Page 20 of Duke of Silver
“Perhaps they are watching, Uncle,” Elizabeth said softly, her voice thick with emotion. “And I am certain they are very much proud of you as well.” Her words were filled with gratitude, not just for his care, but for all the ways he had become the father figure she so desperately needed after her parents’ deaths.
“Why, you speak as though I were the one being married today!” her uncle replied, raising a playful brow.
“Well, it isn’t too late for you either, Seb,” Aunt Petunia chimed in with a teasing gleam in her eye. “Perhaps I should make it my new goal to see both father and daughter married off by the end of the Season.” She cast a deliberately mischievous look toward Anna.
“Good luck with Father, Auntie, but count me out of your matchmaking schemes,” Anna quipped, a familiar glint of defiance in her eyes.
Sebastian laughed heartily. “It will happen sooner or later, my dear,” he teased.
Anna responded with a glare that was so reminiscent of the one she’d given the Marquess of Broughton earlier, that Elizabeth couldn’t help but laugh.
Turning his attention back to Elizabeth, her uncle’s expression softened. “It is you they are proud of, my child,” he said quietly. “We are all going to miss you dearly.”
The lump in Elizabeth’s throat returned as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. She breathed in deeply, trying to memorize the familiar scent of him—something to carry with her into the unknown. She held him for a long moment, unwilling to let go, but eventually, she had to.
As they made their way to the waiting carriage, Elizabeth glanced at Peggy, who was discreetly dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. The reality of her departure was beginning to sink in.
“You be a good girl, Lizzy,” Anna whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace beside the carriage. Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the emotion she was trying to hide.
“I should be saying that to you, Anna,” Elizabeth replied, her voice cracking as the first tear slipped down her cheek.
“I miss you already, Lizzy,” Peggy said softly, wrapping her arms around her sister, her grip trembling slightly.
Elizabeth nodded, though her throat felt too tight to respond. As she stepped into the carriage, a sudden wave of disbelief washed over her.Was this really happening? Was she truly leaving them all behind—the only family she had ever known, the people who had been her world?
As the carriage began to pull away, her hand waved automatically, her heart aching with each turn of the wheels. She had barely processed the overwhelming sense of loss when her husband’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“You will be visiting them, of course. I shan’t be keeping you prisoner. Not for long, at least,” the Duke said from his seat across from her.
Elizabeth turned to him, startled. His expression was unreadable, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.Was he jesting? Or simply being his usual blunt self?
“Is that something to say to someone leaving their family?” she asked, arching a brow at him.
“I’m merely reassuring you,” he shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“In that manner?” she replied, her brow raised in skepticism.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a trace of amusement, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
For a brief moment, the tension in the carriage lessened, and Elizabeth’s heart skipped at the sight of his half-smile.God help her, but he was handsome.The thought took her by surprise, and she felt an embarrassing warmth rise to her cheeks. Quickly, she turned toward the window, feigning interest in the passing scenery.
The countryside began to stretch beyond the city, the familiar landscape of London giving way to rolling fields, but Elizabeth couldn’t shake the sudden nervousness that had gripped her.Where were they going?She wanted to ask, but her pride kept her silent. She didn’t want to appear vulnerable or uncertain, not when everything else already felt so beyond her control.
The silence between them grew, thick and awkward. Elizabeth kept her gaze firmly on the window, resolutely avoiding looking at her husband, though she was keenly aware of his presence across from her.
Suddenly, the Duke rapped on the roof of the carriage, his voice firm as he ordered the coachman to halt.
Elizabeth’s heart jumped in her chest. Her eyes darted to him, alarm creeping in as she wondered what had gone wrong.
CHAPTER 9
“Iwill ride outside,” Sterlin declared at the question in Elizabeth’s eyes.
“Oh,” Elizabeth muttered, slumping back into her seat as a strange feeling washed over her—disappointment? The notion seemed absurd. Only moments ago, she could barely meet his gaze, and the silence between them had been suffocatingly awkward. How could she possibly feel disappointed at his leaving?
But as she watched her husband exit the carriage, mounting his horse with practiced ease, Elizabeth couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling. Did he already find her company tiresome? After all, their marriage had been born out of necessity, not affection. Surely, he felt burdened by the arrangement, just as she did.
The carriage moved on without him, the rhythmic sound of the horse’s hooves the only companion to her swirling thoughts. Each mile passed in silence, the journey feeling longer and more lonely with every turn of the wheels.
