Page 53 of Her Cursed Duke
Her lips still tingled from the kisses Aiden had stolen from her before departing with his godmother—who had been less than thrilled at having lost nearly all the rounds she had played with the Dowager Countess—and her heart felt lighter than it had in a while.
She was really glad she had decided to take up painting once again, thankful for the reprieve it granted her to sort through the cluster of feelings brewing within her. Even when she did not have a clear answer, her body and mind always felt ten times lighter once she had created a piece of art.
Agnes seemed particularly thrilled by the development, always happy to stay close to Prudence while she painted in the drawing room, and was prepared to buy her the best art supplies available. But Prudence had politely told her sister not to worry, content to use simple watercolors as she steadily recalled how much she enjoyed creating colorful pieces.
This one was likely her brightest work yet, filled with light shades of various colors, coming together to bring her imagination to life as delicately as possible. Prudence had clutched onto the odd feeling that settled within her at the end of their game and used it to guide her as she mixed the paints and started to work on the canvas.
After adding a few light strokes of pink, she felt satisfied with the outcome, admiring her work.
“Oh, Prudence,” Agnes gasped, coming around to get a good look at the masterpiece. “This is beautiful! It must be your best yet!”
Prudence smiled shyly, dropping her paintbrush into a jar of water that was murky from the other paintbrushes she had rinsed off. “Do you think so? I think I quite like it, as well. It was fun to make.”
Agnes nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely. It has a sort of pull that makes me reminisce the feeling of falling in love.”
Prudence went still, her gaze darting from her painting to her sister. “What?”
Agnes blinked at her, a little surprised, but explained with a soft laugh, “I think it’s just how I feel looking at it. Of course, it does not need to apply to you, but this is a garden in bloom in the sunlight, right?”
Prudence nodded, once again glad she was able to depict the blooming flowers beneath the bright sunrays.
“It reminds me of spring. When colors are brighter, the air is warmer, and everything is simply cozy and soft. That is what falling in love felt like to me, sometimes. Of course, it’s different for everyone, and someone else might interpret your painting from a different angle—”
Prudence could barely hear her, too focused on the feelings bubbling to the surface with renewed clarity. She thought of the odd peace she felt around Aiden, how her heart always seemed to be focused on him, beating faster every time he did something to show that she had his attention.
She thought of how easily affected she was by him and his words, how, more often than not, she had intended to do things for his benefit, hoping to be rewarded with his smile.
Oh, dear God,I’ve fallen in love with Aiden.
Chapter Twenty
In hindsight, Aiden should have given it more thought before he said yes. “A fair?”
Prudence nodded, excitement written all over her pretty face as she explained, her eyes sparkling, “I heard about it from my maid. She said that one would be visiting the town this weekend, and I thought we could go together. Along with my sister and brother-in-law, of course.”
Aiden hesitated, stooping down to pet Snowflake. “I am not fond of large crowds. I know it’s childish of me to be picky about the things we do—while it is all for my benefit—but I do not feel like engaging in every single activity that disconcerts me for the sake of this ruse.”
Prudence was silent for a moment, then she softly admitted, “I wasn’t thinking about our arrangement.”
He stared up at her, a little confused. “I beg your pardon?”
She inhaled deeply and blurted out, “I know that most of our outings and appearances have been coordinated for the sake of our ‘courtship,’ but this time, I just want to do something nice with you. It could contribute to our overall goal or not. I’d just like to see the fair with you… if you do not mind doing that with me.”
For the first time in his life, Aiden felt weak.
It was a little surprising that she would think of spending time with him, separate from their required public appearances, but he could not say he did not like knowing that she wanted to be around him as much as he wanted to be around her—perhaps even more. It kept getting harder to walk away from her, to say goodbye whenever the day they had shared came to an end.
With every moment he spent by her side, he found himself craving more, desperate to see her again, to breathe in her soft, sweet scent and fantasize about his lips on hers more times than he would ever think of admitting. And here she was, offering another excuse for him to bask in her beauty and grace.
What was he supposed to say to that?
“When is it? This weekend?” he asked, slightly perturbed by how his heart fluttered in his chest at the sight of her hopeful smile.
“Yes. It is meant to be a three-day affair, starting from Saturday. We do not need to attend every single day—just one would do,” she said, her face flushed with hope.
Snowflake yapped, getting up and moving over to sit at her feet obediently with a delighted wag of his tail. Prudence beamed down at him and ran her hand through his soft white fur, paying special attention to the spot behind his fuzzy ears, laughing a little when she pulled away slightly and the dog moved closer, silently demanding more ear scratches.
Aiden knew he could refuse. He could say no, and she would not press the matter further if he were serious and firm about his decision. But lately, it had become challenging to refuse Prudence anything she wanted. All his life, he had never given in this easily to anyone—had never wanted to. But he was quickly learning that his rules did not seem to apply to Prudence or matters that concerned her.
