Page 18 of Her Cursed Duke
“We lured him to us with a treat,” Prudence informed him with a cheeky grin. “Perhaps if you had not been in so much of a hurry to be the hero, you might look a lot less like… a wet rag.”
“Prudence,” Aiden warned, no longer in the mood to entertain her ridicule.
“What was the water like? Would you recommend that I try swimming in the lake sometime, or do you think that is something I should save for the beginning of winter, so I can maximize the odds of having a more memorable experience?”
“That is enough,” he snapped, irritated. “It was a single mistake, one moment of miscalculation. You do not need to pour salt on my wounds, I am fairly certain I have learned my lesson.”
“Are you sure? I cannot tell if this outburst is due to your little accident or the fact that you were losing so much at cards. We checked your cards, by the way, and you were headed for a fourth loss,” Prudence taunted playfully.
For some reason, her teasing him was really annoying. Somewhere in his mind, he was aware she was simply teasing, probably attempting to cheer him up—even though she was doing so at his expense. But strangely, he was more aware of the burn of humiliation and his wounded ego.
“I do not think this arrangement will work, after all,” he said suddenly.
Prudence’s face turned serious, and she glanced at their family members, who were now ahead of them, none the wiser to what was happening a few feet behind them.
“Aiden, what? I was only teasing—”
“You do not seem to be the kind of person I can rely on to get things done properly. And you seem to have forgotten your place, Lady Prudence. I am not one to be taken lightly. If you do not change that attitude, I will end our deal.”
“Aiden, hurry. You need to get out of those clothes as soon as possible,” Beatrice called out as they arrived at Fitzroy House.
“Do it,” Prudence challenged quietly, slowly putting the puppy down and watching it scamper off toward the front of the house.
She was aware that their family members were looking at them, but she did not care, too busy with the point she had to prove.
“Go on, do it. No time like the present, right?”
His gaze darted between her and their family members, and he scowled at her. She knew that he was doing this mostly for his godmother, and since his godmother seemed to have taken a slight liking to her, if he were to end things, she would be disappointed.
He cursed silently, walking past her to his godmother.
“Thank you for joining us today,” Prudence called out suddenly with a bright smile. “It was an honor to spend the afternoon with you, Your Grace.”
Aiden stiffened and contemplated not turning around but knew she had left him no choice but to play along. And so he turned back, putting on the sweetest smile he could muster, and said, “The pleasure was all mine, my lady.”
After they had gotten into their carriage and left, Prudence went to check on her grandmother, relieved when she found herasleep. She asked the Dowager Countess’s lady’s maid if she had any issues while she was away, and the maid assured her that all was well.
Suddenly feeling drained, Prudence made her way to her own room, only to be intercepted by her sister.
“So?” Agnes said. “Do you think you might grow to like him? He is somewhat… withdrawn.”
“He is not particularly well-liked. I cannot fault him for being quiet and self-conscious,” Prudence pointed out.
Agnes pursed her lips and then nodded. “Ever so thoughtful. You are right, I am sorry. I was just worried because there needs to be proper communication for a relationship to work well. Even if you are still unsure of what the future holds on account of a long-term result, you still need to interact properly in order to make the best decision at the end of your courtship. Trust me, it is not ideal to be with a partner who will not talk to you.”
Prudence understood that. Just as she knew personally that no amount of conversation could save an already doomed relationship, especially if a member had already set their sights elsewhere. However, her sister sounded as though she was speaking from experience, which was odd to Prudence because Agnes appeared to be very much in love with her husband, and he, in turn, practically worshipped the ground she walked on.
“How would you know that?” Prudence asked, taking a seat on her bed and pulling off her shoes.
“Well,” Agnes began, sitting next to her. “Silas and I were not always this in love. I wish I could tell you that it was love at first sight, but that was not the case for either of us. When I arrived at Forestwood Mansion, there was only one thing on my mind—reuniting with you and Imogen. And for that reason, I was going to get married. As it turned out, he also had his reasons for marrying me. We had an agreement to not interact with one another more than necessary. He proposed it, and I agreed because I did not harbor any hope of finding anything deeper or more sentimental within our arranged marriage. And we lived like that for some days.
“But we grew to care for each other through more frequent interactions. It was those moments that assured me a good man lay beneath all the hurt, anger, and fear. When I got to know him, I learned that I wanted him. You cannot decide how things will end between you if neither of you are properly and wholly invested in your courtship. Do you understand?”
Prudence did, actually. Even though this was not a real courtship, she and Aiden needed to get to know each other to at least build a friendship that could allow them to enact this ruse properly. His attitude at the end of their picnic had not been his fault alone. She did not expect him to be so sensitive, and she had crossed a line. Perhaps he might have also overreacted, but she should have stopped when he asked her to.
“I understand. I will try to get him to open up more. However this ends, I want it to be said that we gave it our best, and I do not want any regrets later on.”
Agnes smiled, gently patting Prudence’s hair. “I am sure there will not be any of that.”
