Page 70 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
As soon as she stepped into her chambers, she was swept up into another kiss. Laurence had been waiting for her. As they pulled apart, she looked up at him.
“Laurence?” she asked.
He was smiling warmly at her as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“What? You thought I was done with you?” He grinned before kissing her again.
She chuckled against his lips as the pair fell into her bed, his hands already working to remove her dress again.
“Do you plan to spend every night in my bed?” Edith asked with a smirk as she crawled under the covers.
“Of course.” Laurence nodded. “Why would I want to be anywhere else?”
Edith laughed and cuddled into him. “You’ll end up spending almost every night in here with me,” she sighed happily.
“Is that a complaint?”
“That I did not say.”
“Good,” he murmured, kissing her cheek.
She smiled to herself. It was hard to believe that this was the same cold man she had married.
“I heard the story you were telling her, by the way,” he said hesitantly. “In truth, I’ve heard a few different passages when you have been putting Tilly to sleep.”
He paused, stroking her arm. She could tell he was looking for the right words to express what was on his mind.
“They’re about you, aren’t they?” he asked, glancing down at her.
Edith felt a blush rising in her cheeks—she’d been caught. Not only had she been caught telling Tilly stories about herself, but Laurence had been listening.
“Yes,” she admitted. “Sometimes I struggle to think of a new prince or princess story. It’s easier to just tell Tilly something I already know.”
“I see. And the story tonight…”
“Yes, that was the first night I lived with my guardians after my parents passed,” she explained.
“I’m relieved they no longer have any control over you, or I would have had to put them in their place.”
“You’re acting all protective again,” she teased.
“I cannot help it when it comes to you. Especially when I understand—” He caught himself.
Edith’s eyes widened. “You… understand? What, exactly?”
“Yes,” he said reluctantly. “My father was… not a good man.”
“I have guessed as much. Your servants all but refuse to talk about him,” Edith said.
“Indeed. He was much more focused on the growth of the duchy than on the welfare of the people. He was also not an ethical man. If there was a way for him to increase his wealth, or his reach, he would find it and take it.”
“I see,” Edith breathed. “So that clause in his will was not a surprise?”
“It shouldn’t have been,” Laurence said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He knew that with these scars, it would be nearly impossible for me to find a wife. Or he thought so anyway. It was one last way to punish me for not agreeing with his methods on how to manage the duchy.”
“That’s just cruel,” Edith muttered.
Laurence let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Yes, well, cruelty was his method of operating. Even when the fire broke out, he would not grant anyone a moment of kindness or compassion.”
