Page 55 of Trapped with the Forbidden Duke
“Give the Duke a little bit of a hard time, will you?” Nicholas asked. “For my troubles.”
Edwina only laughed and pulled away. “I shall visit you with him.”
“I would rather it not be him at all, despite his generosity.”
“Please take care of yourself, Nicholas. It worries me, these days between my departure and your own.”
“All will be well, Edwina.”
He gave her an encouraging nod before stepping back, allowing Isabel to embrace her.
“Oh, my niece!” The old woman had tears in her eyes, and she sniffed as she pulled away and cupped Edwina’s face. “You already make a stunning duchess.” She blinked twice. “You have endured a great deal, Edwina, but your heart has remainedstrong and kind. Keep it that way, no matter what comes next. I hope that you find a life that is solely foryouin Stormhold.”
Edwina’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She hadn’t realized that her aunt had been very aware of how she had been raised—parenting her parents, parenting her brother.
“I understand you well, Edwina,” her aunt added and kissed her forehead. “Your mother would have been proud of your match. So would your father.”
“Thank you,” Edwina murmured. “I hope you have a safe journey back to your estate. Do not get side-tracked by any gossip that you might hear about me, for I know you will boast about my new title.” She laughed a little as her aunt made a mock guilty face, both of them knowing she would indeed boast. “And I hope you know that I would have been so lost without you and Nicholas.”
“Ah, that boy. Sometimes I forget that you are both not as young as you once were. He is older now, yet he can still be looked after by his aunt Isabel—which he will be. I will help him get back on his feet. I only wish for you to take care of yourself, as I take care of him. Or perhaps let somebody else take care of you, for a change.”
Isabel gave Edwina a knowing look and one last hug.
“I will help him get back on his feet.”
Edwina could not help but wonder if her aunt had known all along, if she had played up her ignorance of Nicholas’s true issues. Nevertheless, she pulled back and smiled again at her family.
“Goodbye,” she bid them, before Lucien guided her out of the door, towards the carriage that awaited to take them to her new home, Stormhold Hall.
Chapter Seventeen
“Here we are,” Lucien announced. “Stormhold Hall.”
The beautiful building rose, illuminated against the dark evening sky. When Edwina had set off after her wedding earlier that day, she had not realized just how far away the estate was.
When the carriage pulled up outside, neither of them moved. Edwina struggled to find the right thing to say—did not know how to gather her thoughts or speak about their marriage or what to say to her husband.
How had they gone through a great deal together in one week only to now feel like strangers?
“Come,” he said. “I will introduce you to the staff.”
“Of course.”
Lucien paused. “Edwina, I wish…” He frowned down at how close their hands were. “I wish to say that I know you have sacrificed a great deal for your brother. That you had to grow up very quickly and take on more than your fair share of responsibility. You are the Duchess of Stormhold now, and that does come with a great deal of responsibilities. But I also want you to find your own life here. It is yours now, not an extension of your brother’s.”
Edwina laughed humorlessly at that. “My life, you say?”
“You have fought to protect him,” Lucien said. “You have fought well, but now you must let yourself be taken care of.”
He gave her a long, lingering look that positively turned her insides upside down before he alighted from the carriage.
Nerves coursed through her, both terrible and new. After stepping out of the fine carriage, Edwina crossed the circular courtyard in front of Stormhold Hall and approached the Duke.
“Shall we?” he asked, leading her inside.
The entrance hall was tall and wide, and Edwina could see right down the hallway to the closed doors beyond.
Gathered in the open space was the staff Lucien had ordered to be present for her arrival. Edwina tried not to show how unused she was to so many people. She realized just how many servants Lucien had to spare and why it had come at little cost to him.
