The housekeeper leaned closer to Elara.
“He was exiled,” she whispered, as if the word was foul.
But why? What happened? And what did Evander have to do with it?
Elara pondered Mrs. York’s words as she pulled open a set of double doors and beamed.
“This, Your Grace, is your suite,” Mrs. York announced, waving a hand toward the room. “Please let me know if there is anything not to your liking, and we will have it corrected right away.”
Elara stepped tentatively into the first room; her heart thudded in excitement as she took in the dusky blue and violet-purple silk of the striped wallpaper. A plush white rug lay sprawled across gleaming dark-wood floors, reaching from the hearth of a crisp white-marble fireplace to the legs of an ornately carved credenza.
The cushioned chairs and chaise lounge, positioned before the fireplace, matched the silk wallpaper perfectly, and a white marble coffee table sat centered between the furniture. Hanging directly above it was a small but beautiful silver-and-crystal chandelier.
Beyond the sitting room lay a bedroom of equal opulence, though the moment Elara opened the door, she knew she would be changing the colors. Unlike the sitting room, decorated in Elara’s favorite colors, the bedroom had been done in yellows, oranges, and golds. The brightness of it hurt her eyes, and she laughed almost immediately after she opened the door.
“I take it this room is not to your liking?” Mrs. York asked hesitantly.
“It is like looking at the sun,” Elara joked, walking to the large window. “Are you sure His Grace will not mind my making a few changes?”
“Oh, I am quite sure,” Mrs. York agreed quickly. “He may seem grumpy from time to time, but he is a good man at heart.”
Ignoring how the room’s brightness bothered her, Elara quickly urged Mrs. York to take a seat at the table by the bedroom’s fireplace and joined her.
“He does seemverygrumpy,” Elara agreed. “Was he always that way?”
Mrs. York squirmed a little in her seat.
“It is all right,” Elara quickly assured. “We will keep this conversation strictly to ourselves.”
“You must understand, Your Grace,” Mrs. York quietly insisted as her brown eyes took on a pleading gleam. “Your husband was groomed to be a duke from the moment he was born. He was denied any tenderness and given only the strictest attention. His younger brother, Augustus, held the late Duke and Duchess’s hearts. His Grace has a fondness for him, too.”
“So he has always been like this,” Elara gathered, and to her surprise, Mrs. York shook her head.
“His Grace does have a sweet, caring side to him,” Mrs. York explained. “He just keeps it hidden from those not very close to him.”
Elara pondered this for a moment, wondering, perhaps, whether her mother might be right after all about her wedding night. Perhaps sheshouldbe in his good graces. A person close to him.
“Like that sweet little baby,” Mrs. York sighed, pulling Elara from her thoughts. “He is such a sweet, kind man when it comes to that little baby. I have never seen a man so attentive to a child.”
“Yes, the baby,” Elara agreed quickly. “What do you know about it? Where is its mother?”
“It is not my place to speak about it,” Mrs. York confessed. “I can only tell you that the mother died in childbirth.”
“That poor woman,” Elara whispered.
She wondered who she had once been. A maid? A merchant’s daughter? Had she been vibrant, full of life and hope, before the Duke seduced her and ruined her life? Elara’s stomach twisted with bitter thought. What could he have done or said to make the woman risk her life and reputation for him? What sort of honeyed words had he used to make her surrender that most precious part of herself?
It is good that he seems to care for the child, but had he ever cared for its mother?
The more Elara thought about it, the more questions her mind conjured.
“Forgive me for saying so, Your Grace,” Mrs. York said, her tone soft. “But you look a bit tired. I am sure you have had an immensely stressful day. Would you like me to have the cook prepare some supper for you? I can bring it up here if you like.”
Elara forced a smile and nodded.
“That would be lovely, Mrs. York, thank you,” Elara agreed. “Then perhaps, if you would be so kind as to help me prepare for my wedding night?”
Mrs. York’s smile widened instantly as she curtsied.
