Page 19 of Her Duke By Accident
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
She looked down at her feet, noticing the duke in the corner of her vision. “Love does not reach all the families in London, Mama,” she said. “I am not naive. I do not want to spend my married life as an ignorant woman waiting for something else to begin.”
“My dear,” Lady Egerton said, “wishing for love does not make you an ignorant woman.”
“If it is not meant for me,” she said again, “when will I know to stop searching for it?”
“When you stop searching,” her mother said, her face twisting into something stern, “is when you become the ignorant woman. There is no need to remove happiness from your life, Alicia. The moment you decide that is the moment you will fall into the despair other women are forced to live with.”
Alicia grabbed onto her mother’s hand, a rush of dread filling her suddenly. “Will you be all right?” she asked, feeling as though she were in a hurry now. “With Penelope and?—”
“Do not worry of my household, Alicia,” she sternly replied. “Soon enough, you’ll have your own estate to run.”
Before Alicia could explode with questions about running a household, Lady Egerton engulfed her in a warm hug. Behind them, Alicia’s younger sister sat on the church steps, her dress ruffled and wrinkled. For the first time in ages, the hounds that normally followed her were left at home. Penelope buried her face in a book about wild dogs, as though it helped her believe they were alongside her still.
“Penny, might I have one last look at you?” Alicia asked, tapping the cover of her book. “Outside of a book?”
With an eyeroll, Penelope snapped her literature shut, standing lazily. “Why do you all act as if you are leaving the country?” she shrugged. “London is London.”
Alicia raised her eyebrows. “Why, yes,” she teased. “LondonisLondon, but I won’t be staying at his townhouse, Penny. But if you think you’ll miss me that badly, I’ll just keep my room at Egerton Manor!”
“Alicia!” Penelope whined.
“Come here, Penny,” Alicia laughed, pulling her sister into a tight embrace. “I pray you won’t miss me too much.”
Wiggling out of her hug, Penelope stuck her tongue out. “You wish,” she muttered, but wrapped her arms around herself, chewing on her bottom lip.
Alicia hugged Owen last, feeling an unspoken heaviness between the two of them.
“I hope you are proud of me, brother,” Alicia whispered in his ear. “As proud as you can let yourself be.”
Owen did not respond, but instead squeezed her closer to him, inhaling deeply before he released her, coughed and turned away.
The carriage waited for her at the base of the church, her new husband extending a hand to help her inside. The duke’s hand was cold and coarse against her as he pulled her into a new life.
As she sat, she heard her mother’s voice in the back of her head.
There is no need to remove happiness from your life, Alicia. The moment you decide that is the moment you will fall into the despair other women are forced to live with.
Once the duke climbed into the carriage across from her and the horses began to walk down the cobblestone streets, Alicia gazedout the window and watched her family disappear around the corner.
If there was one thing she would do, it would be to make the most out of where she ended up now. It did not have to be the end, as long as Alicia allowed it. The hope that sparked within her chest was dim, but she would help it burn brighter.
CHAPTER 7
The trip from London’s bustling center to the country, where Garvey Manor stood surrounded by its villages, was long and rocky. From the moment they left the chapel, Alicia sat stiffly in her seat, trying her best not to stare so obviously at her new husband.
Even as the hours passed, the morning turning into late afternoon outside, the duke quietly watched out the window. Slowly, the tense contorts of his face seeped into something more comfortable. Alicia leaned slightly on the opposite side of the carriage, her face resting against the carriage wall perfectly so she could study him.
He took in the world that passed by with intensely aware eyes. Nothing got past his gaze. Even from her angle, Alicia could see his stare flicker and jump at every tree and creature. When he was calm, there was something very kind about the duke’s face.
Suddenly, when Alicia felt as though she might drift into a deep sleep, her eyes still stuck on him, the duke turned, meeting her gaze.
“Why do you stare?” he asked, his voice quiet.
Alicia sat up. “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
“No need to apologize.”
