Page 46 of The Duke of Ice
“I heard his wife and child died,” Diana said. “So tragic. It makes sense that he’s so reserved and perhaps afraid to marry again.”
“Yes, I suppose it does.” Maybe Diana understood him better than Violet did. But then Violet had the advantage of knowing him before tragedy had affected him. He’d been a different person. This man—this Duke of Ice—wasn’t someone she wanted. And that was perhaps the most painful thing of all. The Nick she’d loved and fantasized about was now a permanent dream.
Violet turned to Diana as they neared the entrance to the cathedral. “Would you be happy with someone like him?” Again she wondered if they wouldn’t be a perfect match with their aloof demeanors and carefully constructed exteriors.
“As I could be, I think.”
What an enigmatic response.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” Simon greeted them.
So intent on her conversation with Diana, Violet hadn’t noticed their approach. “Good afternoon.” She curtsied to him and then to Nick, though she didn’t look at Nick’s face. She couldn’t.
“May I escort you inside?” Simon offered his arm to Diana.
“Actually, Duke,” Violet said, seizing the opportunity to help Diana in her endeavor. “Would you mind escorting me to the chapter house? I’m keen to see it.”
“I’d be delighted,” Simon said smoothly, giving his arm to Violet.
Nick presented his arm to Diana, and they entered the cathedral first, veering to the aisle on the right side of the nave.
“I believe the chapter house is this way,” Violet said, inclining her head to the left.
Simon guided her in that direction and sent her a look of confusion. “Why did you do that?” Simon asked.
“Do what?”
“Pair Miss Kingman off with Nick. Are you pretending to be obtuse?”
Violet ignored his question. “Her parents are hoping for a match.”
Simon shook his head. “I do not understand you or Nick. You clearly want each other, are probably in love with each other, yet you run in the opposite direction.”
Violet darted a look toward Nick and Diana. He seemed…attentive. Jealousy snaked through her. “Nick has made his position clear. What we shared is in the past.”
“So he says,” Simon said with a snort. “I saw him yesterday when he kissed you in the ballroom. That is not the action of a man who feels nothing. I don’t care what he says.”
She’d thought so too, but he’d been absolutely forthright about their future—there wasn’t one. She stole another look at him and then jerked her attention back toward the stairs that led to the chapter room. “I’ve loved him for eight years, and I’ve clung to a fantasy that I never dreamed possible. Encountering him at this house party seemed like Fate dealing me a second chance, but it isn’t meant to be. I have to let him go.”
“Nick is an idiot,” he muttered.
She couldn’t disagree with him there. “Just look at this staircase.” Violet was happy to change the subject. “Shall we go up to the chapter room?”
“Yes, let’s.”
As they ascended the stairs, Violet thought of her plan to help Simon. Perhaps she could faint in the chapter room. She glanced behind her to see if anyone had followed but was disappointed to see they had not.
“Stop looking at Nick,” Simon said gruffly. “He doesn’t deserve your attention.”
“I wasn’t, actually. It appears that we’re alone.”
He threw her a wicked smile. “How scandalous.”
She laughed softly as they finished their ascent. The octagonal-shaped chapter room lay before them. A central column supported a ribbed, vaulted ceiling. Windows with ornate, geometric tracery marched around the room, and beneath them were niches topped with a variety of carvings. It was magnificent.
“I see why you wanted to come here,” Simon said.
She let go of his arm and walked to one of the niches. It bore the head of a smiling king. She didn’t dare touch the ancient stone, but studied it intently, marveling at the beauty the masons had created. “This must have taken so long. All these intricate carvings—and this is just one small part of the building.”
