Page 1 of Her Cursed Duke
Chapter One
“My lady, quick! Your sister is almost here!”
Joy surged through Prudence’s veins, filling her with unbridled excitement that prompted her to dash down the winding path that led back to the estate. She narrowly dodged a maid carrying a stack of sheets, feeling sorry for running within the house only for a moment, only to later reassure herself as she remembered her grandmother did not care about such rules.
When she made it to the front door, she paused, suddenly anxious.
For days, sleep eluded her due to the excitement of finally reuniting with one of her sisters, so much so that it was all she thought about. Day in, day out, she wondered what they would say to each other, how Agnes would regale her with tales of her new married life, how she would undoubtedly dote on Prudence and enquire about how she had been faring since they had last seen each other.
But now that the time had arrived, a thought that had not occurred to Prudence before suddenly surfaced within her mind.
It had been three years since she had seen her sister, three years since she’d had Agnes looking after her and caring for her. She knew her sister would have grown into a more magnificent person. Agnes was strong and diligent, brave and steadfast in ways Prudence could only imagine herself being.
She heard the carriage come to a stop and flung the door open just as a man disembarked. For a moment, they just stared at each other, and he chuckled and bowed a little.
“You must be Prudence. Good day, my lady. I know I am not who you wish to see, so I will just let you have your heart’s desire, and we can exchange pleasantries later.”
Then, he held out a hand and helped her sister out of the carriage.
Agnes had barely set her second foot on the ground before her sister fell into her arms.
“Agnes!” Prudence cried, her eyes filling with tears.
“Prudence, goodness,” Agnes scolded in a teasing manner. “You nearly knocked me over.”
“You can hardly blame me. I have not seen you in ages.” Prudence pouted, burying her face in the crook of her sister’s neck.
“That is fair, I suppose.” Agnes smiled, stroking Prudence’s hair in a way she had missed immensely.
Growing up, Prudence had tried to be as independent as possible, especially because they had to pay extra attention to their youngest sister, Imogen. Agnes had shouldered the weight of supporting them, and Prudence had done all she could to not cause her sisters any worry. But every so often, when she was upset and hiding that fact, Agnes would hug her and gently stroke her hair, reminding her that her concerns were just as important as anyone else’s and that it was perfectly fine to seek out comfort.
It was comforting to know that things had at least not changed in that sense, thankful for the warmth radiating from within her sister’s arms.
“Let me look at you, Prudence,” Agnes said softly, her face lighting up when her sister reluctantly pulled back a little. “My goodness, you have grown even more beautiful.”
“You hardly have the right to say such. You look as though you could rival the sun with how brightly you are shining.” Prudence blushed, lowering her gaze.
Agnes beamed at her and leaned forward, pressing chaste kisses to her cheeks, thankful to have met her younger sister in goodhealth. She noticed some movement from the corner of her eye and remembered the presence of her husband. She gently steered Prudence around until she was facing the Duke.
“Prudence, this is my husband, Silas, the Duke of Forestwood. Darling, this is my younger sister, Prudence.”
Silas bowed a little, smiling kindly at Prudence. “It is an honor to meet you—properly—Lady Prudence.”
Prudence curtsied, still holding onto her sister’s hand. “The honor is mine, Your Grace. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us—not only helping us find our way back to each other but also caring for my elder sister. I will be eternally grateful.”
Silas chuckled. “I see you have none of Agnes’s fiery temperament or your younger sister’s boundless energy. It is so fascinating how vastly different you all are.”
When Prudence merely blinked at him in confusion, Agnes gave her hand a little squeeze and then proceeded to explain. “Silas arranged for Imogen to visit as a wedding present to me. He was quite enchanted by the fact that our youngest sister could speak relentlessly for hours on end while I was very content listening to her words.”
Imogen had visited Agnes? How lucky.
“That does sound like our little sister.” Prudence grinned. “Your Grace, I think you’ll find that the three of us together make an interesting mix. Do not think you’ve seen it all just yet.”
The Duke nodded, placing a hand over his chest as he said, “I look forward to it. And about what you said earlier—caring for your sister… I am very happy to do it. She is my love, and I would go to the end of the world to give her whatever she desires. It has been my pleasure helping her fulfill her goal of reuniting with the ones she loves the most.”
“Aside from you, dear husband,” Agnes interjected, looking proud.
Silas grinned. “Aside from me, of course.”
