Page 36 of My Blind Duke
And I have never known what that is like. To be loved so deeply and inherently. To love back just as much, or probably tenfold. Her late husband had claimed he loved her, but there had been something that seemed to be missing whenever he said as much. As if his heart was elsewhere.
Prudence had assumed perhaps the lack of reciprocation from her end was the missing piece of the puzzle. She had liked Anthony a decent amount and was prepared to spend the rest of her life doing what she could to either grow her feelings for him or simply come to terms that this was the best she could ever get.
After his passing, she had come to assume that perhaps she was not meant to be loved.
She still wanted it though, still felt empty sometimes. Until…
“But none of that is truly as important as howyouare,” Marina continued. “Tell me what you have been up to. What is this I hear about Anthony’s heir?”
“What about him? I much prefer hearing about my nieces and nephews,” Prudence deflected, wondering if her sister would catch on to it.
“Prudence, I need to know what is happening withyou. How are you with this change of things?”
Prudence shrugged, looking down at her tea that she had not touched yet.
“I… I am fine. As I said earlier, things have been rather hectic lately. The entire household is on edge, thanks to all the changes the new duke has been orchestrating. We are overwhelmed, but it would do us some good, I think,” she assured her sister.
“And the duke?”
“The duke?”
Marina huffed in annoyance. “What is he like? Has he given you any trouble at all since his arrival? Tell me everything.”
It was all Prudence could do not to wince, doing her best to ignore the warmth crawling over her skin.
She had hoped to avoid this because she did not wish to speak about the duke. Speaking about him meant thinking about him and as of late, her thoughts had been all but wholly consumed by him.
Prudence prided herself on being graceful and proper to a certain degree despite her rather troublesome youth. Yet, after her tryst with the duke, she seemed to have lost her mind. Shekept tripping, making silly mistakes, and getting lost in her head. It was humiliating and ridiculous, and she blamed him entirely.
Why did he have to confuse me so?One moment, he said he wanted me out of the house. Another, he was running his hands over me, pleasuring me and imprinting his touch on my skin.
“He is a… challenge. He has made attempts to have me removed from the property, but I stood my ground, and now I suppose he has given up. He has not brought it up in a little while. Ultimately, he is not as bad as I first thought,” Prudence hurriedly said, trying to be as vague as possible.
“He tried to displace you? He cannot do that! This is as much your house as it is his. You were married to the late duke. They cannot simply have you removed! Would you like Aaron to interfere? Teach him a lesson?”
“No!” Prudence said quickly, trying to ward off the idea immediately. “There is no need for that. As I said, he seems to have given up, so there is nothing to worry about. As for what I am entitled to… this is now his house, to be fair. But my solicitor is investigating the matter to see if I am entitled to a property of my own as the duke’s widow.”
Marina looked uncertain that was the case.
“Are you sure that is all there is? You seem rather skittish. Has he threatened you? Is he being difficult?”
There was no acceptable way of letting her sister know that the only threat William posed was to her body and sanity. In ways unlike the ordinary. So, she pursed her lips and shook her head.
“All is well, I assure you.”
“But you seem… awfully distracted. I did not want to give the rumors any mind because I know you. You are my sister and a noblewoman. But I have heard talk of you taking lovers. Hosting… improper parties. I do not believe any of them, but if even a little bit of it was part of the truth–”
“It is not!” Prudence cried, horrified.
Especially since it was not true until recently. Until he touched her…
It seemed her assurance was not doing much because Marina looked as though she was not quite convinced everything was all right. However, before she could press further, Melanie came running into the garden where they were, heading straight for Prudence.
“Goodness, Lady Melanie! Is everything all right?” Prudence queried, concerned by how hard the child was breathing.
“Well–” Melanie stopped, noticing the duchess had company. “Good afternoon. My sincerest apologies for interrupting.”
Marina smiled kindly. “It is fine, dear. Who–”
