Page 47 of The Duke's Accidental Wallflower
Minerva swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She had not realized how much she had stifled her sister, how much she had pushed her into a corner, all in the name of protection.
“Chastity...” Minerva began, her voice faltering as she struggled to find the right words. “I am sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
But her apology was met with silence. Chastity’s sobbing had subsided, but the coldness behind her closed door made it clear that forgiveness would not come easily.
“Please, just let me in,” Minerva tried again, her hand resting gently on the door. “Let me talk to you.”
But the door remained firmly shut.
“Go away!” Chastity’s voice came, muffled but still sharp. “I do not want to talk to you!”
Minerva stood there, helpless, her heart breaking at the sound of her sister’s rejection. She wanted to fix things, to make it right, but she did not know how. Everything she had done—all her efforts to protect Chastity—had only driven them apart.
After a few more moments of silence, Minerva stepped back from the door, her shoulders heavy with her guilt. Chastity wasn’t ready to talk. Perhaps she never would be.
With a heavy sigh, Minerva turned and slowly made her way down the hallway, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
She had tried to keep Chastity safe from men like Evan, to shield her from the pain of a broken heart, but in doing so, she had only caused more harm. Now, it wasn’t just her sister she needed to protect from men like Evan—it was herself too.
As Minerva descended the staircase, her mind still weighed down by the conflict with Chastity, she found herself pausing at the base of the steps. She had no idea how to fix this, no idea how to reach her sister. Her heart ached for the girl who had once looked up to her, who had trusted her, and now saw her as the enemy.
Lost in thought, Minerva almost did not notice the figure standing by the parlor door until a familiar voice broke through her haze.
“Minerva?”
She turned, startled, to see her father standing in the doorway, his gray hair illuminated by the flickering light of the nearby lanterns. His presence was calm, as always, but tonight, she noticed something else—a weariness in his posture, years of responsibility and sorrow etched in the lines of his face.
“Father,” she greeted softly, forcing a small smile, though it barely reached her eyes.
Lord Bellington looked at her for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. “You have spoken with your sister?”
Minerva’s shoulders slumped. “I tried,” she admitted. “But she won’t speak to me. She blames me for... everything.”
Her father nodded slowly, his gaze distant as though he were remembering something from long ago. “Your sister’s young,” he said after a pause. “She feels things intensely, much like your mother did.”
Minerva’s breath caught at the mention of her mother. It was rare for her father to speak of her, even though Minerva often saw glimpses of her mother in both Chastity and herself. She stepped closer to her father, intrigued by his tone.
“Why do you say that?” Minerva asked carefully.
Her father gave a soft chuckle, a fond smile playing on his lips. “Your mother was more interested in living life the way she saw fit. But she loved deeply, with her whole heart.” He sighed,his gaze softening as he looked at Minerva. “And, like you, she always took it upon herself to protect others.”
Minerva blinked, caught off guard by the comparison. “I am not... like her,” she said quietly. “I have never been as brave or... as free-spirited.”
Her father shook his head, stepping closer to her. “You are more like her than you realize. You have always put others before yourself—Chastity, the family... But you forget, Minerva, that you also have a life to live. Your own desires, your own hopes.”
Minerva swallowed hard, the words hitting her unexpectedly. “I do not—” She stopped herself, unsure of what to say. “I do not know what I want.”
Her father studied her for a moment, his expression softening even more. “Perhaps you do, but you have spent so long caring for everyone else that you have buried it.”
Minerva felt her chest tighten at his words. She had always focused on her duties, on protecting Chastity, on keeping everything in order. But what about her own dreams? Her own future?
Lord Bellington placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “When your mother and I first met, she was... hesitant to let herself fall in love. She had spent so much of her life trying to be strong for her family that she forgot to let anyone be strong for her.”
Minerva looked up at her father, her heart aching at the thought of her mother’s struggles.
“Your mother taught me that love isn’t about control, or keeping everything perfect. It is about allowing yourself to be vulnerable, to trust someone else to share the burden with you.”
Minerva blinked back the sudden sting of tears in her eyes, her father’s words sinking in. She had been so focused on controlling everything, on protecting Chastity from the world, that she had closed herself off from her own feelings—her own vulnerability.
