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Juliet looked up, noting the concern in Leila’s eyes. “Of course, Leila. What is it?” She had been so lost in her dramatic affairs that she had forgotten about the other new person in Hector’s home. “Are you settling in all right?”

Leila nodded. “Thank you, Your Grace, I am.”

“That’s good,” Juliet sighed. When Leila did not continue, Juliet waved her on. “Were you going to say something?”

Leila clasped her hands nervously. “It is just that…well, the other servants have commented that the Duke is a good man and have spoken highly of his charitable nature…but they also say His Grace has been…different lately. I imagine things have been quite difficult for you as a result. Do you think your present circumstances might improve if you gave him more time to adjust?”

Juliet sighed heavily. She doubted there was a remedy for their unique situation.

She had been sold off to a man she barely knew, one whose true motivations were as mysterious to her as his real character.

The Duchess did not know what to make of it all, and it pained her to think that her days might forever unfold in the same manner they had begun.

“You are sweet to worry, Leila. I just…” she paused, searching for the right words. “I doubt that the present state of affairs will improve because I am certain he does not even care.”

Leila reached out and gave Juliet’s hand a quick squeeze. “Do not be too quick to judge him, Your Grace. I suspect the Duke is trying to adjust. We all are.”

“Is there something I do not know about?”

“The staff gossip, Your Grace,” Leila told her. “His Grace has not been himself since he lost his sister.”

Leila left shortly thereafter which gave Juliet some more time to be alone with her thoughts. She stared at her untouched cup of tea as she considered the nature of her relationship with Hector.

The house felt like a prison cell that resonated with the coldness that had taken up residence between herself and Hector.

A week had passed since their last argument, and during that time, she had barely caught a glimpse of him. He had retreated into his own world, leaving her to wander the halls in solitude.

Juliet deliberately shoved aside all thoughts of her husband.

I wonder how Sonya is faring.

She thought of the convent she had once called home and the sisters who had been her family. She longed for that simplicity, the sense of belonging she had been given there. But here, in this majestic house, she felt like an outsider, unsure of her place or what to do next.

The silence from the convent worried her. She hadn’t received any word of their circumstances, and their lack of communication gnawed at her and increased her anxiety. She missed the cold walls of the nunnery and the comfort she had felt, knowing she was needed.

She sighed again, then leaned back against her chair as her eyes drifted to the window. The sky outside was full of dull, dark clouds that mirrored her somber mood.

Her days seemed to stretch endlessly before her, each one rolling into the next, marked only by Hector’s continued absence.

I must find something to do, or I will perish at this rate.

It was just as Hector had pointed out. She was raised in the Abbey. A woman like her could not sit still and do nothing.

But what can I possibly do?

The thought of approaching Hector and risking another confrontation made her heart wrench. She knew she could bear it, but doing nothing felt equally distasteful.

I must ask when I can visit the convent.

The soft rustle of the curtains drew her attention, and she realized the wind outside was picking up. A walk in the garden would help her to clear her mind and think. She stood, smoothing down her skirts, and decided to venture outside.

Juliet’s thoughts swelled as she made her way through the house. She wondered what Hector was doing and whether he was thinking about her.

Juliet reached the door to the garden, pushed it open, and stepped into the cool afternoon air. The flowers were in full bloom, but their bright colors did not lift her spirits. She wandered down the path, lost in her thoughts, and barely perceived the beauty that surrounded her.

Would I ever feel at home here?

She didn’t have any answers. All she had were the questions and doubts that plagued her every waking moment.