Page 57 of Her Cursed Duke
Prudence shook her head, trying to convince him that he was wrong. “No, Aiden. That is not true, I do not care about my name. They should not treat you like that. You do not deserve that.”
“You know nothing of what I deserve,” he stated coldly, staring at her. “And that is why we have completely opposite characters. Perhaps this was truly a bad idea, after all.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Prudence spent the two days that followed feeling lost and disheartened.
For some reason, it felt like their ruse had run its course much sooner than it was expected to. And it was sad that the cause had been something that had haunted Aiden his whole life. Witnessing it at his godmother’s dinner party was one thing, but it was another thing entirely to see how quickly people turned on him in the event of a public misfortune.
And still, Aiden had been worried about Prudence, first and foremost. Which was what broke her heart even more.
He seemed to have given up on himself, accepting the role that they had accused him of embodying, but still, he had not wanted to taint Prudence. Even when she had not given much thought to it, only concerned about seeing him live the life he wished, he had been looking out for her, worried about her future and life.
“Prudence? Are you all right? You have been staring at your canvas for the last ten minutes.”
Prudence blinked, noting that her hand was poised over the empty canvas, paintbrush between her fingers, but had yet to make a single stroke. With a sigh, she lowered the brush and used her free hand to rub her eyes.
“I am just tired. Do not worry, Agnes.”
“That will be hard to do because you have been acting like this for three days now. Are you sure there is nothing wrong?” Agnes pressed gently, patting the vacant spot on the settee next to her.
Prudence felt her resolve to hold out on her own crumble. She dropped her paintbrush and left her place before the easel to sit next to her sister.
“I have just been thinking a lot. About Aiden.”
Agnes nodded patiently, waiting for Prudence to proceed.
With a shaky inhale, Prudence did.
“He has to endure so much all the time, and I feel so sorry that there is nothing I can do to help him. That day, at the fair… I feel responsible for how things ended. Perhaps if I had not insisted that he accompany me—”
“Prudence, what happened has nothing to do with you, just as that fire had nothing to do with him. I understand that you are sad and worried for him, but you cannot continue the cycle of blame that has already taken over most of the people here. That is where the problem lies. Everyone is always looking for whom to hold responsible, to point out as the source of their problems, forgetting that, sometimes, things just happen.
“I believe that the Duke had also lost himself to that poor habit. I can only imagine being so young after losing everyone you held dear, only to be held responsible—as a child. He’s stuck in the cycle now, running through it just like the people who put him there. You can’t let it trap you too, Prudence. I’ve seen how he gets around you. It seems like when he is with you, he can finally rest and just be. You might be the only one who can free him from the chains that have kept him bound all his life. Do not lose yourself to them, too,” Agnes told her, gently holding onto her hands.
Prudence let her sister’s words sink in, understanding every point she raised, especially thankful that Agnes hadn’t mentioned her feelings toward Aiden, even though she was quite sure that her sister knew. Prudence still wasn’t sure how she could help Aiden, much less if he would let her, but she wanted to be strong enough to try.
A knock at the door broke the quiet atmosphere, and Prudence turned to the entrance just as Aria entered, holding out a letter to her. “This just arrived from Serpenhood Castle for you, my lady.”
Prudence took the letter and quickly opened it, hoping it was from Aiden. She had missed him dearly, and as much as she wanted to see him, she did not want to impose by showing up at the castle unannounced.
Unfortunately, the letter wasn’t from him.
“What does it say?” Agnes asked softly.
Prudence scanned the words again, inhaling shakily. “It is from the Dowager Marchioness. She wishes to speak with me as soon as possible.”
Prudence could not stop herself from expecting the worst on her way to Serpenhood Castle.
The letter had been so short, consisting of a few sentences greeting Prudence and requesting her presence at the castle at the earliest convenience, leaving no clues for her to deduce if something was wrong. She remembered what Aiden had said about their partnership being a bad idea and wondered if he had come clean to his godmother, stricken with worry about what she would do if that were the case.
After a few deep breaths, Prudence alighted from the carriage and walked to the front of the castle, immediately greeted by the butler.
“Good afternoon, Lady Prudence. Lady Foresthill is expecting you. If you would please follow me this way,” the balding man urged, gesturing down a corridor.
Swallowing, she nodded and followed him, telling herself to remain brave and to stick up for Aiden no matter what happened.
The butler stopped in front of a door and opened it, then stepped inside to announce, “Lady Prudence, my lady.”
