Page 61 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

“Ah, that reminds me,” he said softly, reaching into the inner pocket of his coat. She followed the movement of his arm curiously as he produced a slightly squashed Gallic rose and handed it to her. “For your collection.”

He said nothing more as he led her into the house, but her fingers closed around the rose with a growing sense of affection and deep gratitude.

He must have removed this from one of the vases at Lady Barrington’s. That is remarkably… thoughtful of him.

As they stepped onto the porch, the butler opened the door for them, and Louise removed her gloves, handing them to him before she noticed the expression on his face. Only then did she realize that something felt strange about the house—a new kind of atmosphere that was difficult to describe.

“Your Grace, Lord Marcus is here,” the butler announced quickly, and both of them spun around to face him.

“What?” Christian barked. “Marcus ishere?”

“In the library, Your Grace. He arrived half an hour ago.”

Christian took off running.

Louise followed, feeling his urgency and excitement as he bolted through the house. They rushed to the library and burst inside, only to pause in the doorway, staring in astonishment at the scene before them.

Marcus was sitting before the fire, quite whole and apparently unharmed. The Dowager Duchess was leaning over him, her hand on his shoulder, and the kitten was sitting in his lap.

Louise sucked in a sharp breath before she let out a cry of delight. She handed the Gallic rose to Christian and ran forward.

“Marcus!” she cried. “Oh, I cannot believe it!”

Marcus gave her a broad smile as he rose to his feet, passing the little kitten to his mother.

Forgetting all decorum, Louise embraced him tightly, feeling his frail body beneath her arms. He was horribly thin compared to the last time she saw him. She pulled back, studying his face eagerly, aware of his mother’s eyes on her.

“Whatever happened? Where have you been?” she asked.

Christian cleared his throat quietly as he came forward. She looked back at him to see his eyes darting between them, but when his gaze finally settled on Marcus, some of the tension left his shoulders. In a convulsive movement, he lurched forward and pulled his brother into his arms.

The two men embraced fiercely, holding on to one another with a tight grip neither of them seemed willing to relinquish. Eventually, Christian pulled back, his eyes soft and uncertain. He glanced at Louise and then his mother before returning to Marcus.

“I thought you were dead,” he said, the anger clear in his voice. “What on earth happened to you?”

Now that he no longer had his brother’s body to support him, Marcus looked alarmingly unsteady on his feet.

“Will you sit down?” he asked wearily. “I will explain it all.”

A footman brought a chair to them, and Louise sat beside the Dowager Duchess as Christian lowered himself into the armchair beside his brother. They were all silent for a long moment. Marcus appeared to be catching his breath, and Christian waited patiently, staring at him as though he might disappear at any moment.

“I am sorry,” Marcus sighed. “Mother has told me how worried you have all been.”

“Where were you?” Christian demanded. “How did you appear out of nowhere without a warning?”

Marcus gave him a reproachful look, and then his eyes flicked to Louise as he raised his eyebrows.

“Youare astonished? Imagine my feelings when I discovered that the two of you are married! And to each other, no less!”

Christian’s jealousy, which had gone away during the carriage ride, returned in full force. It only grew as Louise laughed at his brother’s comments, and he had to remind himself of what was important.

Marcus has returned. My brother is alive! That is all that matters. I cannot begrudge them the friendship they have had for years… but she has never laughed like that with me.

He met his brother’s solemn gaze and pursed his lips. “Yes, we are married,” he confirmed. “But that discussion must be left for another time. You must tell us how you arrived here. It was not so very long ago that the constable told me they had found your carriage but no body. It seemed as if you had vanished like smoke in the wind.”

Marcus leaned back in his chair, the bags beneath his eyes looking all the more pronounced in the glow of the firelight.

“I had an accident,” he said quietly. His whole being seemed reduced, as though he had endured a great deal and was fighting against it still. “I was lucky that it happened close to a village. One of the villagers found me and nursed me back to health. I would not have survived without them, and I am in their debt.”

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