Page 32 of The Duke's Lesson in Love

“Any wife of mine will sleep in my bed.”

A shiver ran the length of her spine. Sleeping beside Lord Gilleasbuig for one night was anything but boring. A lifetime would be delightful. “If you mean to leave a legacy for your son… your children, the house should be restored.”

His knuckles rolled against the arch of her foot, deeper than his massages thus far.

“It’s a miracle any part of this house is open for habitation.”

She winced when his fingers pressed into her instep. Each pass of his hand became tighter and tighter, and Sadie did not think he realized his growing agitation. “Why?”

He looked away. “Everything you see in this house is a lie, but the broken nursey is the truth of my years here. Although you can’t see it, there is deep rot in these walls. It has festered. I’d rather expose the truth for what it is.”

“I don’t understand how it could have been that bad.”

“The first time they took something from me, I was a little older than Edwin. It was meant to be a lesson in disobedience but all I remember was their cruelty. Had I known they were capable of killing…” He swallowed.

Sadie’s stomach clenched at the pain lacing his voice. His hurt wrapped around her heart.

“I would have given the dog away rather than watch him choke to death in that nursery from being poisoned. I cried for help for minutes…hours, but no one came.” Releasing her foot, he paced the length of the bed. “Boxer was a good hound. He was my only friend.”

“Who would do such a thing?”

“The only two people in the world who were meant to treasure me.”

Tears clouded her vision as she imagined Edwin crying over his dying dog with no one to offer comfort. “Why would they…” the question thickened her voice, choking off the remaining words from being asked.

“He dirtied my trousers. My parents invited friends for a hunting party. I did what they asked and stayed in my room the entire weekend, but Boxer had never been cooped up that long.” He shook his head as if to dispel the memory.

How could she ask him to set aside such hurt? Yet, he must for Edwin’s future and if he hoped for any joy in his life.

“Montdale house and the surrounding estate belongs to you. Show your son love can thrive here now.”

He laughed; the sound bitter. “What do I know of love?”

Could he not see his heart, the devotion, and kindness he showed others? The servants were loyal, as the tenants, and the employees he hired to work the property. Their love for him was as evident as his love for them and the need to see them thrive.

“Are you not afraid I will be just as cruel as my parents?” He sat on the edge of the bed again, leaning close, as to prove his point. His jaw flexed. The blue in his eyes darkened with the force of his restraint. He was trying to intimidate her.

She cupped his cheek between her palms and when he made to jerk away, Sadie held fast to his face. “I am sorry they were cruel to you, and I am sorry for your friend.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Yet it hurts nevertheless.”

He turned into her palm, kissing the inside of each. “Edwin should not pay for what my parents did.”

Sadie nodded. “If you want your son to have a legacy, you need to create a new truth. One he will be proud of. Do not let your past rule you or dictate your future.” She caressed his cheek. Had she not set aside her anger over the deaths of her parents, opening her heart to Edwin would have been impossible and so would finding her place at the orphanage.

“I do want my son to have the love I did not.” He took a shuddering breath. “Will you help me?”

Her pulse quickened at his request. How could she not? “I would like nothing more.”

“Good, because I hear the Duke of Montdale is particularly vexing and now that you have agreed to stay, he will never let you go,” he teased.

She laughed. “I am versed in dealing with unruly boys, Your Grace.”

The smile on his face eased the pain she had seen earlier, and she laughed again. In asking for her help, he had offered her more time with Edwin and a chance to get to know him a little more.

A gentle knock tapped the wall. “May I enter, Your Grace?”

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