Page 43 of Her Cursed Duke
Aiden scoffed. “Oh, do come off it. You sound like my grandfather when, in reality, you are not much older than I am.”
“True,” Silas relented with a chuckle. “But I did not mean to sound so old. I was merely saying that I felt as though I could relate to you somehow. I know what it feels like to want to be left alone, to desire the peace and quiet of solitude, knowing that at least, no one will be hurt because of me.”
Aiden’s expression hardened, and he looked away from Silas. “I do not know what my godmother told you—”
“My grandfather was the one who raised me after my parents passed. We were quite close, and I loved him more than I’d ever loved anyone in my life. He and my grandmother were the closest relatives I had who cared about me, and in a childish sort of whimsy, I believed we would live together forever. Then, my grandfather and I had a carriage accident, and I watched him writhe and groan in pain until he died.
“I wanted nothing to do with anyone after that. I grew bitter and cold, blamed myself for his untimely demise, and I hated that I got to breathe every single day while he no longer could. So, rest assured that I have not been conspiring with your godmother, as lovely as she is. I am familiar with loss and the devastation itbrings,” Silas assured, holding his hand out to signal for Aiden to stop.
Aiden obeyed easily, thankful for the momentary respite their halt gave him and intent on using the time to quickly sort out his thoughts. He did not think Silas had lied about his past, but he could not help but notice how different they both were. Silas was gentler, calmer, and kinder, whereas Aiden consisted of snark and rough edges.
If Silas had truly been ravaged by grief to the point where his reactions mirrored Aiden’s deepest wishes, then something had changed in him to have brought forth the Silas that stood before him today.
“I have my wife to thank for how different I seem today,” Silas commented, as though he had read Aiden’s mind. “Our relationship had begun out of necessity, but she somehow wormed her way past my defenses, under my skin, and then, eventually, into my heart.”
It all sounded very nice, but that sort of life was not for Aiden. He had never imagined himself finding love—not again. His first and only experience had taught him that try as he might, people would always choose to see what they wished to see, putting their own selfish needs before anything else. And so, whatever candy-filled dreams Silas intended to sell him, he had no interest in buying.
“That is wonderful,” Aiden remarked dryly. “Pray tell, was it love at first sight?”
Silas snorted, half incredulous, half amused. “Hardly. We despised each other from the moment we saw each other, and that was even before we knew we were betrothed. For the first few days after our initial meeting, the only thing we had in common was our desire to win arguments. And our love for horses. I believe that was the connection we had that led us to seek out each other.”
Aiden thought about how Silas looked at his wife as though she birthed the stars that hung in the sky, how easily he smiled in her presence, how he fawned over her endlessly. He could not imagine that there was a time they didn’t get along, a time when instead of fondness, the thought of the other caused hate to brew within them.
In comparison to them, what Aiden and Prudence had was much different. Things might not have started off on the right foot, but at least she—likely—did not wish to skin him alive and leave his entrails for wild beasts.
But why does that even matter? Aiden wondered in confusion. His arrangement with Prudence was sorely for his benefit, and they were both aware of the inevitable end that lay ahead of them. He was not going to get tricked into wanting a life that was a mere dream for someone as doomed as he was.
“Why are you telling me all of this?” he asked quietly, noting that Silas had kept his gaze fixed on a certain spot ahead, and if he peered just right between the cluster of leaves, he could see the pheasant strutting about a few feet ahead.
“My wife is very protective of her sister. And by extension, so am I. I might not know who you are entirely, but I am familiar with the look in your eyes and, therefore, some thoughts that might reign supreme in your mind. For some reason, you are courting my sister-in-law, but I doubt that you wish to truly be with her. I am not going to be so childish as to warn you to stay away from her. You are both adults, and since Prudence seems invested in this courtship, there is hardly a need for me to interfere. I merely wish to implore you, from one man to another, to proceed with as much caution and open-mindedness as you can muster.
“Everything likely seems simple and clear to you in your mind. You think you know what you want, what would be best for you. But life is a nasty piece of work, and nothing quite tickles fate like the ideals a man holds close to his heart as the absolute truth. You feel the way that you do now, and you might think that will never change—you thirst for solitude and desire to be alone. But trust me, sooner or later, you will realize that those things aren’t the only desires you could want or have. When that time comes, I ask you to keep an open mind. Do not so easily dismiss it. Otherwise, you might end up hurting yourself. And her,” Silas stated quietly, getting into a crouching position during his last statement.
He held his shotgun up, the barrel aimed in the direction of the bird still hobbling about without a care in the world, his grip on the weapon firm and calm. Aiden watched him inhale deeply, place his finger on the trigger, and exhale.
And then, he fired the shot.
About an hour later, as Aiden rode back to Serpenhood Castle, his own kills strapped to the side of his horse—two unlucky hares—he thought back to everything that Silas had said. He had not expected their conversation to go in the direction it did, but he could not say that he had completely hated the entire affair.
Silas was certainly an interesting individual, and Aiden could understand why he possessed the views he did. However, his request felt as important as a dog barking up a tree. Aiden had no wish to change his mind. There was no reason to. From the start, he and Prudence had been clear that their courtship was not going to end in marriage but was, in fact, being carried out in hopes of avoiding that very same outcome.
He wanted to be done with all discussions related to it, once and for all, and Prudence would be leaving the countryside anyway. So, there was no need to entertain thoughts of the possibilities that might lead them down different routes.
There was nothing between them, besides attraction and desire. But that could be dealt with without needing to change the terms of their partnership… right?
The closer he got to his home, the less he believed he had the right answer, after all.
Despite telling him that she would see him soon, Prudence had not expected to meet Aiden again so quickly after the intimate moments they shared at the lake.
The invitation to the Dowager Marchioness’s dinner party had arrived the same day Prudence impulsively decided totake a swim, with the event scheduled for the next evening, much to her mild horror.
It was not as though she did not wish to see Aiden. It was quite the opposite, in fact. Ever since he had left her to walk the remaining distance to Fitzroy House, she had been unable to think of anything else—anyone else but him.
She could still feel his lips on her skin, his sure and warm caresses that helped her fight off the chill from sitting in her wet clothes. Her dreams that night had been filled with memories of his embrace, his kisses, how he had called her lovely and showed her pleasure she had never experienced before.
She had woken up hot and parched, craving more than just water to quench her thirst. She wanted him so much, so badly that her core seemed to throb at the thought of having him between her legs, pressed so closely against her until there was no distance between them.
Which was why she was a bit horrified at the idea of being with him at a public dinner with his family, hers, and other guests. She could barely focus on her daily duties—she had nearly given her grandmother peas instead of her medicine—much less sit through a meal, with Aiden likely sitting close by.
