Page 103 of The Good Duke
Surely,hecould trust that Persephone would never be one to hurt him. Just as Persephone could trust that Simon wasnotLord Silas Keefe and would never hurt her.
He would never be so cruel as to promise a woman the world, only to break her heart and cast her from his life with nowhere to go and with no one to whom she could turn.
No, despite Simon’s initial misgivings when finding Persephone in his residence, he’d quickly agreed to offer her shelter, a place to work, and a promise of references. He’d shown glimpses of his playful former self.
And you want him desperately. You ache to have him in your bed and in your arms, in every wicked way.
Just as she knew with the experience of a woman who’d had a former lover, Simon wanted her as she yearned for him.
Suddenly, an absolute sense of rightnessfilledher. That heady sensation chased away the dread of her discovery and left Persephone light as she’d never been—not even in her happiest, most carefree days.
Her heart resumed a normal beat; the cadence of her breath settled into an even rhythm.
Why…it all made sense.Thismade sense.
They’d been destined for one another. Only neither of them had realized it; but the universe had, and it brought them back together. That was why she’d dragged her heels on finding him a bride. She’d not realized it at the time, but now, with her eyes wide open, Persephone saw all too clearly.
The marriage she’d sought to show Simon he needed was, in fact, the relationship they’d once enjoyed together.
Together.
She opened her eyes.
The glaring rays of the sun streamed through the windows and cast a mystic, ethereal glow over the hothouse.
The earth had resumed spinning and settled into a safe, smooth rotation. The aromatic scents of the floral shop flooded her senses. All the colors of each beautiful bloom proved more vivid, more vibrant. Moreeverything.
Filled with a giddy lightness, Persephone collected her skirts, lifted her hems, and went searching for Lady Chloe and Simon until she found herself breaking out into a full run.
As before, laughter spilled from her lips and earned censorious looks as she streamed past. And she didn’t care. She couldn’t care.
At last, everything made sense.
She…
Persephone stopped in her tracks.
She found Simon.
And her. She’d found Lady Chloe too.
Simon and Lady Chloe, who, in Persephone’s absence, added a third member, making their party of two a trio.
Persephone stared on dumbly, an outsider looking in.
Simon stood before a young lady. The woman, not many years older than a girl but so very clearly a woman grown, fairly dazzled in her shimmering white satin dress. A fringe of pearls and crystals adorned a modest décolleté that drew a person’s eyes and appreciation to the lady’s impressive bosom.
She stood tall as any queen. Her lustrous golden hair, more than a dozen different shades of blonde strands, had been intricately woven and fashioned into a loose coronet about her head that turned her into a veritable Aphrodite come to life.
Certainly not Persephone, goddess of the underworld.
Everything about this other woman was enough to freeze a room and hold a person spellbound.
She slipped her gaze over to Simon, and her chest hitched painfully upon discovering that Simon proved no exception to the woman’s beauty and apparent charms. An odd, burning taste filled Persephone’s mouth. Something that felt very much like jealousy.
Simon’s companion handed over Lady Chloe’s leash. The dog reared on her hind legs and batted at Simon’s until her master eventually acquiesced, scooped her up, giving her what she sought.
Persephone breathed an audible sigh of relief.
