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“Do you even own a dress for a ball?”

“How long must you insult your youngest sister?”

Irene cleared her throat. “The both of you,” she muttered with a tired shake of her head. “Rather ridiculous how you two tease each other. An outsider might believe we despise one another.”

“Heavens, no,” Cordelia mused, watching her brother with a growing smirk.

Duncan pressed his lips together. “Don’t worry, Irene. Soon her newfound - excuse me,old- husband might talk some respectable sense into our sister sooner rather than later.”

Cordelia couldn’t stop the laugh from blurting out into the room, loudly and boldly. Tiberius jolted, just as surprised as the rest of them to the sound. She grinned as her brother uncomfortably left the room. His seriousness always outweighed his teasing, even though he did it just as easily as she did.

“You two,” Irene said again, her head shaking like a tired mother.

“Are your most beloved treasures.”

Irene looked over at her, the smile she wore growing more and more heavy with a deep sadness Cordelia was unable to understand. “Truly,” she whispered. “You are.”

Scooting across the sofa to get closer to her sister, Cordelia leaned her head against Irene’s shoulder, the scratchy fabric of her mourning clothes sitting uncomfortably on her cheek. She gladly took the uncomfort, soaking in her sister’s presence as much as she could. There, sitting beside her, Cordelia felt as though she were a child again, lounging in the sun and daydreaming about the next painting she wished to craft.

Soon, before she knew it, Cordelia would return to Solshire and reenter the life she found herself living in. In a voice neither of them could hardly hear, Cordelia let out a whisper to Darkenhill Manor, and every creature within.

“I miss you.”

CHAPTER9

When the carriage arrived back at Solshire, Cordelia jolted awake from a dreamless sleep. She blinked as the footman opened the door, a stream of late afternoon sun slicing through the dim compartment. The ride was quiet and swaying, pulling her into a sleep before she even realized she was the slightest bit tired.

The footman extended a hand to help her out, and she graciously took it. As the light grazed over her dress, Cordelia smiled, long wispy hairs from Tiberius lingering across her skirts. Without brushing them off, she began to make her way back towards the entrance to the estate.

When she was halfway up the stairs, the grand doors pushed open, and Mrs. Bellflower stepped out to greet her. Cordelia couldn’t help but remember her first few months at the estate, when the housekeeper barely batted an eye in her direction. It took plenty of time and many difficult moments, but after earning the woman’s respect, Cordelia found a friend in Mrs. Bellflower, in the same way she once cherished Mrs. Atty back at Darkenhill.

“Welcome home, your Grace,” Mrs. Bellflower chimed when she met her on the stairs. “I hope you had a pleasant trip at Darkenhill Manor.”

Cordelia smiled. “I will always be pleased to visit my siblings. Thank you for asking, Mrs. Bellflower.” As they walked up alongside each other, Cordelia heard noise being pulled along the wind from behind the estate. “Is the work on the orangery still going well?”

“It progresses just as planned, your Grace.”

“And Hunters, has he -”

“Hunters hasn’t left his spot overlooking the workers,” Mrs. Bellflower assured, a knowing smile on her lips. “There was a point in which he wandered back into the estate to retrieve something, but you will be most surprised to hear, your Grace, that it was the Duke himself who ordered him back to work.”

Cordelia paused at the threshold. “You aren’t trying to tease me, are you, Mrs. Bellflower?”

“Heavens not, your Grace!”

“Well,” Cordelia mused, swallowing down the pleased smile that threatened to show, “How peculiar. I can only assume it means my husband would want something.”

“Whatever for, your Grace? There isn’t a thing the Duke could be wanting, besides your happiness, of course.”

Cordelia laughed. “What an odd thing to hear.”

“Odd, your Grace?”

“My husband is seeking out my happiness,” Cordelia repeated. “Does that not sound unusual to your ears, Mrs. Bellflower?”

The housekeeper sighed. “While I very much see your point, your Grace, perhaps you might be open to considering the Duke’s efforts to forge a better relationship between the two of you.”

Cordelia glanced over at Mrs. Bellflower, surprised at the sincerity of the housekeeper’s voice. She couldn’ttrulybelieve that the husband who had been missing from his own halls for over a year would want to ensure Cordelia’s comfortability, could she? Cordelia shook her head just as the tightness returned to her chest, spreading to her stomach where restless butterflies danced around haphazardly.