Page 21 of Matters of a Duke's Heart
He told her nothing of his son, of himself, and though she knew arranged marriages were, of course, between strangers, she felt so much distance between them.
He is not even trying to get to know me, she thought. Perhaps that was his plan. To maintain his distance, reducing her to nothing more than a mother figure, a more present governess, even. Felicity knew she shouldn’t be offended, but she couldn’t help it.
Her heart ached more and more with each moment. She craved love that guided her to marriage, not this. Fixing her gaze on the passing countryside outside, she watched the sky begin to darken, and she wondered what awaited her in Bluebell Manor.
Everybody in the ton knew that the late Duchess of Langdon had mysteriously died, and although Daphne hadn’t had faith in the rumors that the duke was responsible, as some whispered he was, her nerves still grew.
There had once been a morbid story she’d found in London’s library of a man who took many wives because they kept dying. It turned out that he had been the culprit, and Felicity tried to force that tale from her mind.
But…
Lady Sophia had died in the middle of the night, and nobody had ever confirmed why or how.
Her eyes turned to the distance, trying to find Bluebell Manor as soon as she could. Was it her new home, or would it be her resting place? Felicity shut down the dramatic thought quickly.
No—no, she did not know the duke at all; would not know the first gift to buy him, or the first sentiment he might appreciate, but she didn’t think he was a killer.
There was a very subdued tenderness with how he spoke about his son that made her think he wouldn’t deprive the boy of his true mother. And surely he would not have murdered his former wife, only to find a new mother figure for Alexander once again.
No, she didn’t think he was a killer.
Even still, the fact that he had never addressed any of those rumors wasn’t comforting. He had done nothing to confirm nor deny the allegations.
He spoke coldly in general, but not when it came to his son.
“Regarding Alexander,” she began again, knowing it was futile to get him to speak at length, but she could handle short responses. “When am I to meet him, and how do you wish me to present myself?”
“I will handle the introductions,” he told her. “He is a fussy child when it comes to food, so if you do not mind, I have already requested he does not join us for dinner. You will meet him upon our arrival.”
Us, she thought. She didn’t know why but the fact that they would dine together pleased her. She was not going to be completely shut out, at least.
The thought of sitting through a dinner that would no doubt be very stilted wasn’t her idea of an enjoyable evening the day of her wedding. Still, it was something.
Her mother had told her to be patient, to give her marriage a chance, so she would.
At the very least she would try.
The somewhat closeness they had discovered in the drawing room before finalizing the agreement to marry one another was gone, and she felt worlds away.
“That is fine,” she said quietly. “And my… my restrictions. What are they?”
That got him looking at her in horror. It was the first emotion he had shown her all day. “Restrictions?”
“What I am to do and not do,” she clarified.
The duke’s mouth twisted. “I will not restrict you. The manor is yours to explore. The gardens are yours to explore.” He waved a hand dismissively. “I am not here to control you.”
“No, you are here to have a mother for your son.” She couldn’t quite keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“Yes,” he conceded, but there was a pause to how he admitted it. The duke’s eyes met hers for a brief moment. She recalled how he had looked that day in Vauxhall Gardens, serious and annoyed, and how, now, although he remained serious he lookedmore offended. “All that I might actually ask is that you refrain from delving into my business or pressing me about my past.”
That got her interest, and she went to ask about the stipulation, but the duke had already turned his head away in a clear dismissal. Felicity bit her lip. Her heart fell in her chest. Was this how it was always to be?
A small conversation, a spark of hope that they might discover common ground, only to be fiercely shut out if she brought up the wrong thing?
Felicity’s eyes searched through the darker evening. At least when they arrived at Bluebell Manor she could control the space she put between them rather than feel forced back by him.
They traversed one country lane after another, before the carriage finally turned onto one that led upwards slightly, toward a sprawling manor.
