Page 1 of Healing the Duke's Desires
Chapter 1
Calm, blue waters.
Sand to sink one’s toes in.
The horizon to take all of one’s cares away.
Emily Fairchild, the daughter of the Earl of Ashfordshire, gazed at a recently finished painting that adorned the walls of her family’s drawing room, and these were the thoughts that immediately popped into her mind. Her sister Sarah had always been the artist of the family, while Emily herself, although skilled at pianoforte and singing, had never really liked the spotlight it put her in.
She preferred the role of the delicate wallflower, although deep down, she longed for something different, something that would push through these confines of societal propriety and show her what it was truly like to live one’s life.
As she gazed at the painting with envy of her sister’s artistic skills, Emily’s mind wandered to a world beyond the walls of her family’s estate. The distant crashing of waves and the salty scent of the ocean seemed to beckon her, igniting a yearning for adventure and the unknown.
The financial strife of their family had recently become tangible. Everyone could sense that they had fallen on hard times, although outside the confines of these four walls, no one could know their shameful secret.
In that moment, the painting became a portal, a glimpse into the world that lay beyond the boundaries of her sheltered existence, a freedom to be herself, to be as she truly was and not as others expected her to be. It symbolized the dreams and aspirations that quietly stirred within her, waiting for the perfect opportunity to unfurl.
How wonderfully apt Sarah is at awakening one’s deepest desires with her paintings,Emily thought. While quite an avid art lover herself, she had never possessed such skill of color, perception, or inspiration. In a way, her life had been a collection of things she liked to do, but those things to which she wanted to devote herself to, she had no talent for, and sometimes, this realization saddened her.
She paced slowly about the drawing room, her golden blonde hair artfully arranged in a soft coiffure that showcased the intricate craftsmanship of the skilled fingers of her lady’s maid. Adorned with delicate ribbons, her hair added a touch of sophistication to her overall appearance. Her eyes, reminiscent of a cloudless summer sky, sparkled with curiosity at the painting she had just left behind.
She glanced out the window to her right, witnessing a wonderfully sunny afternoon, which seemed to beckon her to go out into the garden and enjoy her afternoon tea with Sarah. The thought made her smile. She rushed out of the drawing room, heading down the elongated corridor where a new portrait of their parents was recently hung, yet another masterpiece of Sarah’s.
In every corner of this grand old house, there was a reminder that Sarah was better at most things than Emily was. Sometimes, it was difficult to turn a blind eye to this.
On the way to find her sister, she overheard heated voices coming from her father’s study, interrupting the serenity of the entire house. They felt like the sound of breaking glass, done by a raging hand. She doubted that she had ever heard her parents speak to each other in such a manner.
It was wrong to listen in, but her curiosity won over. She tiptoed closer to the door, the rug beneath her feet absorbing the sound of her feet.
“… high time… Emily… old enough… help…”
Unconnected words followed each other breathlessly in one endless flow, with Emily being unable to hear the missing information and make any sense of it. But that cold talon of fear creeped up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder to remind her that it was there to ruin her peaceful afternoon, to transform her inner serenity into perplexing turmoil.
Emily’s heart sank all the way down to her heels as her entire body trembled. Doing this was too risky. She didn’t want to be discovered eavesdropping on her own parents, but she simply couldn’t pull away. She wanted to find out more about what was going on. No. Shehadto.
She looked around to see whether she was alone. Fortunately, for the time being, she was. With a quivering hand on the polished surface of the door for support, she pressed her ear against it.
Curiosity intertwined with apprehension, and she was unable to tear herself away from the devastating conversation unfolding on the other side of the door. Her stomach twisted into knots as the weight of the words she had just heard settled upon her like a heavy shroud.
“Patrick, please…” Her mother’s voice quavered with a mix of desperation and concern for their beloved daughter. “I implore you to reconsider this…”
Emily listened intently, hoping to hear what the conversation was really about, although she could venture a good guess—a guess that made her fear for her own future. The question of her marriage had never been brought up, at least not with her present.
That was why she always thought that she still had plenty of time to choose her suitor with much caution, because that was one of the most important choices one could ever make in life. A mistake could have dire consequences.
“No, Anne…” Her father, Patrick, spoke with a voice tinged with frustration and anxiety. Emily could hear that tone of finality that did not allow for any backtalk.
“ButsellingEmily off to that despicable man… it is not right, Patrick,” Emily’s mother urged and pleaded, but to no avail.
The word “selling”settled inside Emily’s heart, sinking all the way down to the bottom. What did they mean by that? She couldn’t understand how one couldsellanother human being. This led her to press her ear even harder to the door, her heart beating so wildly that it threatened to jump right out of her chest and barge into the room, demanding an explanation for this.
“My mind is made up.” The harsh voice of Emily’s father permeated the door through which Emily was listening. “Tobias has offered to pay off our debts and save us from financial ruin. All he is asking in return is Emily’s hand in marriage. I don’t think I need to explain to you how fortunate we are for this chance to have all of our financial woes become a thing of the past.”
Upon hearing this, Emily’s gasped soundlessly, placing her hand to her lips in an effort to remain silent. So, that was what they meant bysellingsomeone. She would be the means of saving her family from financial ruin, by marrying her off to Tobias Montclair, the Marquess of Thornton.
The little contact Emily had had with him assured her he was the last man in all of London she would want to marry. He was cold, cruel, and in desperate need of an heir, which meant he would do anything to obtain one.
“It is the only way out of this mess we’ve found ourselves in, Anne. We have no other choice…”
