Page 45 of Healing the Duke's Desires
“I… I don’t feel very well,” she said, getting up and pressing her hand to her chest.
That much was true. Her heart was aching. Only it wasn’t physical pain. It was something much more painful, something that would never heal, no matter how many physicians looked at it.
Sarah recognized her sister’s silent plea for help immediately. She jumped up and placed her palm on her sister’s forehead. Then, she turned to their mother.
“I do believe she feels a little hot, Mother,” Sarah said. “Why don’t I take her to her chamber and have some tea sent up, while you and Father discuss… things?”
“All right.” Lord Ashfordshire seemed more preoccupied with the upcoming nuptials than with his daughter’s health. “Do so, my dear.” He turned his attention to his wife. “The marquess said there should be an official announcement, with the entiretonpresent and also…”
His voice trailed off slowly, as if he was disappearing into a deep, dark cave, while Emily rested on her sister for support, heading out of the chamber and up the stairs.
She couldn’t shake the deep sense of foreboding, the impending marriage wrapping around her like a suffocating shroud. The prospect of a life without the potential for love, of being ensnared in a union with that vile man, gnawed at her very core. And a thought of life without Alexander… it threatened to be her undoing.
“I’m all right, Sarah,” Emily assured her, her voice weak and on the verge of cracking. “I’m just… exhausted.”
“That’s all right, Emily.” Sarah smiled tenderly, still helping her up. “I’ll stay with you in your room, and if you want to sleep, sleep. I’ll just sit by your side silently and watch over you.”
Emily felt a sudden rush of tears. It was difficult not to allow them to stream down her face.
“Thank you, Sarah,” she gushed. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Sarah rubbed her back as they reached the upper landing and disappeared behind the closed doors of Emily’s chamber.
Chapter 26
“Thank you for taking a stroll with me, Alexander,” Rose said as the two walked languidly through Hyde Park, a realm of tranquility within the bustling heart of the city.
“It is my pleasure,” he replied, welcoming the sight of this verdant sanctuary, a place where time seemed to slow its relentless pace.
Not only that, but it seemed even his own nervous state of mind had relented somewhat, focusing on the nature and all the colors around them. The sun, a gentle artist in the sky, painted strokes of warmth across the entire landscape, adding a shimmery glow to the trees, the grass, and the blossoming flowers.
“I love Mother to death,” Rose admitted, “but sometimes, all this talk of the Season, of balls and all the rules and regulations of finding a potential husband, tends to be too much.”
“Your mother means well,” he reminded her. They followed a cobblestone pathway that meandered through the heart of the park, passing by ancient oaks and proud chestnuts, which seemed to whisper secrets to the wind that rustled their branches tenderly.
“I know,” Rose could agree.
“She just forgets sometimes that these things should not be rushed in any way,” Alexander continued.
“I want to be surprised,” Rose revealed with a contemplative expression.
“Surprised?” he echoed.
She nodded, gripping his arm a little more tightly as a wistful smile graced her lips. “Yes. Just when you think you have figured it all out, that you have prepared for everything, life takes an unexpected turn, leading us down paths we never even imagined.”
His eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he thought that she knew everything about him and Emily. That was, at least, what it seemed from these cryptic words. However, a moment later, he realized she didn’t have anyone in particular in mind, especially not him. Rather, she was speaking from the heart, and he’d found his own truth in her words.
He couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her naivety, at the wondrous way in which she still saw the world. “I remember when we were children, we used to dream about our futures, and everything would be like a neatly drawn map.
We knew what we wanted, what we didn’t want. We seemed to have known everything apart from how to obtain that which we wanted. Now, looking back, it feels like we were merely tracing outlines of constellations, wishing upon stars.”
Suddenly, Alexander longed for that child in him that still had the capacity to wish upon stars and actually believe that the wish would come true. But that was impossible. He was far too jaded for such things. Fortunately, Rose wasn’t.
“The unpredictability of life is always there omnipresent,” he reminded her. “So, you shouldn’t feel wistful. There is always a surprise waiting for us. Now, whether it is a good one or not… that is to be determined.”
“That actually depends on your perspective,” she reminded him.
“What do you mean?”
