Page 18 of Duke of Silver
Still, his time spent with Lord Dowshire that afternoon was unexpectedly pleasant. The Earl was a man who, despite his pride, deeply cared for his family. Alexander admired that quality. He, too, had spent years trying to protect his family, albeit with less success. Perhaps, in that sense, he and the Earl were not so different after all.
The special license arrived soon enough, and the day before the wedding, Alexander found himself in need of familiar company. He called upon his friend Colin, who greeted him with a raised brow the moment he entered the room.
“You look like you’ve seen better days,” Colin remarked, leaning casually against the billiards table as Alexander helped himself to a drink.
“Perhaps I have,” Alex muttered, pouring a generous measure from the decanter. The weight of tomorrow sat heavily on his shoulders, pressing down harder with every passing hour. He tossed back the drink, savoring the brief burn that numbed his mind.
Colin watched him with an amused yet curious expression. “Are you ready for tomorrow, then?”
Alexander snorted into his glass. “How does one ever truly prepare for marriage?”
“Don’t ask me,” Colin shrugged with a grin. “I’m not married, nor do I plan to be anytime soon.”
“You really are hopeless, aren’t you?” Alexander sighed, rubbing a hand across his face as the weight of everything bore down on him.
“In that regard, I’m afraid so,” Colin replied, a grin tugging at his lips. “But you, Sterlin—you always have everything under control.” His friend’s voice was full of that easy confidence, the kind that only comes when one isn’t in the midst of a storm.
Control, Alex thought bitterly. If only that was the word for the swirling conflicts inside him. If only he had even a fraction of the confidence in himself that Colin seemed to possess.
“Any chance of Percy’s miraculous reappearance right now?” Alexander muttered, taking another sip of whiskey. The bitterness of the drink mirrored the bitterness in his chest.
“You know,” Colin said, his tone light with amusement, “I’ve heard of bride’s nerves, but never of the groom’s.”
Alexander couldn’t help but chuckle despite the tension that tightened his chest. “Perhaps it’s just nerves, after all.”
But deep down, he knew it was more than that. He was scared. The realization hit him harder than the whiskey. He had failed to protect his family once, and now, he was about to take on another soul—another responsibility. What if he failed to protect her too? What if his failures repeated themselves?
“I hardly know Lady Elizabeth Sutton,” Colin said, as though reading his thoughts. “And I’m not just saying this because we’re friends, but if ever there was a man capable of providing security for a lady, it’s you, Alex.”
Alexander shook his head, the familiar weight of doubt pressing harder. “You sound too confident.”
“It’s not confidence,” Colin replied, his voice firm, yet steady. “It’s simply knowing the man that you are. Apart from how hopelessly blind you tend to be sometimes,” he added with a teasing smile.
“Blind?” Alexander raised a brow, curious but wary.
“To your true self,” Colin said, meeting his gaze with unshakeable certainty. “You’ve always been too hard on yourself.”
Alexander frowned, contemplating his friend’s words.His true self.What did that even mean? Who was his true self? Was it theman who had failed his family, who couldn’t keep the promises he had made to his father?
Or was it the man who now sought to fulfill those promises through this marriage, even though it wasn’t of his choosing?
CHAPTER 8
“Make it tighter, Anna,” Elizabeth urged, her voice taut as her cousin worked at the laces of her stays.
Her insides twisted in painful knots, every breath tightening the noose around her thoughts. She was still trying to process the enormity of it all—she was getting married today. To a man she scarcely knew. And it was all because of a scandal in which she had played no willing part.
“Goodness, Lizzy, are you trying to expel your lungs through your mouth?” Anna teased, though her tone held a hint of concern as she gave another tug. “Is this tight enough for you?”
“It’s... passable,” Elizabeth managed, though in truth, she wished it could be tighter still. Perhaps then her tangled nerves would have no room to wreak havoc inside her.
“You look divine,” Aunt Petunia declared, clapping her hands in satisfaction as she admired Elizabeth’s reflection in the tall standing mirror.
“Would you like a handkerchief, Auntie?” Peggy teased from the side, a mischievous smile on her lips.
“I don’t cry at weddings,” Petunia replied with a small, dignified sniff. “They are happy occasions, no matter the circumstances.”
“I’ve never understood the tears shed at weddings either,” Anna chimed in, shaking her head lightly.
