Page 52 of Claimed By the Duke of Ice

“That won’t be necessary,” Tabitha replied, taking a respectful step back. “I shall press you no further, Your Grace.” She turned, ready to leave him alone once more, but she stopped when she reached the door.

“I am sorry, Nathaniel,” she apologized. “For pressuring you the way I did toward marriage. I should have done better.”

She watched the back of Nathaniel’s shoulders sag, and he dipped his head.

“You couldn’t have known,” he replied, exhausted. “No one did. Save for Grace.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Darling, why don’t you just come home with us until Nathaniel returns?” Susan asked, running a brush through her daughter’s hair. Ever since the accident, she had taken to doing everything for her, whether it was a handmaid’s chore or not.

“No,” Grace replied quickly, looking up at her mother through the mirror. “Not until I at least know where he is.”

It had been four days since she’d awoken and seven days since she’d had her fall. Every second she was awake, she was either outside or by her window, waiting for the moment Nathaniel would return. Doctor Crane had sworn that he’d sent word to her husband and had hoped that it would bring him home. But it had been days now, and there was still no sight of him.

Her heart ached deeply. She was confused, hurt even that he hadn’t been there when she’d awakened. But now, the hurt was being replaced with fear. The nights were the worst. She’d fall asleep thinking of him, and her dreams would conjure up the most realistic erotic thoughts. But then she’d awaken, and her bed would be empty. And her cycle of pain would start all over again. It was not her head or neck that would ache so, but her heart.

“Well, perhaps we could stay a little longer,” her mother continued, putting Grace’s hair in a loose braid so as not to pull at her head. “Just to make sure you continue to do well.”

Grace was about to tell her mother that she was perfectly fine and in no need of supervision when suddenly, Mrs. Snievely burst into her room, breathless. A wave of dizziness hit Grace hard as she shot to her feet, but she breathed through it and took a stumbling step toward the housekeeper.

“He’s back,” Grace stated, her tone full of hope.

Heartache poured from the older woman’s eyes, and she shook her head. Immediately, Grace felt her heart start to break again, and she braced her vanity for support.

“Nay, Your Grace, but his aunt has arrived,” Mrs. Snievely explained. “She wishes to speak with you immediately. Demands it, actually. Perhaps she knows where His Grace is.”

Not wasting any time, Grace reached for Mrs. Snievely’s hand and allowed her to help her walk.

“Take her to me immediately,” she commanded regally.

“Darling,” Susan interjected, “perhaps that is not for the best. Maybe I could speak with her first and then—”

“Your concern is appreciated, Mama, but this is my affair to sort out,” Grace replied, her tone both soft and resolute. “Please, go see to Letitia and Matilda. Make sure they are well. Mrs. Snievely, let us go.”

Not waiting to see if her command was being obeyed, Grace gripped Mrs. Snievely tighter, and the two of them began walking toward the stairs. It took great strength for her to descend so many, and by the time she reached the bottom, she was breathless and shaking. But answers were near, and she wasn’t going to stop for anything.

“Good heavens, girl, what happened to you?” Aunt Tabitha asked as Mrs. Snievely led Grace into the drawing room. She looked Grace up and down as if she were stark naked and mad.

“Where is my husband?” Grace demanded, ignoring the question. “Is he with you? You must tell me at once.”

Aunt Tabitha looked at her rage-filled eyes for a moment, but whatever lecture she was brewing up stayed behind her clenched jaw, and she turned her head down toward her hands, studying her gloves.

“He is indeed,” Aunt Tabitha replied matter-of-factly, brushing imaginary dust away from her skirts. “And he will remain there for quite some time.”

For a moment, Grace couldn’t breathe. Small connections began to form in her brain as to why he would stay away, and the sense of loss she felt suddenly multiplied by the thousands. Unable to take it, she had to sit down.

“Is that why you are here?” Grace asked after struggling to find her voice. “Did he send you?”

“It does not matter how I came to be here,” Aunt Tabitha replied sharply, turning her eyes to Grace once more. “You almost had me fooled, you know,” she went on, taking a step closer to her nephew’s wife. “For a moment—and I mean the briefest of moments, you had me convinced you might actually be good enough for my nephew. Now, it seems you’ve both played us for a fool.”

Anger and hurt barreled through Grace as she lifted her gaze to Tabitha, but she didn’t say a word.

“Nathaniel will stay with me until he’s recovered from whatever it is you’ve done to him,” Tabitha continued, eyeing Grace as if she were some evil thing.

“Perhaps you could do something good in your life for once and tell me what it was.”

Before she could speak, Mrs. Snievely stepped protectively in front of Grace and raised her chin defiantly.

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