Chapter 15

"Ihear Grandmother's library is so big that she had to dedicate a whole tower to it," Margaret said happily.

She'd been chatting nonstop since they'd begun their journey three hours prior.

Helen wondered where her sister got the energy or how she was able to keep such a happy disposition when they were being tossed about with each dip and bump in the road.

Their carriage was not the best there was, but it was of good quality and should have been enough to soften the heavy blow of traveling down the English roads, but their new driver seemed ignorant of better paths, and now they were stuck bouncing around in the carriage.

"Father mentioned that Scottish men are so much nicer than English men and more handsome, too. I wonder if I'll find myself a Scottish beau." Margaret tittered. "Oh, imagine it, Helen. Me wrapped up in the arms of a man more than twice my size."

"That is a rather scary sight." Helen tried for a laugh, but it had been so hard since she felt her heart rip in two at her separation from Alexander.

Thinking of him now brought a longing in her heart which then turned into anger at the fact that days had passed and he hadn't come looking for her and begging her to come back. It then turned into grief that she'd been alone in her feelings, and alone she'd continue to be because she couldn't imagine herself with any other man.

Who would be able to fill the huge hole the Duke had left in her heart?

She'd been called on by various gentlemen of the ton who'd been invited by her father, but even though they were handsome and apparently could keep up a conversation, there was no spark between them.

"I know it's scary to imagine, but think of it, Helen." Margaret sighed, falling back into her seat only to be jostled by the carriage. "You have to use your imagination."

"I can't," Helen admitted softly.

"Oh, Helen." Margaret smiled softly. "You really do have to. It's the only way you can heal. Do you think he's lying around, pining the way you are?"

Her words sent a sharp spear through Helen's heart that she didn't know when acid poured from her mouth.

"You do not have a right to judge me, Sister, when it took you your entire youth to get over a man who never wanted you."

Margaret gasped and fell back into her seat, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Sister, I?—"

"Don't." Margaret raised a hand to stop her. "Don't you dare apologize because it is true. I did waste my youth trying to mourn a man who was happily living his life, and that is why you should learn from my mistakes. Do not waste these years you have on giving in to grief. You know him, and you know that the Duke is a man who goes after what he wants. If he wants you, he'll be back."

"But—"

"No excuses, darling girl. That man, if he wants you, will comb the heavens and the earth looking for you."

"But—"

The carriage stopped with such force that it threw them out of their seats. It took them almost a minute to re-orient themselves.

"Mr. Jenkins, what in the world is going on out there?" Margaret scolded.

"My Ladies, there's a bandit on the road," the man announced, sounding scared. "Don't come out. I'll try to deal with him."

Oh God.

Helen's heart pounded, worrying for the driver and for themselves.

Who knew what evil the bandit would perpetuate before letting them go?

"Identify yourself!" she heard Mr. Jenkins yell.

"You have something of mine in that carriage, and I want it back," she heard the bandit say.

His voice was oddly familiar, but fear didn't let her place it quickly.

"Nothing here belongs to you, bandit," Mr. Jenkins answered him.

The bandit laughed. "Bandit?" he asked. "I am not a bandit. Only a man who is crazy in love, who has been searching for his wife."

Helen and Margaret gasped.

It was Alexander. He was here.

"You have no wife here," Mr. Jenkins said.

Of course, he wouldn't recognize the Duke. He had just started working for them, so he wouldn't know Helen was married to him.

Margaret shot her an ‘I told you so' look and nudged her. "Go to him," she urged.

Helen shook her head, wondering what it meant that Alexander was here. He'd been looking for her?

"Helen, love," he called. "Please put this foolish man out of his misery and come to me."

"Go, Helen." Margaret pushed her again.

"I can't." Helen shook her head.

"Why not?" Margaret asked, surprised. "You wanted to see him, and now he's here."

"I did want to see him, but now that he's here, I don't know what to say."

"Say what's on your heart," Margaret advised.

"Helen," he begged again, "please forgive me."

His voice sounded broken and full of emotion, tugging at her heartstrings.

"Speak your anger, your pain, your grief, and your love," Margaret suggested. "Tell him everything you told me."

"I'll try."

"Good. Now go out there and make peace with your husband."

Helen took a deep, steadying breath and opened the carriage door, stepping out with Mr. Jenkins' help.

"If you need me to step in, don't hesitate to call for me," he told her with a firm look.

She nodded and turned to Alexander, trying to mask her shock at his appearance.

He looked like Mr. Jenkins had said—a bandit with messed-up hair, a partially buttoned shirt that hung loosely off him, and an old pair of breeches he usually wore to do manual work around the castle.

"Why do you look like this?" she asked in surprise.

"I rushed out of the house in a mad dash to find you," he answered, his eyes drinking her in, and she didn't use that phrase lightly, as his eyes ran from the top of her head down to her toes.

"Why?"

"Why?"he echoed.

"Yes. I want to know why you left your home in such a state and in such a hurry to come find me, and I want an honest answer."

He looked stunned for a moment and then pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to her. She tried to hide her disappointment, as she'd been expecting him to wax lyrical about his feelings and not hand her a piece of paper. Perhaps it was a love letter, she reasoned, but scanning through the document, she spotted signatures and testimonials, wondering what it meant.

"What is this?" she asked, handing it back to him.

"It is a proof of ownership, darling." He smiled. "I just purchased a cottage in the country."

"Oh, congratulations to you then," she said tonelessly. "If that is all you came to say, then goodbye."

"Wait." He rushed to pull her into his arms. "Don't you understand? I bought a cottage in the country for us to have the honeymoon that we never had."

"Why would we go on a honeymoon when we're separated? Besides, ours is a marriage of convenience, not a love match."

