Page 99 of His Runaway Duchess

Edward turned away from her, pacing the short length of the room as if to compose himself.

“You might have heard that my stepmother has left my grounds and my home.”

Daphne staggered backward. “I did hear it, but I didn’t… I didn’t give credence to such silly whispers. I assumed it was nonsense.”

“I’m glad I stopped believing in the curse,” he said, with a snort. “Otherwise, this would have terrified me. No, Clarissa left this morning. She has gone to a convent.”

Daphne suddenly found herself off-balance and dizzy, and she sat down in the single chair with a thump.

“Aconvent?” she echoed disbelievingly. “Why? Oh, Edward, did you send her away?”

“Yes, I did, but when you hear why, you’ll agree with me. I swear it.”

She eyed him narrowly. “Are you sure? Tell me what you mean.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, glancing nervously towards the closed curtain that separated them from the rest of the ballroom.

“I don’t wish to discuss it here,” he murmured. “It’s… sensitive. It shocked me, and I know it will shock you. I will tell you everything, but only once we can talk in absolute private. This information must never, ever see the light of day. Again, you’ll understand why when you hear the story.”

“Edward, you’re scaring me,” Daphne said, with a nervous laugh. “Has there been a murder?”

He said nothing, and Daphne had to turn away from the look in his eyes.

“I see,” she whispered. “You know, you don’t have to explain all of it to me, not if you don’t want to. Your business is your own, and I don’t want to pry.”

He bit his lip. “I know, but I want to. I want to tell you the truth, Daphne. You deserve to know the whole story. I’ve kept enough back from you to last a lifetime, to be frank.”

She got up, somewhat shakily, and paced over to the bookshelves. The titles blurred in the flickering candlelight.

“And… and Alex?” she heard herself say. “What about him?”

“He will miss his grandmother,” Edward admitted. “And he misses you, too. Here, I have this for you.”

He withdrew a little square of paper, carefully but imperfectly folded, and sealed with a blob of red wax. Daphne’s name was written on the front in a looping, childish hand.

“It’s from Alex, of course,” Edward added unnecessarily. “It’s all his work. Except for the seal, which I helped him with. I didn’t want him playing with hot wax on his own.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “I missed him, you know. He’s such a sweet boy.”

At this point, Edward was standing by the curtained doorway, and Daphne by the window, with the whole room between them. He took a hesitant step forward, and Daphne mirrored him before she knew what she was doing.

“And me?” Edward whispered. “Did you miss me?”

She closed her eyes. “Don’t do this to me, Edward. I… I love too easily, I think. If I fall in love, then it hurts, and I cannot get out again. You blow hot and cold, and I simply can’t manage it. I don’t blame you—I believe it is who you are. You are yourself, and I am me, and perhaps it is best if we go our separate ways.”

When she risked opening her eyes again, Edward was staring at her, the hunger back in his eyes. She felt the reciprocal shiver through her whole body and resisted the urge to race towards him.

“I don’t want to be that way, though,” he said, his voice shaking in a way she’d never heard before. “I married Jane because it was easy and comfortable. I knew she’d never love me properly, since it was not her way. For me, that meant that I did not have to worry about loving her, about losing my heart. You saw how I distanced myself from Alex because I was afraid. I was a fool, Daphne. I have spoken to Alex and apologized for being a poor father. I told him I loved him, Daphne. I don’t believe I’ve ever said that to another living soul. My father certainly never said it to me.”

Daphne swallowed hard, absorbing his words.

Holding his gaze, she tilted up her chin. “I’m proud of you. Alex deserves a father, and you deserve to understand that the way you were treated was wrong—terriblywrong. I believe you do understand it now.”

He took a tentative step forward. Once again, Daphne mirrored him.

“And you, Daphne,” he said, his voice a low rumble in his chest. “I blew hot and cold, as you said. The truth was, I always intended to be cold, but when you are around, I cannot control myself…I have never encountered such feelings before.”

She swallowed thickly. Her mouth was dry. Another step. “Explain.”

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