Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When Lydia got out of bed, she would not have been able to predict that this was how the day was going to go. Every step that she took at the duke’s side made her feel more and more on edge. She ought not to be getting to know him. Allowing herself to grow closer to him was only going to end poorly for both of them. It was only going to end in pain and heartache if she could not keep him at arm’s length for at the end of the day, they were going to have different goals.

They could not both have what they wanted. There was no middle ground that she could see.

Even worse was that she found herself empathizing with him. Their childhoods were wholly different and yet so similar at the same time. Looking back at her own youth, she could not remember having time to feel sorry for herself or wish for a more normal childhood because she was simply too busy. There was too much that needed to be done every day—it was not until she entered the marriage mart that she decided that she wanted something for herself.

It was what had led her to Weston.

If things had ended differently, what might their present look like? If he had taken her that night, and courted her after, ending in their own eventual marriage… would they still be walking here like this today? Would he have lost interest in her and resumed his rakish ways?

There was a very real fear in her heart that the only reason he coveted her so deeply now was because she was forbidden, and the one who got away. Lydia needed to face this situation logically, no matter how much she sympathized with him.

But if he were to find a place within her family now? A real place by her side?

“Your Grace, Your Grace!” Margaret called back to them, stealing Weston’s focus and snapping Lydia out of her daydream.

The duke smiled at the young girl and moved quickly to her side.

“Look at this!” Margaret gushed, pressing her finger against the glass window of a shop and animatedly explaining why the different colors on the fan she was eyeing meant different things. She was showing off, Lydia understood. “And there are different ways to hold your fan, but I suppose you know that. Do you not, Your Grace? I have just learned about it. My governess says that I need to know before I enter the marriage mart in a few years!”

“Yes, there are a great many accomplishments that you will need to have before then. Though, I think that focusing on your skills will benefit you far more than fan dances.” The duke explained. “Any young woman needs to take great care in the partners that she selects when the time comes.”

“Yes, but such a pretty fan cannot hurt, yes?” Margaret said prettily, fully intended to con the duke into spoiling her with a pretty new fan. “A girl can never have too much practice, right, Your Grace?”

Lydia would chastise her for such tactics, but it did appear to be working. The way that the duke was able to converse with her daughter now was so much easier than the one from the ice shop. He seemed to enjoy the conversation, even headed inside with her to further examine the fan for themselves. If he purchased it for her…

Was it possible that he would be a decent, loving father… a loving husband?

Lydia’s face flamed at the thought. What was the matter with her? She should not have been having such thoughts. She pressed the back of her hand into her cheek in hopes that it might calm her even slightly.

Weston caught her gaze through the open door of the shop. Leaving Juliet with her governess outside, Lydia headed inside to where the duke was beckoning her. Margaret snapped the fan open, gently wafting the brightly colored green and purple fan toward herself. Lydia did not think that the fan, if purchased today, was going to last long enough to make it to the marriage mart, but it might be something for the pair of them to bond over.

“Can I, Mama? Please?” Margaret asked sweetly.

Lydia glanced over to the duke who gave her a slight nod of approval that he was happy to do it, and a warm smile.

For the first time in years, Lydia almost felt light again.

“Of course, my dove.” Lydia agreed, taking a step back to watch the final interaction so that she might absorb it properly. The duke headed to the clerk to purchase the fan while Margaret beamed at him from his side. She kept glancing back at Lydia with a gentle smile. Perhaps this might not all be as terrible as she first thought.

If it was not, then what happened next? What would that mean?

“Well, are you not a pretty little girl?”

Lydia knew that voice. It was oddly familiar.

“Mistress!” The girl’s governess whispered harshly from outside, and Lydia quickly gathered her skirt and headed outside. Their governess had Juliet by the forearm, holding her tightly and angled slightly behind her body.

“What is the matter? We are family, are we not? I can speak to the girl. Come now, do not be shy! There is just no reason for that!” The man said again.

Lydia spotted him, and her stomach twisted as Cassian looked up at her from the way that he was crouched with his hands on his knees, attempting to be eye level with her daughter. “Juliet, to me.”

Immediately, her daughter complied. It might not make much of a difference who she was hiding behind, but the man was slimy enough that she did not wish for him to be anywhere near her daughter if she could help it. The duke and Margaret exited the shop shortly after, Margaret coming up short behind Lydia.

The duke wasted no time in putting himself between Cassian and the others. A small gesture, but Lydia appreciated it all the same.

“You are not meant to be here, Cassian.” The duke said in a low warning voice, unlike anything that Lydia had ever heard from him before.

A shudder ran down her spine. The authoritative, protective nature of his voice sending tendrils of heat spiraling into her core.

“Why would I leave? We still have so much left that we need to discuss.” Cassian insisted, his gaze soulless and hard.

“We have nothing to discuss with you. It was a mercy to allow you the freedom to leave on your own. It is not a courtesy that I will extend to you a second time. I suggest that you reconsider your actions and leave at once. Do not ever speak to these women again.” Weston warned.

“You dumped me here like a stray dog! I will not be treated in such a way! You cannot honestly expect me to leave here penniless? No, cousin, I think not. I will have what I’m owed.” Cassian says, his face taking on an almost sinister expression that frightened Lydia.

Weston laughed humorlessly. “You are not owed anything at all.”

“The inheritance.” Cassian said as if they were all stupid for not knowing what he meant before now. “Obviously.”

“My lady, why do you not return to the carriage at once, I shall meet you there. It seems that I must have another conversation with this fool.” Weston advised.

Lydia ushered the girls to their governess who quickly started to lead them away. She ought to go with them, but she did not feel comfortable leaving Weston on his own. Certainly, a man of his caliber was more than capable of handling himself in whatever situation that he might find himself in. However, something in her gut said told her she needed to remain by his side.

“It will be all right, my lady, go ahead.” Weston offered once more, with a soft nod and gentle smile to put her at ease.

Though it felt wrong, she decided that it would be best for her to join the girls. With a final look back at the duke, she hurried along.