Page 73 of Her Cursed Duke
Agnes stared at her, aghast. “I do not understand what you want me to do, Grandmother. Would you like me to separate them? Leave my husband, perhaps? Please pick the former, I’m still unsure I can trust this Aiden fellow.”
“Agnes,” Prudence whined. “I thought you said you’d forgiven him already.”
“No, I said I had grown to tolerate him. He made you cry. My forgiveness is not so easily won. Any more mishaps, and I will drag him to hell myself,” Agnes stated calmly, looking anywhere but at her sister.
“I don’t care what you do or who does it. But if I hear one more giggle oflove in the air, I will jump off a balcony,” Martha said in the very same tone.
“You both are quite terrifying,” Prudence noted uneasily.
“Why, thank you, darling.” Agnes beamed, proud. “So, have you decided what sort of cake you’d like? Should we invite Aiden to join you during the cake tasting? Does he perhaps have a dislike for sweet things? It doesn’t matter if he does, I insist he joins us anyway.”
“No, he’s quite fond of sweets, actually. It is I who could do without. We hope to get a cake without too much sugar in it,” Prudence replied innocently.
“Aw, very well,” Agnes mumbled. “All right, I will speak to the bakers so they’ll make samples that suit your preference. Next is—”
“Um, pardon me,” Aria called from the doorway. “A package just arrived for Lady Prudence.”
Martha peered at the object in the maid’s hands, sighing in relief when she noticed that there were no flowers in sight.“He didn’t send flowers this time. Wonderful, it seems he’s not completely untrainable, after all.”
“You were the one who openly complained that you had developed an allergy to them, even though I never saw you break out in hives or heard you sniff even once,” Prudence said, collecting the package from Aria. “We don’t even know if this is from him. It only says, ‘To Prudence.’”
“Oh, it is from him. Not a single day has passed since your engagement that he’s failed to send some token of his affection. I can’t tell what I dislike more, the parties Beatrice has been throwing in celebration of her godson finally finding a woman who doesn’t believe in all the cursed nonsense or the lavish items he has been sending here. And, dear, I believe allergies can manifest psychologically. How else can one explain the immense irritation I feel each time I spotanotherlarge bouquet of flowers being brought into my home?”
“That has nothing to do with an allergy, Grandmother. You’re just irritated.” Agnes laughed, pursing her lips when Martha whirled around to shoot her a scathing look.
Prudence smiled at them momentarily, thankful to have her family by her side.
It had been a little overwhelming, breaking the news of their engagement upon their return. The Dowager Marchioness had been overjoyed, screaming and clinging to the Dowager Countess, who looked moments away from shooting someone and then herself.
But Martha had taken Prudence aside during the festivities and asked her, “Is this really what you want, darling?”
Prudence had nodded excitedly, her heart feeling so full that she thought it might burst. “It is, Grandmother. I really love him, and he loves me. I don’t want to let our past define us. And I don’t want to live in regret because I know that if I walk away, I’ll miss out on the greatest happiness I’d ever get.”
Martha had patted her cheek fondly and wished with the most feeling Prudence had heard in her voice, “Be happy, then, darling. For as long as you live.”
So, when she complained and made a fuss about the romance she had been forced to witness, Prudence knew she was secretly incredibly happy for her.
The public had taken the news as well as Prudence had expected, spinning tales of how she had set her sights on the Duke because her elder sister was also married to one, led by her desire for a title and wealth. Some said that Aiden had some sort of hold over her and had charmed her into agreeing to be his wife.
Aiden had tried to apologize once, but Prudence had stopped him.“You have nothing to be sorry about. This is not about them—it’s never been about them. This is about you and me, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do, nowhere I wouldn’t go, as long as we’re together. I don’t mind whatever anyone says or thinks if you’re with me. So, stay with me, Aiden.”
He had kissed her, slow and deep, and promised, “I will. Always.”
With him and her family by her side, Prudence felt there was nothing more she could ever want.
Carefully, she ripped apart the brown paper covering the package she had received, surprised to find a beautiful wooden box lying within. It looked familiar somehow, but she couldn’t recall where she’d seen it until she opened it and stared down at its contents.
Inside the box sat thirty-two little paint pots, all lined up from the lightest shade to the darkest shade, neatly telling of their high quality.She couldn’t believe it. She had shown interest in the set for no longer than four minutes that day at the fair, and yet he had—
“I have to go,” she said suddenly, handing the box to Aria and instructing her to place it somewhere safe in her room.
“Where are you going? We were supposed to finish up your wedding plans today. There’s not much left,” Agnes protested, waving a handful of papers.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just—I have to see him,” Prudence said hurriedly, pressing chaste kisses to the cheeks of her sister and grandmother before leaving the room.
“She’s just like a young child now,” Agnes huffed, amused.
Martha nodded, for once choosing to agree with her.“It suits her.”
