Page 29 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
He rounded the desk and sat in the chair. Then, he leaned forward and dropped his face into his hands. What was he even thinking?
He wanted to get his thoughts down on paper, so he reached for a sheaf of parchment and a quill. He started to write a letter to the Duke of Gillingham, even though he had no plans to send it to him. He did not mention his feelings, of course, and only wrote an update on his life at Medlin Manor so far.
He had the impression that Edwin would read his letter with a smug smile—if he ever got to read it. His friend would tell him that he had told him so and that it hadn’t even taken him long enough to prove him right.
Magnus chuckled at the thought and put down his quill. He leaned back in the chair and let out a long sigh.
He wondered how living at Medlin Manor would be, now that he had shown Lady Lily a fraction of his affection for her—a thing that he had previously worked hard to hide. He wondered how she would act around him from now on.
He laced his fingers together and took a deep breath. Now, he would just have to wait and watch.
CHAPTER 8
The morning sunlight filtered through the heavy velvet curtains, casting shadows on the polished floorboards of the great hall. Lily stood near the window, absentmindedly twisting a loose strand of hair around her fingers.
Despite the warm sunshine, the atmosphere was cold and tense.
And there was one name that summarized the source of her troubles: Magnus Wyndham, the Duke of Blackmore.
It wasn’t just the fact that the changes in the house were impossible to ignore. Summer was no longer scurrying after her like a puppy. Now, there were servants in every corner of the house, barking and receiving orders she neither wanted nor understood.
It wasn’t just that. It was something more, and it revolved around that night with Magnus. When the most unbelievable thing occurred between them.
The kiss haunted her.
She wasn’t sure what to do about it. Of course, she knew to avoid him and make sure that it never happened again.
However, it was the memory of the kiss that she wasn’t sure what to do with. She could remember it so vividly that she could almost feel his lips against hers, feel the warmth of his body.
What was worse was that the memory gave way to more formidable fantasies. Fantasies that made her disappointed in herself.
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Her brother’s familiar voice broke the fragile silence, followed by the sounds of his sharp, deliberate footfalls.
She inhaled slowly before turning around, and the first thing she noticed was his rage. She already knew what he was going to say.
“Why had he turned this place into a market field? How dare he?” Nathan snapped.
Her shoulder heaved with a sigh not willing to deal with her brother’s foul mood so early in the day. She was already in a dour mood having chastised herself for the improper dreams she hadgiven herself to after engaging in such an improper activity with the duke and had hoped for a peaceful morning. But before she could answer, a smooth, measured voice, with an edge that was anything but kind, spoke up, “Nathan. Still clinging to what’s no longer yours?”
Nathan’s head snapped up before he turned around, his dark eyes flashing with a stubborn fire. “This is my home.”
Lily turned around as well, and there he was, the Duke of Blackmore himself.
He had stepped fully into the room, his presence commanding, the lines of his tailored dark brown coat precise.
“Home?” Magnus’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
Oddly, it was sinister in a seductive way that tugged at her heartstrings.
“You don’t even seem to know whose name’s on the deed anymore,” he added, before taking a step towards Nathan. “Magnus Wyndham, the new master of this manor.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened—the reaction the Duke was seeking, no doubt.
“Title or not, you don’t get to have what’s been in my family for generations without earning it.”
“Earned?” Magnus laughed, the sound low, sharp, like the snap of a whip. “Through your gambling debts, your reckless choices, your inability to keep your home from crumbling? Irescuedthis place.”
A flicker of something crossed Nathan’s eyes. Lily didn’t miss it. It was more of a mixture of fury and humiliation, rising like a storm at sea.
