Chapter 3

CHAPTER3

Katherine felt strange as she walked out of the chapel, her arm linked with Gerald’s strong one. She was dressed in silver silk on a day that was supposed to be special, but instead, it felt long and tiring.

Gerald made her feel slightly better. He wasn’t talkative or anything else during the wedding ceremony, but at least he had to endure the same thing today.

The service was rather small, as the Dowager Duchess of Powell had insisted, which made Katherine feel slightly better—even though her mother-in-law was cold and aloof. She wasn’t paraded around the guests, instead they got married and then left the chapel straight away.

In the carriage, silence fell over them before Katherine started to speak.

“Your mother is kind,” Katherine said in an attempt to start a conversation.

Gerald turned to look at her with an unconvinced expression. He didn’t even have to say anything to prove that she was lying. His family could be summed up as austere and distant in Katherine’s eyes, but she tried not to think about it.

She feared that perhaps she might have offended or upset his family in some manner. Otherwise, she was unsure of why they all came off so cold and distant. Perhaps it was an inherited trait.

“At least we are free from them for a while.” Gerald sighed as he looked out the small window.

The two were headed to an estate where they were to spend their honeymoon. After all, they were married now. The least Katherine thought she could do was get to know her new husband during their time together on the estate.

“Apologies if I sound nosy, Your Grace, but how is your relationship with your family?” Katherine asked out of sheer curiosity.

A part of her was selfishly hoping that he might explain that their distance was due to his father’s death. That he might start opening up to her and forging some kind of bond between them.

But Gerald did none of that.

“Well, I find it to be normal, Duchess. How sons are with mothers, and brothers with brothers,” he responded as his gaze remained fixed on the passing greenery outside the window.

Katherine was displeased with his dispassionate answer.

“My parents tend to be quite obsessive over their image, and that includes me as well.” She laughed uncomfortably. If Gerald wouldn’t open up, she will attempt to do so, even if she wasn’t much of a talker. “But I don’t have many complaints about them. I believe they just want the best for their daughters.”

“You are married to the Duke of Powell now, Duchess. Your parents would be pleased,” Gerald replied, somewhat bitterly.

It made Katherine feel like sharing his personal life annoyed him. She still couldn’t help but notice the vast change in his behavior since she had met him. In the garden, he was funny and inviting. Now, each word he spoke grew more and more brooding than the last.

“I guess we need to get to know one another, Your Grace?” Katherine ventured at last.

Gerald clearly didn’t catch the hints she was throwing in an attempt to bond, so she persisted.

“After all, we are married now. Do you have any interesting stories from your childhood?”

Gerald finally faced her at this question. He furrowed his brow and clenched his jaw slightly. Katherine plastered on a thick smile nonetheless.

“Getting to know one another wouldn’t be necessary, My Lady.” He sighed. He acted as if she were some child who kept tugging on his coat in an attempt to annoy him. “I am the Duke, and now you are the Duchess. We should be cordial toward one another and produce an heir that would take my place one day. Other than that, I see no reason for us to be conversing with one another on such a level.”

“So, you insist we live separate lives, Your Grace?” Katherine huffed in confusion but quickly masked her anger to prevent a fight on their wedding day.

“Correct.” Gerald nodded. “It’s actually quite simple. We are to produce an heir, share meals, and share a home. But other than that, we each complete our own duties apart from one another. You are now mine, but I prefer that we do not form an attachment with one another.”

Katherine didn’t reply to his statement, merely maintaining eye contact with him. It became increasingly difficult to hide the fact that she was deeply upset, and she gathered that her eyes had given her away.

“It’ll be best for both of us.” Gerald sighed with half a smile.

It had to be his way to console someone, but the sigh gave his annoyance away.

* * *

After their arrival at the estate, Katherine felt a fresh bout of loneliness overcome her. It was a strange experience. After all, she had grown so used to being alone that she actually quite enjoyed it. But this loneliness felt a whole lot different than simply being alone.

“I think a walk would be nice in this weather,” she said partially to herself and partially to Gerald. She adjusted the bonnet on her hair.

“All right, Duchess,” Gerald replied as he poured himself a glass of rum.

Katherine looked at him expectantly, a part of her thinking he might join her, but she misjudged him. He looked rather content on his own whilst sipping his rum.

She nodded at him before making her way outside. She followed a sweet garden path, adorned with plenty of colorful flowers on either side. The estate keepers had to create this path specifically for newlyweds, or so she thought, as it was far too romantic to be seen as a regular path.

“You all right there, Madam?” An unfamiliar voice pulled Katherine out of her thoughts.

She started slightly. As she turned to her left, she spotted a flimsy-looking man with a couple of missing teeth. He was sweaty from working beneath the sun, and a pipe dangled from his lips.

“I’m doing just fine, thank you, Sir,” Katherine quickly responded, her voice a little shaky.

A part of her wanted to turn around and head back, but she feared appearing impolite if she did it. Instead, she continued down the path, hoping the man would leave her alone.

“Ye have a nasty limp there, Madam,” the man called as he started walking toward her.

This triggered alarm bells in Katherine’s mind. If this man had any harmful intentions toward her, she wouldn’t even be able to run.

“Well aware, Sir,” she responded bluntly as she quickened her pace. Her limp grew worse.

“I’m just tryin’ to help a pretty young lady. She shouldn’t be walkin’ around by herself. Especially not with a nasty limp,” the man continued, despite her efforts to avoid him.

“I’m quite well by myself,” Katherine mumbled back to him, noticing he was getting closer and closer to her.

But as she continued to limp quickly, she was eventually met with a large hedge blocking her path. It made an odd U shape that trapped her. It was possibly some romantic corner for couples to have picnics, but the man following her didn’t appear as if he intended to have a picnic with her.

His eyes were wrinkled from old age and sunburn, and his toothless mouth curled into an eerie smile. He took another step toward her, completely trapping her.

“Please, Sir,” Katherine pleaded without looking him in the eye. “I merely intended for a calm walk in the garden, and I would like to be left alone.”

“Alone?” The man chuckled. “Pretty ladies like ye shouldn’t be left alone, ever.”

“Away!” a deep voice boomed, causing Katherine to gasp and close her eyes in fear.

For a brief moment, she thought the voice had come from the peculiar man who had followed her, but instead, it happened to be Gerald. He had followed her.

“Hauh!” the strange man retorted in surprise.

Gerald stood closer, towering over his scrawny body. “I said, move away,” he ordered in a surprisingly calm tone. So calm that it had completely chased the strange man away.

“I ain’t did nothin’!” the man shrieked as he scurried away.

“Are you all right, Duchess?” Gerald asked as he stepped closer to Katherine, but she couldn’t hear anything. She could barely see anything.

Slowly, dark spots clouded her vision. Silence had never been so profound. She couldn’t hear, see, or feel a single thing.