Page 100 of Ravished By the Beastly Duke

“And even before we shared a bed, he had opened up to me and shared with me some of his darkest experiences. Even his memories from the military. I even held him after he woke up from a nightmare.”

Eveline could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes again. The dull ache in her chest that followed her to her father’s house was worsening.

“What kind of man would ever do such a thing?” Ava tsked. “A dishonorable man, I tell you.”

“I do not think he…” Eveline had begun to defend him again when she caught herself, wondering why she even did that.

Despite what he had done, she had been holding back, not wanting him to look so bad in front of her family. But she decided to stop caring now. It was not as though William cared about her or her feelings.

“It is only a dishonorable man who would open up to a woman and then pretend that it had meant nothing,” Ava huffed.

“He even mentioned that the fact that we had slept together had meant nothing, since there were no feelings involved.”

As Eveline recounted it, it was as though she was hearing those words for the first time.

“How could he ever say there were no feelings involved? How dare he?” Ava exclaimed.

“That was what I said to him. And when I explained that my feelings for him were real, he looked me in the eyes and told me his feelings for me were not real.”

It was now Ava’s turn to gasp, and she clapped her hand over her mouth in shock.

Eveline suddenly heard a sniff, and when she turned around, she saw her younger sister huddled up in a corner, crying.

And that made her tears spill over.

She hurried to her sister and hugged her.

“Stella, do not cry,” she soothed, even as tears streamed down her face.

“How could he be so cruel?” Stella said between sobs. “How could he?”

“It does not matter,” Eveline reassured her, patting her head with one hand and using the other to wipe the tears streaming down her own face.

“I reckon he was different,” Stella said, looking up at her as she pulled out of the hug. “How could he break your heart?”

“He did not break my heart,” Eveline lied as she shook her head. “I assure you, he did not.”

“Do you think he is hiding a mistress in his estate in Bath?” Ava suddenly asked. “That might be the reason he suddenly changed and seems to be hell-bent on going there.”

Eveline had never even given that possibility a thought before.

“A mistress?” Her heart tightened painfully in her chest, and she became hot all over.

It was common knowledge that some gentlemen frequented brothels, while some even kept some of the women as mistresses. Eveline, of course, believed such men were dishonorable, and if she could help it, she would have them cast out of the ton.

However, what she had never considered was that her husband might, one day, be one of them.

“Is that truly possible?” she asked, her eyes widening with shock. “Could William be leaving me for an easy lady?”

“I certainly would hope not, but I cannot pretend that all signs do not point at the possibility,” Ava sighed.

“If that is the case, then our marriage is over, is it not?” Eveline said, rather vehemently. “I refuse to be married to a man who would lie with another woman.”

“If you will let me, I would go to Bath just to see for myself,” Ava added.

The offer was quite tempting. However, Eveline knew she could not accept it. “If I send you to spy on him, then he would see you and know that I am still terribly hurt by what he has done.”

“I assure you, I will be careful not to let him see me,” Ava said.

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