Page 55 of Claimed By the Duke of Ice

Her family meant well. Of course, they did. But Grace had grown used to her privacy at Darsland Estate and her ability to not be bothered when she needed space. And now, her family’s constant check-ins that were once so welcome were a bother.

All she wanted was to sleep. To dream of the short time of utopia she and Nathaniel had been able to find. To feel, for only a little while, that her heart was not broken.

“Grace, darling, it’s me,” Matilda called out. Grace lifted herself up in bed as her door opened, and she saw her older sister walk in. Immediately, she noticed the bump in her belly and the slight waddle she had in her walk. Grace looked up at Matilda’s eyes, shocked, and her sister gave her a small smile.

“You’re pregnant,” Grace whispered as Matilda took a seat on her bed.

Matilda laughed softly as she drew Grace into her arms and kissed the side of her head.

“I am indeed,” she confessed, holding Grace with one arm as she patted her belly with the other.

“Just five months or so.”

“That’s why you didn’t visit with Mama and Papa,” Grace murmured, understanding dawning on her.

“Yes,” Matilda sighed, “unfortunately little Samuel the Second was making me terribly nauseous, and the ride was impossible. But he’s better now. And excited to meet you.”

Digging her way out of the thick layers of heartbreak and sadness Grace had coated herself in, Grace leaned her head down onto her sister’s belly and listened. She didn’t have to wait long before a small thump came at her ear, and she smiled wide. Happily, she looked up at Matilda, and they both smiled.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice this earlier,” Grace mused, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Who could blame you, darling?” Matilda replied, patting her hand. “You had quite a bit to worry about on your own.”

“I suppose so,” Grace murmured, leaning down to nuzzle her sister’s belly. Her smile returned when she heard the heartbeat, and she added, “He’s strong.”

“Like his father,” Matilda laughed softly, playing with Grace’s hair.

“And like you.”

Grace sighed and pulled herself away from Matilda’s belly, shaking her head.

“I am not strong,” she replied, resting against the headboard of her bed. “I am a fool. But I am not strong.”

“You are no fool, sister,” Matilda replied quickly, her tone serious. “And you are indeed one of the strongest women I have ever known. When the Ton turned their back on me and our family, you stood by me fearlessly. You didn’t let anyone tell you what I did was wrong or improper, but you stood up for me more than I even stood for myself.”

“Yes, but this is different,” Grace replied, feeling her heartache pour forth again. “You could never hurt Samuel.”

Matilda’s eyebrows furrowed, and she moved so that she could see Grace straight on.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked curiously.

“Nothing,” Grace replied quickly, reaching for the covers. “I’m tired now. Please leave me.”

“No,” Matilda countered, wrestling the covers from Grace’s grip. “You and I have told one another everything, Grace. From the time we learned to talk, we shared every secret with confidence. I am still your sister, and I worry for you. We all do. I understand if you don’t want to tell all of us, but please, at least tell me. Whatever secret you are hiding, it is eating you whole. You must unburden yourself for your own good!”

Tears pricked Grace’s eyes as her feelings consumed her. Her mother, father, and younger sister had tried daily to pull the secrets out of Grace that had been eating her alive, but she couldn’t do it. But now, faced with Matilda, her older sister, best friend, and lifelong confidant, she could not hold it in any longer.

She felt the words spill out of her lips. About her first kiss with Nathaniel, about the night of their wedding, their first race, and all the other nights that had left her feeling useless and hollow. Then she told her about the breakthroughs, about gaining Nathaniel’s trust, about finally finding out why Nathaniel wore gloves all of the time, and the effect touch had on him. Then she told her about the small moments of bliss, of how she began to understand the path to her husband, and finally about how they had found a way to overcome Nathaniel’s malady.

“He had warned me not to ride Black Honey that day,” Grace cried, unable to stop the emotions from pouring out now. “He told me she wasn’t ready, but I didn’t take him seriously. And then I had my fall. And something must have happened then. His symptoms, his issues, must have come back. That is the only reason he would stay away, Matilda. And it was my fault. I hadn’t been so obstinate—if I would have just listened!”

Grace’s words were ripped apart by another sob, and Matilda quickly pulled her close to hold her. Her older sister pet her hair softly as she made calming shushing noises and rocked her.

“I woke up once. While he was carrying me,” Grace choked out. “You should have seen the fear in his eyes, Matilda. It was awful!”

Matilda sat with her for a long time, not saying a word as she held her sister and listened to her story. It was only when Grace’s tears were dry, and her words were used up that she lifted Grace’s chin and looked at her with love-filled eyes.

“Listen to me, my darling,” Matilda urged, her voice emphatic. “You have not lost everything. Do you hear me?”

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