But before he could reach for the door, it swung open and he was face to face with the last person he had expected to see.
Cecil Wightman was standing before him, clearly having returned at least a week earlier than he was supposed to, and quite visibly upset.
Godric’s sharpened instincts saved him moments later when Cecil clenched his hand into a fist and swung at him with malice. Luckily, the duke managed to step aside quickly enough to avoid getting hit.
“Did you touch my sister, Ironwell?” Cecil demanded; his eyes dark as he stepped towards Godric.
The duke stayed silent and Cecil swung at him again, but this time, Godric let the attack hit its mark, barely flinching as pain bloomed over the side of his jaw.
While Cecil flexed the hand he had used to hit him with a hiss, he stood straighter, quickly running his tongue over his teeth to check for any damage. Once he had found none, he nodded.
“Good.”
Cecil’s expression grew even more livid and he pointed a finger at Godric.
“Good? Good?! Is that all you have to say to me? I trusted you to look after my sister! All those years – all the time I’ve known you and seen you look down at others as a man of ‘honour’. And you couldn’t help yourself, after I'd entrusted my sister with you. Why did you do it?”
Cecil was practically shaking with frustration, looking as though he was moments away from grabbing Godric by the collar and using his fists to express just how angry he was. Godric almost wished that he was remorseful enough to let him.
Although, it was less about the remorse and more about whether he deserved to plead for forgiveness. He had too much to lose, had come too far to now compromise the goal he was close to accomplishing by giving it up to maintain relationships he was not supposed to have acquire.
When Godric said nothing, Cecil snapped, “Answer me, damn it!”
Finally, Godric looked him in the eye, his voice sounding unfamiliar to his own ears as he said,
“It is good to see that you have returned well from your journey. Now that you are here, I no longer have to watch over your sister. I will return tomorrow to gather my belongings.”
Without another word, Godric took a step back and began to walk away, his heart feeling tighter the further he got. However, he noted that Cecil had not accused him of only getting close to their family to have Gregory within reach for his revenge.
Which meant Nora had not told her brother the full truth of her discovery.
Judging by the frazzled and directionless nature of Cecil’s line of questioning, she likely had not told him anything at all. Whatever her reasons were, it was another bout of kindness he did not deserve.
Cecil was clearly dissatisfied with Godric’s decision – and likely also, his attitude in response to the accusations laid before him- and he continued to shout at the duke’s retreating form.
“Do not ever show up at my house ever again! If I see you near me or my family, I will end your life with my very own hands!”
Godric did not glance back even once, but kept his head up as he climbed back into the carriage.
It was better this way. If the ties between them had been cut, both his friend and Nora would be safer. But as the carriage began to roll away, the hollow feeling in his chest grew even heavier.
And for a moment, he wondered what would be of him when it was all over.
There was so much noise around Nora.
Within her mind, thoughts constantly raced through, too many questions and uncertainties. Surely, the pain of the duke’s betrayal should have dissuaded her from holding onto anylingering feelings for him. She ought to have moved on, should have wilfully erased all memories of him and returned her attention to her main objective – to find a worthy husband.
Except... doing so felt pointless now. Because her heart had chosen who it wanted. Her heart had latched onto a man who had worn down her defences some how and had gotten Nora to somehow fall for him.
And it was kicking up a fuss at the idea of letting him go.
No matter how many nights fought herself to sleep, in the moments of rest she had gotten, he would visit her dreams and remind her of why she had succumbed to his wiles.
Godric’s touch felt as electrifying as it had in reality, filling her with a wave of yearning that would echo for hours after she had woken up. It never ended, a cycle of sadness and tiredness that echoed deep within her very soul.
No matter how much she desired to move past it, Nora was finding it difficult to do so. She could hardly eat, barely sleep and absolutely refused to leave the estate.
Cecil was doing that he could to draw out answers, but no matter how many demands he remained, Nora’s empty gaze was the only response he got.
