Her heart was racing again. She studied the duke as the carriage began to move. She no longer feared him in the traditional sense. But that did not mean she was not cautious of angering the man. She suspected there was another side to him that she had not seen yet. But was that side to be cherished or feared?
“Thank you,” she said, feeling a little silly once she did.
“Excuse me?” He turned to look at her, confused by the comment.
“Thank you,” she said again, this time with a smile. “For doing this. I know you did not wish it, but that you did is…” She laughed softly. “A relief, to be true. You saved me.”
He stiffened at the comment. “I told you that was not my intent.”
“What was your intent?”
He considered the question, the harsh lines of his face tightening. “A convenience. I did not wish for a scandal any more than you did. That is all this was. A…” His jaw set. “A means to an end.”
She scoffed before she could help herself. “How romantic.”
“It was not supposed to be. We both got what we wanted. Let us leave it at that.” There was a shadow passing behind his eyes, again that sense that there was more to this than he was letting on.
“Did we?” she asked him. “Both got what they wanted?”
He did not answer her, turning to look out the window as the carriage slowly made its way toward her new home. Althoughthe word home was suddenly feeling like the wrong term to use. Not a prison. Not the cage she had come from. But a home suggested warmth and comfort. Even love. And none of those things were what she expected to get from this marriage.
One year, she reminded herself.In one year, I will be free. That is what matters most. And as for the duke and what he really wants? As far as I can see, why should I even care?
Six
The castle, which sat on Wolfe Estate, looked just as Clara remembered it, which didn’t bring her any comfort.
Although it was still the early hours of the afternoon, the sky was dark, and it cast a gloom over the grey stone castle as if the tall and imposing structure was the cause of the clouds that sat thick in the sky and blotted out the sun. The way it rose from the flat earth, too, surrounded by flat plains in all directions, gave it a sense of isolation that suited its owner perfectly. It was lived in, clearly Clara knew that, yet to look at it, one might think it long since abandoned.
“It is… quite big,” she said as she looked out the window of the carriage, eyeing the castle as they steadily approached. “And tall.”
“It has been in my family for generations,” the duke commented.
“I hope there are no ghosts,” she joked, even adding a little giggle in an effort to break the mood.
To this, the duke exhaled sharply from his nose and looked away.Likely there once were, but the duke long since scared them off.
The carriage pulled through the gate and then started down the winding drive. The trip seemed to take an age, that sense of foreboding growing the closer they came. She had to crane her neck to see the top of the tallest towers, and it seemed to bear over her as if even the building was trying to warn her away.
Once they arrived, the carriage came to a stop, and the duke was the first one down. Most surprisingly, he turned and offered her a hand to help her with the short step onto the ground, which she took with a smile. “Thank you.”
He offered a quick smile, seeming to regret it almost right away, snatching his hand and turning. “Follow me,” he then said, striding toward the huge front doors.
Clara stayed where she was, watching him go.He is hiding something from me. Or from himself, it seems. Whenever he does anything that even hints at warmth, he balks and reverts back to his detached self.
She hurried after him, reaching the bottom of the steps just as the duke opened the front door and strode inside. From the depths of the home, a cold breeze rushed out, as if it, too, was trying to escape. It wrapped her like a cold blanket, and shestarted to shake as she crept up the stairs and walked through the front doors. Her new home.
The foyer was expansive. The floors were marble. The walls were decorated with portraits of family members. A crystal chandelier hung low, its dozens of candles casting the open chamber in an orange gloom that was bright yet somehow felt dark. It was moody in the foyer, nothing to suggest a warm, welcoming home that Clara might look forward to one day being a part of.
“Your Grace,” the duke began. “Welcome.”
Standing in the center of the foyer were eight members of staff. They stood with their heads bowed, no smiles worn, almost statues rather than people. Alaric stood to face them, observing them as if he might chastise them should they dare to show too much emotion.
“Good evening,” she said with a smile that was friendly on her lips but seemed to die before reaching the staff. “I am pleased to meet you all.”
“They are here to assist in anything you require,” the duke said simply. “Mr. Winters…” From the eight members of staff, an elderly man stepped forward. His head remained bowed, but his posture was straight. “Mr. Winters is the head of staff. All questions you have may be directed at him.”
“Wonderful.” She approached him, holding her smile as she did. “It is good to make your acquaintance,” she offered him. “I thinkyou will find I am rather easy to get along with. I promise not to be too demanding,” she laughed to no reaction.
