Page 38 of The Duke's Treasure
“Of course I do,” Arthur said with so much certainty that Edward chuckled. “I believe you should marry your Spanish woman.”
Edward’s mirth evaporated. “She doesn’t want me.”
“She thinks you wouldn’t be happy together,” Arthur corrected him. “You must show her that it is possible to be togetherandto be happy.”
“How?” Edward asked, throwing up his hands. He had been trying to determine how to do so all night.
“I have an idea,” Arthur said. And then he smiled.
CHAPTER 14
Mariana sat on her bed, staring at her small valise in front of her. She hadn’t brought much with her, and she wouldn’t be leaving with much either – in fact, she was leaving behind more than she would ever have imagined. A piece of herself. Her heart. That would remain with Edward.
She stared up at the ceiling. Was she making the right decision? Should she stay? Where was her home now?
Then there was the treasure. While she didn’t feel that she had any claim over it, she did have a responsibility to ensure that it was returned to its rightful owners, although, she realized, she trusted Edward to do the right thing with it. That, she had no issue with.
She donned her hat and her walking cloak, even though pulling it around her shoulders made her feel as though she was putting on a façade that belonged to someone else, a cloak of dread for what awaited her.
When she returned home, it would be familiar, yes, but what did she do with herself now? None of her circumstances at home had changed. In fact, she was most likely to no longer have ahome if the newDonPalencia discovered she had abandoned it – especially for an Englishman.
She could understand now why Edward continued to seek one adventure after another. Because once one finished, he longed for the thrill of the next.
She opened her door, lifted her own bag and carried it downstairs, then waited by the front entrance for the carriage. When it pulled up, however, she was surprised when it was not a footman who emerged to help her, but Edward himself.
“Edward?” she said tentatively, surprised when she saw a slight, though hesitant, smile on his face. She would have expected him to be cross, or at the very least, upset. “You do not have to accompany me.”
“I know,” he said, tilting his head. “I would ask one thing before you go.”
“Yes?”
“Come with me to see something?”
She studied him, trying to decide if he had an ulterior motive, but she didn’t sense anything.
“Very well.”
She took his outstretched hand, but instead of helping her into the carriage, he led her to walk away from the house.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see,” he said, leading her down the path, silence stretching between them as they continued until they passed the ruins she had noticed on their way to the caves.
Finally, he rounded a copse of trees, and she saw where they had emerged.
“A lake,” she murmured, surprised at the sizable body of water before her. “I didn’t realize there was so much water near Castleton.”
“The other pond leads here through a very small river,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite places. I wanted to bring you here,to show you the parts of my estate that are worth visiting, that are reasons why I am happy to call this place home – even if I enjoy my adventures.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, though still uncertain of why he had any interest in sharing it with her when she was leaving. “I can certainly say that.”
He stepped forward so that he was facing her and took her hands in his.
“Mariana, I know this might not be what you expected when you agreed to come with me. I seek adventure constantly, and I feel you have an adventurous spirit as well, or you never would have agreed to accompany me, or even marry me. Arthur and I have come to an agreement. While I might be the duke in name, he is happy to carry on and see to many of my responsibilities. I will have to be present in certain circumstances when required, but he will act in my stead when possible. Which will provide us with plenty of time to return to Spain whenever you wish.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke. “You would do that?”
“Of course!” he said. “I love your country, even if our countries don’t love one another. And I love spending time at sea.”
