Page 73 of Married to a Frozen Duke
He looked around the pristine drawing room they'd entered. "My mother tried to leave marks. Changed things, redecorated. My father had everything put back after she died."
"How long ago?"
"Fifteen years."
"And nothing's changed since?"
"Nothing significant."
"That's..."
"Pathetic?"
"I was going to say sad."
"It is the same thing, perhaps."
They ended up back at the staircase, the tour complete. The house was magnificent and cold as a tomb.
"Thank you for showing me," Ophelia said.
"It's your house now. You should know it."
"It's your house. I'm just visiting."
"For the rest of your life?"
"That remains to be seen."
He looked at her sharply. "The marriage is legal. You can't simply leave."
"I know. But that doesn't make it home."
"What would?"
She thought about it. "Time, perhaps. Or changes. Or just... living here instead of existing."
"I don't know how to do that."
The admission was so quiet she almost missed it.
"Neither do I," she said. "But perhaps we could learn."
"Together?"
"Well, separately seems inefficient."
He almost smiled. "Everything today has been inefficient."
"But not boring."
"No," he agreed. "Not boring."
They stood there, neither moving toward their rooms, neither quite willing to end this strange, almost comfortable moment.
"I should let you rest," he finally said.
"Thank you."
