Page 56 of Claimed By the Duke of Ice

“Yes, I have,” Grace argued, shaking her head. “He won’t come back. His aunt told me so. I’ve ruined him!”

“I don’t trust a single thing that woman says,” Matilda replied scornfully, “but I do trust you. And if what you say is true, which I know it is, Nathaniel will be back. He will. He just needs time.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Grace asked.

“Because I believe in true love, sister,” Matilda replied, wiping Grace’s last tear away. “And from what you’ve just told me, that is exactly what you and Nathaniel have. Trust me, sister. True love can overcome anything. I am living proof of it.”

* * *

“Lord York,” Nathaniel stated, surprised when the Rowley patriarch appeared in the gardens instead of Grace. “A pleasure to see you again.”

Aaron Rowley nodded his great head and clasped his meaty hands behind his back.

“I wish I could say the same, Your Grace,” he replied, his tone cordial but short. “But I believe you have caused some pain for my family, so I must ask you to leave.”

Nathaniel felt shame pour through him, threatening to eat him up, but he met Aaron’s eyes like a man and nodded.

“I am aware,” he replied calmly, “but I have come to make things right, I promise you. Please, let me see her.”

Aaron studied his daughter’s husband calmly—as if trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. Nathaniel was not used to being measured in such a way, and it made him uncomfortable, but he held fast and remained still. He was not losing Grace. Not again.

“You have discarded my daughter as if she were no more than an old hat,” Aaron stated, looking Nathaniel up and down. “Why would I ever allow you near her again?”

When Nathaniel didn’t answer right away, Aaron continued, “Women are strong, you know. Our society says it is not so, but it is indeed the truth. In fact, I believe that on most occasions, women are indeed stronger than men, except when their heart is involved. My daughter is a strong woman. All three of my daughters are, just like their mother. But you have wounded her greatly, Your Grace. I feel that is beyond repair.”

“I can repair it,” Nathaniel replied quickly, stepping toward Aaron as he put a hand on his own chest. “I will repair it, I promise you. If you’ll only let me speak to her. This entire situation is my fault and my fault alone, and I promise you that it will never happen again.”

“Indeed, it will not,” Aaron murmured, looking him up and down. “Your words are pleasant, but your actions have not been. Normally, I believe that what happens between a husband and wife is private, except when it comes to physical ailment. You left your wife—my daughter—at a time when she needed you the most.”

“And I am here,” Nathaniel countered. “Late, I know, but I am here. And I will make things right.”

“You know we have not conversed much,” Aaron went on, “but I looked at you as a son once. I was a little taken aback about how your marriage with my daughter came to be, true, but when my family visited you a month ago, I could see the love between you two. I had thought that perhaps my daughter was safe after all.”

“She is safe with me,” Nathaniel replied, feeling his desperation grow.

“That remains to be seen,” Aaron bit out, cutting him off.

Nathaniel took a step back. He had only seen Aaron in his best of moods. And in those, the man came off pleasant and good-natured. But now he was seeing the protective father he could be. And though Nathaniel was disappointed that he was the one who brought this side out of Aaron, his respect for the man grew.

“If she tells me to go,” Nathaniel said slowly, bowing his head for Grace, “I will do so. I will leave this place and give her anything she wants without so much as an ill-thought. But please, allow the decision to be hers.”

Aaron studied him for a moment, looking him up and down as if trying to find a fault. Then he stepped closer and placed a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder. Unlike before, Nathaniel did not flinch or try to move away from the touch but instead brought his gaze up to Aaron.

“If you do not do as you say,” Aaron warned, his voice low and threatening. “If you hurt my daughter again, there will be nothing to protect you from my wrath. Do you understand? I am a cordial man for the most part. But I will do anything to protect my family. Are you prepared to meet such consequences if you fail?”

“Yes,” Nathaniel replied quickly.

Aaron studied him a moment more, his blue eyes looking into the very depths of Nathaniel’s soul. Then, his hand clapped down mightily on Nathaniel’s shoulder, and he nodded.

“Very well then,” Aaron finally agreed, steering Nathaniel toward the house. “I shall take you to her.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Grace.”

Nathaniel’s voice rang out in the silence of the library. Grace didn’t have to turn around to know it was him. Her body told her who it was the moment she heard his voice. Immediately, happiness shot through her, and she closed the book she was trying to read. A trembling started in her limbs as she slowly turned around and saw her husband and father standing in the doorway.

“Nathaniel,” she whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

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