Page 30 of The Duke's Concealed Vow
Chapter Fourteen
Serena lay awake in her bed at just after four in the morning, unable to stop thinking about her discussion with Eleanor and the upcoming ball. It was still strange to her that just one day prior, her mother-in-law had been so standoffish with her that she was sure she would never be able to form a relationship with her. Yet with two conversations, Eleanor was rapidly becoming someone she could befriend. And it was clear that Rowan’s mother held no animosity toward her. Perhaps, she was just adjusting to the notion of Serena joining her family so suddenly, like Serena herself was.
The ball was, indeed, a lovely idea. She would no longer be attending social events as the marriageable diamond of the season. However, despite the rushed and lackluster manner in which she and Rowan had gotten married, she couldn’t deny that she still longed for the music and dancing. It was a ball in her honor, which was humbling, but it was very sweet of Eleanor to think of her in such a way.
And yet, she felt as anxious as she was excited as she thought about not only the ball, but also about officially taking up the dowager’s mantle as duchess. She would have Eleanor’s guidance, for which she was very grateful. And part of her was looking forward to learning everything that her mother-in-law had to teach her.
Another part of her, however, was worried. Would she be able to learn properly from the dowager? Would she ever make the kind of duchess that Rowan needed? And how would she manage her new role in tandem with her growing curiosity about the man she now called husband?
Eleanor had said that Rowan had lived as a hermit for agreat many years, and that he had simply forgotten how to interact with others. It was clear to Serena that his father was deceased, but she didn’t know what had happened to him. Rowan would never open up to her enough to explain it to her, she knew, and she didn’t wish to press the dowager about the issue, not with their bond still so new. But as she lay there, thinking about what the former duchess had said, she couldn’t help wondering. Was it illness? Was it a carriage accident or a robbery? Perhaps, she could ask one of the staff members about it one day.
The dowager had also told her that Rowan was a good man with a good heart. Serena wanted to believe that, and she could sense that Eleanor was being truthful, rather than simply trying to offer Serena fake reassurances. But with what she had witnessed of her new husband, any semblance of a kindhearted man who might allow her into his life as more than an obligation was long gone. And unless he suddenly transformed into a different person than the one she had seen thus far, she didn’t believe that would ever change.
As the sky began to lighten with the first faint streaks of dawn, Serena decided she would rise early. It was senseless to try to sleep at that hour, she figured, and she could use the extra time before everyone else awoke to do some exploring of her own. She summoned Christine, selecting an elegant but simple pale orange morning gown. Her lady’s maid appeared a moment later, smiling sleepily at her.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she said.
Serena blushed sheepishly.
“Did I wake you?” she asked.
Christine shook her head, stifling a yawn.
“I had been awake for a moment before you rang,” she said. “You’re up quite early this morning.”
Serena nodded.
“I could not go back to sleep, so I thought I would take my own tour of my new home,” she said.
Christine’s grin widened and she gave Serena a knowing look.
“It would not have anything to do with your handsome new husband, would it?” she asked.
Serena shrugged, trying to keep her expression neutral.
“I admit that it has been an adjustment, being married to Rowan,” she said with care. “But we rarely interact with one another. I simply wish to learn more about the mansion without being bothersome.”
Christine gave her a sympathetic look.
“I understand that you and His Grace are not exactly cordial,” she said. “But do not lose hope. This could be something grander and more beautiful than you ever expected.”
Serena gave her maid a small smile, even though she didn’t believe the words.
“I hope that you are right, Christine,” she said.
Once Serena was dressed, she dismissed Christine and slipped silently into the hallway. She made her way to the grand hall, slipping around the corner and into the hallway that would lead her to the library. During the tour, it was the room which had most piqued her interest. She thought she could spend some time getting better acquainted with it before breakfast.
She was able to enter the room with no additional sound as the door was already open. She gazed up at the ceiling, noting the warm cream color of the spacious ceiling. The chandelier and hearth had not yet been lit, but there was a dim glow coming from the far side of the room. The light drew her attention to it, and she gasped softly when she saw its source. There was a candle lit on the desk in the right corner. And behind that desk sat Rowan with a book on the desk just beneath the candle’s light and his face hovering above its pages.
It was clear that he was completely engrossed in the book, and she considered leaving. But she was frozen, mesmerized by the look of peace and contentment on Rowan’s face. He looked as though the words on the pages of that book had transformed him into a man without troubles or cares. For the first time, she didn’t see ice when she looked at his features. She saw a man who was capable of relaxing and letting the world and its burdens go.
Before she could force her body to move, Rowan looked up. His eyes widened at the sight of her, and he jumped up from his seat. They gazed at one another for some time before either of them spoke. The tension was thick in the air, suffocating to Serena. Since Rowan still looked speechless, she decided to break the silence.
“I believe this is the most beautiful library I have ever seen,” she said.
Rowan blinked, as though more surprised that she spoke than by her entrance only a moment before.
“I am pleased that you like it,” he said. “Please, stay and enjoy any books you choose.”
