Page 65 of Wedded to the Sinful Duke

“Yes?” Jonathan called out, and the butler appeared.

“I beg your pardon, Your Grace, but Lord and Lady Hartfield are here, asking to be admitted.”

Jonathan exchanged a meaningful glance with Ciara. “Are you expecting your parents?” he wondered, looking as confused as she was.

“No,” she shook her head, completely taken aback.

She didn’t want to see them.

“Then, we shan’t be seeing them,” Jonathan turned to the butler. “You’ve heard me, Winston. You may tell that to the Hartfields.”

“Your Grace, I…” the butler hesitated. “I was told to insist. They knew you would refuse, but they claim to have something of great importance to share.”

“There is nothing that they have to say which either me or Ciara wish to hear,” he said simply.

“Jonathan,” Ciara replied softly, “what if something had happened?”

“To them?” Jonathan scoffed. “We should be so fortunate.”

“Please,” she asked, placing her hand tenderly on his. Even after everything they had done to her, she didn’t wish them ill. She simply wished for them to leave her alone, so she could live her own life with Jonathan by her side,

“You saw how they behaved last time. They’re only here to undermine you again,” he told her.

“Then, you shall deal with them as you always do,” she smiled, and her words seemed to have the desired effect. She had convinced him.

“All right, but I still do not like the sound of this,” he finally acquiesced, sighing heavily. “Show them in, Winston.”

When Lord and Lady Hartfield were finally announced, Ciara’s heart skipped a beat. She stood, Jonathan at her side, as they entered. Her parents, usually so composed and authoritative, looked uncharacteristically nervous. That, in turn, made her apprehensive as well although she promised herself she would keep her composure.

“Your Grace,” Lord Hartfield began, his voice unsteady. “Ciara… we’ve come to apologize for our behavior.”

Lady Hartfield nodded, her eyes softening as they met Ciara’s. “We were wrong, dear, all this time. We treated you unfairly and were far too harsh. We want to offer a truce, an opportunity to start over as a proper family.”

Ciara’s heart wavered. She had never seen her parents like this—humble, contrite. She glanced at Jonathan, whose expression was guarded. He was still wary, his protective instincts on high alert.

“We were wrong to impose our will on you,” Lord Hartfield continued. “We realize now that you have built a life here, and we want to be a part of it if you’ll allow us.”

Ciara hesitated, her mind racing. The memories of their last visit, the harsh words and accusations, were still fresh. But beneath the pain, there was a longing for reconciliation, for the family she had always hoped for. She wondered if such a thing was even possible after all the pain and anguish they had caused her.

“How enlightened of you,” Jonathan muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“I am sorry, Your Grace. I could not hear what you said,” Lord Hartfield replied.

Ciara shot him a look, pleading for him not to start a confrontation. He stared back at her, doubt casting a shadow over his handsome face.

“Just a personal musing, Lord Hartfield. Nothing important,” Jonathan said, and his hand found hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze, signaling to her that he understood her request.

She smiled at him in gratitude. If someone was to doubt her parents’ words, it would be her.

Ciara took a deep breath and looked at her parents. “I appreciate your apology. It means a lot to me. But you must understand that so many things have happened. I just cannot understand why, of all times, now? Has something taken place?”

“No, no,” her father shook his head. He glanced at his wife then back at his daughter. “We realized that isn’t who we want to be, who we ever wanted to be. We just… thought that we were helping you, but we were wrong, so very wrong. We should have listened to you, spoken to you, but instead we were led by erroneous ways.”

Ciara thought about it for a moment. She didn’t believe that people could change so easily, so suddenly. Such core changes only happened after something sudden, and nothing seemed to have happened to her parents. They merely changed their minds about their core behavior and that was what she found the strangest. Still, hope flickered inside of her like a flame. She wanted to believe them although she knew that she shouldn’t.

“I can accept your apology,” she finally said. “But that doesn’t mean that we will suddenly start being one big happy family. It will take time.”

Her mother’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “We understand, Ciara. We just want the chance to show you that we can and are willing to change. We will wait as long as you deem fit. Just… don’t push us away, please.”

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