Page 126 of Duke of Diamonds
“Perfect then. Since your body is already used to the herbs, it should take well to the prescriptions,” the doctor replied, visibly pleased.
Fiona offered him a nod of thanks, her expression polite though her mind wandered elsewhere. As the physician gathered his things and departed, she turned to Mrs. Burton, who had remained by the hearth.
“Where is the Duke, Mrs. Burton?” she asked, her voice steady though an undercurrent of yearning throbbed beneath the words.
“His Grace left the manor quite early, Your Grace,” the housekeeper replied.
Fiona’s heart sank. “Did he mention anything apart from his instructions regarding the doctor?” she asked, holding fast to a sliver of hope that he might have said where he was bound—or when he might return.
Mrs. Burton shook her head. “I am afraid not, madam. Only that you must be seen and tended to with care.”
Fiona managed a faint smile, but the weight in her chest grew heavier. Left alone again. Without explanation. Without farewell.
She made her way to the breakfast room, her steps slow, her thoughts louder than the rustle of her gown. The morning light spilled across the table as she seated herself and reached for a piece of toast. Her knife moved in a sluggish rhythm over the butter, as if matching the dreary beat of her heart.
Then—rapid footfalls echoed from the hallway beyond.
“Fiona?”
The familiar voice ignited a spark within her, and her hand froze. She turned sharply toward the sound just as Isaac strode into the room.
“Isaac!” she gasped.
Without thinking, she rose so quickly her chair scraped against the marble floor and her glass of orange juice nearly toppled. She did not care. He was here. At last.
Isaac wore such a bright smile upon his face, he might have been an entirely different man from the brooding Duke Fiona had once thought she’d married. The man who now strode intothe breakfast room seemed a world removed from that distant figure. In two strides, he crossed the room and swept her into his arms, lifting her clean off the ground and spinning her with a joyous abandon that made her laugh in sheer surprise.
She clung to his shoulders, her hands wrapping instinctively around his neck, a breathless gasp escaping her lips as her feet left the floor. Her heart soared.
When he finally set her down, his eyes roamed her face with unhidden relief. “How do you feel?” he asked.
“The physician was here earlier,” she replied, breath still catching. “He pronounced me quite well. I have never felt better, Isaac.”
He hummed his approval and caught her hand in his, trailing kisses along her fingers, one after the other. The tender gesture stirred something deep in her chest—an uncoiling of the doubt that had gripped her all morning. There was no shadow in his expression. No hesitation in his touch. Whatever she had feared upon waking alone, it dissolved beneath the warmth of his gaze.
He wasn’t retreating. Not this time.
If anything, he appeared more devoted, more certain.
“I love you, Fiona,” he said suddenly.
The words dropped like a stone in a still pond.
She stilled in his arms, scarcely able to breathe. Her pulse thundered in her ears.
Had she heard aright?
Please let it be true. Let it be real.
Tears welled, gathering before she could stop them.
“I was a coward,” Isaac continued, voice low, steady, “and thought that pushing you away was the only way to protect you. But I have been wrong. I cannot do it any longer. I want you, more than I have ever wanted anything. And I love you, Fiona. More than the very breath I take.”
“Oh, Isaac...” she breathed, and those were all the words she could summon. Her voice faltered, caught between disbelief and overwhelming joy. Then at last, she found more. “I’ve loved you too. I do...”
Isaac pressed his lips to hers with such fervent certainty that Fiona felt her thoughts scatter like petals in the wind. All she could do was cling to the moment, to him, as his warmth enveloped her. When he finally drew back, her breath caught in her throat—not just from the kiss, but from the words that followed.
“But what about Canterlack?” she asked softly, still nestled within his arms. The name alone sent a shiver down her spine.
