again.”
