Page 68 of His Forsaken Duchess
Audrey watched the exchange with a bitter twist of her lips. Of course, her father treated Cedric with nothing but reverence. Why wouldn’t he? The man had married her off to Cedric for precisely this reason—his title, his influence, his unshakable power.
Cedric’s gaze flickered back to her for the briefest moment, and her glare sharpened.
Don’t think for a second that I’ve forgiven you.
“Lady Stonebridge,” Cedric said, turning toward her stepmother. His voice was clipped but not unkind. “Lady Clarise, Lady Lilianna.” He acknowledged them with a polite bow, though Audrey noted the distinct coolness in his tone. He hadn’t lost his manners, but warmth was another matter entirely.
Grace rose, smiling as she curtsied. “Your Grace, welcome.”
Lilianna and Clarise murmured their greetings as well, though both looked wide-eyed as they regarded him.
Cedric’s presence tended to have that effect, Audrey thought irritably. He looked as though he had been carved from stone—stern, imposing, and impossible to ignore.
He turned back to her father, and just like that, Audrey felt as though she had been dismissed. The two men moved a little further away, speaking in low, measured tones. She had no idea what they were discussing, nor did she care. The sight of him speaking so casually with her father, his posture all strength and confidence, only grated on her further.
“Is he always so stern?” Clarise whispered, leaning closer to her.
Audrey glanced at her youngest sister, startled by the question. Clarise’s wide, curious eyes were fixed on Cedric, her expression somewhere between awe and wariness.
“He looks like he wants to duel someone. I can see why you wanted to stay away from him for so long,” Lilianna chimed in, her voice just as low.
Audrey stiffened slightly, turning to glare at both of her sisters. “That is unkind,” she said quietly but firmly. “He does not duel people on sight, nor is he as terrible as you imagine.”
Lilianna raised an eyebrow. “He looks dreadful. All scowling and brooding. Like a wolf on the hunt.”
Audrey shot Cedric another glance, her lips pressing into a thin line. Hedidlook rather brooding, standing as he was with his hands clasped behind his back, his brow furrowed slightly as he listened to whatever nonsense her father was surely spewing. Still, her sisters’ words nettled her.
“He is not as terrible as he seems,” she insisted a bit more heatedly than she had intended. “Cedric—he can be refreshingly honest. And straightforward. Unlike so many men in the ton.”
Clarise furrowed her brow. “Honest?”
“Yes,” Audrey said firmly. “He doesn’t play games or pander to anyone. He says what he thinks, whether people wish to hear it or not.”
“Like a savage,” Lilianna muttered.
Audrey shot her a sharp look. “Not a savage. He simply disregards rules that others adhere to, which is… refreshing, at times.”
Clarise tilted her head, her expression puzzled. “Do you not dislike him, though?”
Audrey paused. It was a fair question, and one that left her unsettled.
“I do not dislike him,” she said finally, though her voice was softer now. “He is… kind when he wishes to be. You simply have to know him.”
Lilianna’s gaze turned skeptical, her lips pursed. “Well, I certainly do notknowhim, but I shall take your word for it.”
Grace joined them then, settling into a chair beside Audrey. “Do stop tormenting your sister,” she admonished gently, though her tone was warm. She looked at Audrey with a small smile. “It is good to have you here, dear. We’ve all missed you.”
Audrey felt her shoulders relax slightly. “And I you,” she said softly.
Grace reached over and patted her hand. “I wanted to tell you—though things have been difficult, not everyone has turned against us. Lilianna has found support from some unexpected quarters.”
Audrey turned sharply to her stepmother, furrowing her brow.
Truly?
Twenty-Three
“What do you mean?” Audrey asked.
