Page 71 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
“Fire?” Edith echoed.
She felt him tense again. Her eyes drifted to his scars, and she realized that she might have trodden into dangerous territory.
“You do not need to tell me if you don’t wish to.”
“No. I… I should. Heavens, I haven’t spoken about this in years. Still, I must. A fire broke out in a village near Alderbourne. I suppose it was no surprise. There had been no rain, and someof the older farm buildings had straw roofs,” he said softly. “As soon as I heard, I ran down there. I knew some of the families there had young children. My father, though… he refused to send help.”
“What?” Edith’s eyes widened.
“They were behind on rent. It was a tenant village. According to him, God was purging the unworthy, and he saw no value in coming to their aid.”
Edith put a hand on his chest, trying to calm him.
He took a long, deep breath. “He told me not to go. I disobeyed. I knew I couldn’t do much with just myself and a few servants, but I couldn’t sit there and do nothing as people burned to death. The flames were so high that there was no hope of anyone being able to put them out with a pail. I spent that night running in and out of buildings. I had to pull so many children out of those collapsing cottages. The old timbers nearly crushed me several times.” He paused.
Edith could feel him trembling and began stroking his arm.
“We did our best, but we couldn’t save them all,” he whispered. “By dawn, the fire had died out, but one of the beams had struck me.”
He took her hand and ran it over his cheek, neck, and shoulder, where his scars were.
“That’s where it hit you?” Edith asked, her heart sinking.
“Yes,” Laurence murmured. “The skin was terribly blistered and burned. The aftermath, though… I could never have imagined what would come next.”
Edith looked at him, swallowing hard. It was clear that whatever had happened had left him traumatized.
“My father… he publicly declared that the tenants had started the fire themselves. He evicted everyone who had survived, claiming the land for the expansion of the estate. When I confronted him about it, he didn’t even bother to deny it. He said that no title is maintained by mercy. That weak men are forgotten. That the legacy he had built could not be undone.”
Edith watched as he clutched the bed sheets, and tears gathered in his eyes. She laid her hand over his to remind him that he was not alone. He glanced at it and took a breath, slowly letting go of the sheets, and wrapped his arm around her.
“After that, most of my friends abandoned me. The woman I loved and was betrothed to fainted at the sight of me and called off our engagement. My father called me a disgrace to the duchy. That my weakness had done this to me and that I was unworthy of everything he had built. The only person who stayed by my side was James.”
“He’s a good man,” Edith murmured.
“He is,” Laurence agreed. “I am grateful, even if I will never admit it to him.”
Edith let out a half-laugh. “I am sure he knows even if you don’t say it.”
Laurence nodded, then his eyes met hers. “In truth? After my former fiancée ended our engagement, I genuinely believed that no one else would ever care for me, that I would never find love or happiness in the arms of another,” he said, tenderly cupping her cheek. “You proved me wrong.”
“I’m glad,” Edith said warmly. “Your father was wrong about a lot of things. Most of all, he was wrong when he said you were a disgrace to the duchy. I’ve seen the work you have put into making sure that the people you oversee live well. I know how hard you’re trying to make up for the sins of your father.”
“It feels like it will never be enough,” Laurence admitted in a whisper.
“It doesn’t matter how it feels, Laurence,” Edith chided him gently. “Because the truth of the matter is, you’re a good duke. A particularly good one when compared to those who have come before you. Do not undersell your efforts or your value.”
Laurence smiled and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead. “You are too good to me, Edith. I do not know what I did to deserve your gentle soul.”
“I imagine that jumping into fires and saving children had a role to play in it,” Edith teased.
Laurence rolled his eyes. “I suppose it is only right for my wife to think of me so highly.”
“I do not believe it is just me.” She smiled.
“Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I have seen how Tilly looks at you, and how the servants respect you. I believe they all see what a good man you are.”
