Page 87 of A Virgin for the Duke of Ash

A tear slid down the corner of her eye.

Colin and Lady Spalding had effectively driven him away from her. They had both ruined the greatest happiness she had ever known, and as much as she loved him, she would never be able to look her brother in the eye without wanting to hit him.

Or cry—which was worse, really.

Evie wanted to be strong. To show her brother that she was capable of making her own decisions and loving a truly complicated man like Daniel Stanton, but Colin was unfortunately stubbornly set in his ways. Alice might have been able to exert some pressure on him, but then, it had been much too soon into their marriage for it to have a much more significant effect.

A soft knock sounded at her door, and she frowned a little.

I thought I had instructed Jane that I did not want to be disturbed for the rest of the night?

Before she could say anything, the door swung open slowly to reveal her new sister-in-law in a plain mint-colored dress, her lovely dark brown locks done up in a simple style that gave her a refreshing, youthful look.

“May I come in?” Alice asked her softly.

Evie had not felt like rising from the bed for a good week or so, but she made an effort to at least prop herself up on some pillows as she tried to smile at her sister-in-law.

“Of course,” she managed.

“Jane told me you did not eat your dinner,” the brunette murmured sadly. “Is there something you at least want to eat? I can tell the kitchens to make it for you.”

Evie shook her head with a sad smile. “That is very kind of you, but… I do not think I have quite the appetite for it.”

Or anything, really.

A broken heart was truly something—it had robbed her of sleep and any appetite. She could not even be tempted by her favorite pastries, and even the sight of pudding made her want to gag.

“I mean to have a talk with your brother.” Alice reached for her hand in a gesture of reassurance. “Your brother… is a stubborn man.”

Evie smiled weakly. “That is a mild way of putting it.”

Alice laughed. “All right, he is anincrediblystubborn man.”

“But you love him?”

Evie watched as her sister-in-law’s eyes softened.

“More than anything in this world,” Alice murmured.

Evie had no idea what love was.

She thought she did, once. She thought she had read everything there was to know about it. She listened to her grandmother tell stories about it and watched Alice and Colin as they came together in what thetoncalled the “match of the Season.”

Still, it did not prepare her for just how slowly she had learned to care for Daniel. How she had not even realized how much he had come to mean to her until he was gone and she was left reeling from the shock and devastation.

Questions roiled in her mind as her heart roiled in pain.

Was it truly so easy for him to let go of me?

Does he find everything as unbearable as I do now?

Does he miss me as much as I miss him?

“I know that it seems as if everything is rather bleak and hopeless right now,” Alice spoke softly. “But things will get better. They always do, Evie.”

Evie bit her lower lip as she stared down at her lap. How were things supposed to get easier? Would this crushing pain in her chest eventually go away?

Or would she simply find ways to live with it?

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