Page 53 of Her Seven Nights with the Duke

Samuel could never give her hope of anything more between them. He could never marry her, nor did he want to. He couldn’t risk turning out to be as cruel as his father was.

His mother had been nonchalant towards him, but he knew that although they had an understanding, she too had understood just how cruel the man she married truly was. Samuel couldn’t risk marrying Nora and turning out to be the very man he hated being around.

The thought of having kids with her was not something he could stomach. She would want kids if he could ever bring himself to marry her. He couldn’t do that, knowing the kind of father and husband he would be.

Some men were meant to be neither husbands nor fathers, and he turned out to be one of them.

He turned towards her as she turned in her sleep and woke up. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and she squinted against the brightness of the room. Samuel grimaced. He had gotten so lost in thought that he forgot to close the windows to block out the sunlight.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” she said in a sleepy voice that still held much sleep.

“Good morning,” Samuel responded. He looked her over, his heart bleeding as he realized that there was no easy way out of this.

His decision to stay away from her would only hurt the two of them. However, staying would also hurt them. He could only make the decision that would be better for them in the long run.

“Have you been awake for long?” she asked him, stretching.

“No, I only just woke up,” he said, rolling off the bed.

He splashed water on his face as he stood before the open window, wishing the morning breeze could blow away his worries.

“I will have food brought in for us and water for a bath. Then we can continue on our journey before none is the wiser,” he said without looking at her.

His feet led him towards the door. He needed to be away from her so he could clear his thoughts and find a way out of the terrible situation that held his thoughts captive.

He did not want to be with her, but he also did not want to lose her, which was the best decision he could make for her. Seeing her off to her aunt’s was the last thing he would do for her before she would be out of his reach.

“I don’t think I want to go,” she said, making him pause just as his fingers grazed the knob.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, wondering if he had heard correctly.her right.

“I do not wish to go to my aunt’s. I thought about it all night, and there is no way I can leave my mother with my stepfather. I do not think I could ever stop worrying about her if I leave, so I simply won’t run away,” she said, smiling at him.

“Are you certain of your decision?” he asked her.

Her eyes held uncertainty even as she nodded. “I would be able to do as I please within the confines of my current station if I go to my aunt’s. I will no longer have to live in fear of what my stepfather could do at any moment. However, my mother has no one to defend her when he tries to hurt her. I don’t believe I can forgive myself if I leave and something happens to her.”

She smiled sadly, looking out the window. “My plans had always been for the two of us. I admit that I panicked when Lord Worlington threatened to send me away. I cannot decide which is a worse fate. Staying home with him just to protect my mother or going to live with his dratted sister.”

Her face had gone red with frustration. “So, while it pains me to give up on the freedom I have dreamed of for so long, I know I will not enjoy it if she is not there to enjoy it with me.”

Samuel heaved a sigh mixed with relief and dread. “I see you have thought this through and made up your mind.”

She nodded. “It was all I could think of last night.”

Samuel nodded. “I will have hot water and breakfast sent up, and we will be on our way.”

He walked out of the room, his troubles solidifying. It had been easier when his decision was merely to let her go live with her aunt or keep her with him. However, now that she would be close, Samuel did not know how he would stay away from her.

He clenched his jaw as he returned to the room to prepare for their journey back home. He ate in silence, the food tasting like ash in his mouth. Nothing was going the way he wanted it to go.

Nora sat opposite Samuel in the carriage, doing her best to look everywhere but at him. He had been absent-minded during dinner, only speaking when she asked him questions. It hadn’ttaken long for her to realize that there was something on his mind he did not wish to speak of. She had clammed up, hoping things would be better when he cleared his thoughts.

She held her bag tightly, looking out the window. Things hadn’t turned out to be better. In fact, they had become worse. Samuel was cold towards her for reasons she could not understand.

“Is something wrong, Your Grace?” she asked him, unable to carry on with the silence a moment longer. She stared straight at him, waiting for him to answer.

They were still some distance away from her home, and sitting in awkward silence was not how she intended to spend the rest of their journey if it could be helped.

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