Page 45 of His Forsaken Duchess
“Well, Duchess,” he said, “I have something for you.” He gestured toward the box on the table.
Audrey’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “For me?” she asked, her excitement barely concealed.
“Calm down,” he teased. “It is not a diamond necklace.”
“Good,” she said, lifting her chin. “I do not need diamonds. I have a perfectly lovely necklace that I found in our London townhouse.”
Cedric inclined his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “Have you claimed all the jewelry you found there?”
“Indeed, I have,” she replied, her tone prim. “I even sent you a letter detailing my discoveries and claims.”
Cedric paused mid-stride and looked over his shoulder.
Letter?What letter?
Audrey continued, oblivious to his sudden tension. “I confess, I was surprised when you looked so shocked to see me wearing Lady Cecilia’s necklace. I assumed you’d read my letter and knew I would wear it. But now I see it was shock of a different kind.”
Cedric cursed himself inwardly, recalling a letter he had received weeks after their wedding. He had dismissed it in the chaos of his departure, and now it loomed in his mind like a specter. He would have to find it.
“Cedric?” Audrey’s voice broke through his thoughts, soft and questioning.
He blinked, startled. “I beg your pardon?”
“The letter,” she repeated. “Surely you’ve read it?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling a vague response before quickly pulling a deep blue woolen cloak out of the box. “Here,” he said, holding it up.
Audrey’s eyes widened as she stepped closer, her fingers brushing the fabric tentatively. “It’s exquisite,” she murmured. “So soft.”
He draped the cloak over her shoulders, his hands lingering as he adjusted it. The gesture drew her closer to him, their proximity charged with tension.
“I can’t have my Duchess freezing,” he murmured, his voice low.
Audrey looked up at him, her cheeks touched with a faint blush. “You have excellent taste,” she said softly.
Cedric smiled, offering her his arm. “One learns a great deal about their wife’s preferences when receiving monthly bills from the modiste that would put princesses to shame.”
Audrey’s blush deepened. “It wasn’t entirely coincidental,” she admitted. “I wanted to see if there was an amount that would break your determination to keep your distance.”
He chuckled, the sound warm. “You cannot shock me, Audrey. I may live in an old castle, but I am still a duke. I am familiar with the finer things in life.”
She muttered something under her breath, but he caught the words, “Yet, you are not familiar with your Duchess.”
He leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear. “I am now.”
Audrey gasped softly, her blush deepening as she turned away.
They stepped into the grand foyer, where Potts stood with an uncharacteristic smile.
Cedric raised an eyebrow. “Is all well, Potts?”
“The sun is shining, Your Grace,” Potts replied.
Sure enough, when they stepped outside, the golden light reflected off the snow, casting a warm glow over the frosty landscape.
Audrey turned to Cedric, her eyes bright. “Perhaps this augurs good fortune for us.”
Cedric nodded, though a pang of unease twisted in his chest. He wasn’t ready for her to return to London, wasn’t ready to let her go.
