Page 25 of A Bride for the Cruel Duke (Claimed by Regency Devils #1)
Chapter Twenty-Five
C aroline had been on the verge of losing hope when the door to her room opened suddenly. As had been the case for the entire day, each time that door opened she held her breath, expecting it to be Anthony, only for it to be Mr. Jeffries or another member of the staff instead. And each time this happened, she felt her heart crack just that little bit further. Still in one piece, she wasn’t sure how much more she could take until it shattered completely.
That’s right. For the entire day Caroline had sat alone in her bed, recovering from her accident, and not once did Anthony pay her a visit.
That is it then, I suppose. My question answered. Everything he told me, and everything I thought I understood about our relationship was a lie.
Her mood plummeted as one would expect. Such was the despondence she was feeling that her bruised body was barely felt. She had taken a chance on a man who she had known that she shouldn’t, it had backfired spectacularly, and she had only herself to blame.
Thus, when the door opened, she didn’t pay it so much as a glance, content to lie on her back and stare at the ceiling as if it were about to collapse and bury her...
“Caroline...” Anthony’s voice was like a bolt of lightning striking her where she lay. “Are you awake?”
Despite her bruises and the pain that she was in, Caroline sat up immediately, her heart soaring to see Anthony lingering in the doorway. Just like that, all the self-doubt that she had felt, all the worry, second guessing, and depression that she had succumbed to faded away as if they had never been.
“Anthony,” she said, doing her best not to sound too overjoyed, even if she was. She smiled for him, glad for the fire which had been lit just an hour ago, because she wanted Anthony to see how happy she was. “I was wondering where you had got to.”
Anthony grimaced. “I should have come earlier.”
“You are here now, and that is what matters.”
Still lingering by the doorway, Caroline didn’t need to see Anthony’s face, or to look into his eyes, to know how unsure he was.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her.
“What was that? I cannot hear you from all the way over there.”
Finally, he smiled. It was subtle, a flicker across his face, but it was there. Then, he crossed the room for her, hesitating at the end of her bed before sitting himself down. He was by her legs, but still close enough that she was able to reach down and rest a hand on top of his. What was more, he didn’t pull it back at her touch.
“You look better,” he said.
“I feel it. Another night of rest and I am sure I will be as right as rain.”
“Good.” He smiled again, moving his hand so it was on top of hers now. He gave it a squeeze and met her eyes, letting her see that he meant what he said. “I am glad.”
This little moment was still thick with tension. The ease that the two had found in one another was not there as it had been in the glade. It felt more akin to those first couple of nights, when they were feeling the other out and getting a sense for how to act and what to say.
I cannot let this worry me. This is new for Anthony, as it is for me also. I cannot expect him to change overnight. Heck, I cannot expect that of myself either. What is important is that we are trying. That this is not the end, merely the beginning.
The silence between them built steadily. They looked at one another as it did, Caroline smiling, Anthony studying her with a discerning look. If not for how close he sat and the way he held her hand, she might have worried that he was here to dissuade her of her romantic fancies. But she knew Anthony well enough by now to know that he would not do such a thing. If he did not want her, he would simply stop talking to her.
It was because of this silence that Caroline felt the urge to repeat what she had said the last time they’d spoken. Foolish, she knew. A slip of the tongue, even if she had meant every word. But to admit that again might scare him off. So, she held back, as hard as it was to do.
“So...” she began. “What have you been doing to?—”
“I was thinking,” he spoke over her. Not cutting her off, but more as if he hadn’t heard her begin. “Tomorrow, how it might be nice to invite your family for supper.”
She blinked in shock. “You have?”
He hesitated... “Yes. We have been married for two weeks now and it is right that they pay us a visit. That is…” He hesitated further. “That is what normal married couples do, is it not?”
“Is that what we are?” Caroline smiled. “A normal married couple.”
“I would like to be,” Anthony said, although his voice cracked as if he wasn’t quite certain of what he spoke.
Still, Caroline saw this gesture for what it was. Despite the way he had acted this past day, avoiding her, a decision had clearly been made by her husband, and that decision was that he wished to be with her. That this marriage was far from over.
“Me too,” Caroline said, smiling further. “I would like that very much.”
“Good.” Anthony rose suddenly and started across the room. “I will leave you to?—”
“You’re going?”
“Oh...” He paused, as if only just realizing what he was doing. “I... I thought you might need to rest. I did not want to disturb you.”
“You could never disturb me, Anthony. I hope you know that by now.”
Again, there was that sense that he wasn’t certain of what he wanted. Caught between going and staying, his expression turned serious and contemplative as he looked down at her. Behind his eyes, she could see him at pains to decide what to do and how to do it. The new him fighting with the old.
“I am not leaving you...” He walked to her, took her hand, and gave it a kiss. This sent a warmth through her arm, touching at her heart. She sighed with relief and smiled. “But if we wish for your family to be available, it is best I send word tonight, rather than wait for tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I suppose that makes sense.”
“I will see you before I turn in for the night,” he then assured her. “I promise.”
“And I will look forward to it.”
He kissed her hand again, holding his lips to her skin. She held her breath, meeting his eyes as he kissed her, wanting to lean up and take him by the face and kiss him on the lips, but not having the strength. Why is he not kissing me as he did in the glade? He is worried he might hurt me? Or is he being careful not to be too forward...?
Once he released her hand, he started toward the door...
“Anthony,” she called out. He turned back to look at her and again, Caroline felt that urge to tell him how she felt. She was more confident this time that he would return it. Now, she was positive that he was committed in ways that he might not have been the last time he was here. Only... “Thank you,” she said instead. “For everything.”
“Of course.” His smile was tight lipped. “I will see you soon.”
“I’ll count the minutes,” she said with a soft laugh.
He then stepped from the room and closed the door behind him.
Well, that was certainly more awkward than I had hoped.
Still, Caroline took heart from the exchange, reminding herself that for how new all of this was for her, it was the same for Anthony. He had spent a lifetime alone, cut off from others, convinced that all he wanted in this world was to be alone—convinced that he was what people said. Now, with their feelings developing and their relationship growing, he would never be alone again. Clearly, it wasn’t as simple a thing to overcome as she might have hoped.
But he was overcoming it. And he was doing it for her. That was what mattered.
Tomorrow night, her family would visit them, seeing them as a married couple for the first time. This, Caroline realized, would be the ultimate test. To prove to Anthony what married life might be like and what the future for them might hold. Proving to the world at the same time that their marriage was nothing short of a success.
Caroline’s stomach twisted, however when she considered the other side of the coin, that her family were far from ideal dinner guests, or bastions of familial bliss. Together, they were chaos, and that twisting of her stomach tightened as she wondered how exactly she and Anthony were going to get through the night without reverting to their old selves—arguing and fighting, that is.
She needed everything to go perfectly. She needed to prove to Anthony that he could have peace and quiet and be happily married at the same time. Easier said than done, where her family was involved.