"You're such a stubborn woman." He laughed. "I don't want us to be separated anymore, damn you. What I'm trying to say is I love you. Helen. I am absolutely and quite terribly in love with you, and I want nothing more than to have you as my wife again."

Helen gasped as Margaret squealed behind her.

When had she even appeared?

"But it was my fault. It was I who ended us?—"

"It wasn't you, love. It was I who stubbornly refused to admit that I'd fallen irrevocably in love with you that is to blame," he interrupted her. "I failed to stop you from leaving, and I failed to see that you weren't faking your concern for me. You really did care for me, didn't you? It was why you stood up to Nathaniel for me and why you chose to forgive me even after seeing my black moods. It was why you brought up the contract because deep down, you hoped that I'd damn the contract."

She nodded, unsure what to say.

"I truly am sorry for making you feel that you were alone in your love. The truth is, I fell for you from the very first moment I saw you breathe fire at me in your father's home, and I fell harder seeing all the attempts you made to get me to cancel the contract."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did." He smiled, kissing her forehead. "I probably should have damned the contract from the start and told you I wanted a real marriage with you, but I was scared that once you saw me for who I am, you would leave."

"I would have never done that."

"I know that now." He nodded, pulling her even closer to him. "Forgive me, darling wife. My life is incomplete without you."

"My life is incomplete without you too," she cried, hugging him.

His lips fell on hers with a hunger she reciprocated, and for a moment, they forgot where they were. At least until their audience cleared their throats when his hands started to roam up and down her body.

"You two are absolutely beautiful," Margaret gushed. "But please do remember there's an unmarried woman in the vicinity."

"I apologize, sister-in-law." Alexander laughed, and putting a hand out in front of him, he continued, "Would you mind if I stole my wife away from you?"

"I would not, except I'm a woman, and I can't travel alone," Margaret pointed out.

They'd been traveling on their own, as Helen was now a married woman and considered responsible enough to chaperone.

"Would you mind staying at our country residence till your handmaid can be brought?" Alexander suggested.

"I wouldn't mind at all." Margaret smiled. "I love the country."

They were helped back into the carriage by Alexander, who stopped to warn Mr. Jenkins about driving too roughly, which was a welcome effort on his part, as their bottoms were truly sore.

When they neared the country home, Helen could barely hide her gasp at the sprawling green fields leading up to the manor.

Workers dotted the fields harvesting wheat, and they looked up from their work as they approached. Helen marveled at the wealth of her husband.

The workers cheered as they approached, and she knew then that her husband must have been a good duke to have his workers show such joy at his arrival.

She turned to look at him astride his horse, looking regal even though he wasn't dressed in trappings befitting his station. She recognized the horse with the sleek brown coat as one of her father's and wondered what had happened to Alexander's black stallion.

Her mouth went dry at the sight of how powerfully he sat astride the horse, his back ramrod straight. Lust licked its way across her bloodstream in a slow and steady stream that had her flushing.

He caught her eyes and winked, and she flushed even deeper.

"My, Helen, that man really loves you," Margaret observed.

"I know. It's so hard to believe it," Helen replied softly.

"I am really happy for you," Margaret stated. "I only hope I'm quite as fortunate as you."

"You will be if you keep an open mind." Helen giggled. "There are many handsome Scottish men, as you've said. Who knows? You might give me handsome red-haired nephews and nieces."

"Oh, stop it." Margaret tittered. "But that wouldn't be so bad."

They burst into laughter, stopping when they felt the carriage come to a halt.

"We're here, ladies," Alexander announced.

"Come. Let's go see your new home," Margaret suggested.

They alighted from the carriage with Alexander's help and met a line of staff already waiting for them outside.

Introductions were done quickly, and they were shown to their chambers to refresh themselves before the noon meal. Alexander stepped into the chamber and smiled, watching Helen's things be unpacked by the maids. When they were done, the servants stepped out, giving them privacy.

Now alone, she was unable to meet his eyes. What could she say to him?

"Do you like the house?" he asked, still standing by the door.

"I—yes, I do," she answered, nodding. "It is quite beautiful."

"Indeed." He smiled. "It has been in my family for generations but was given to Nathaniel in the will. I bought it back from him."

"Oh? I don't think he'd have been too happy to get rid of it."

"On the contrary." Alexander pushed off the door and came to sit beside her on the bed. "He hadn't known about the inheritance or the worth of the property, so it was quite easy for me to buy it from him."

"That was rather low." She laughed.

"I will increase his monthly allowance to make up for my deception. That is the best I can do."

She shook her head at him, and in a moment of weakness, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You make me so happy that I'm almost scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that we won't always be like this." She sighed. "Happy and in love. I've seen what marriage does to people."

"Yes, and I'm a product of one such marriage, which is exactly why I will do my best to keep us happy and in love."

She smiled broadly at him as his words tugged at her heartstrings again.

"I love you, Alex," she said finally, giddy she could say it without feeling fear anymore.

"And I love you more, my Helen."

He placed a kiss on her forehead, and then she turned her face up to him, and he placed a chaste kiss on her lips, which turned heated quickly.

"Ouch!" Helen exclaimed when he laid her across his lap and spanked her bottom.

Apparently, it was still hurting from the brutal beating it had received from the carriage seat.

"What is wrong?" Alexander asked, worrying over her.

"My bottom hurts." She sighed, resisting the urge to do something even more unladylike by rubbing it. "Our journey was not a smooth one, to say the least."

She noticed he had a faraway, naughty look on his face and slapped his arm.

"You can at least say sorry." She pouted.

"I am sorry, but it's hard for me to hear my wife has a sore bottom which is not of my own making." He laughed.

"You're a cad." She slapped his arm again.

"But you love me anyway."

"Indeed." She smiled as he embraced her, placing a warm kiss on her neck that had her sighing in pleasure. "I wouldn't have you any other way."