Page 9 of Bound By the Duke

Have an impeccable reputation.

Get married.

Perform my duties perfectly.

Bear an heir.

And yet she had failed. Year after year. Ball after ball.

Her parents had given up hoping. Now, they had taken matters into their own hands.

And somewhere inside her, the quiet little voice that helped her create that list was not whispering to her that maybe this was the only way.

“I want to be useful,” she said finally. “I want to be… something my family can be proud of.”

“You already are.” Louis frowned.

“Not in their eyes,” Aurelia countered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nora crossed to her. “We don’t care about what they see. We care aboutyou. You, Aurelia. You’re not a disappointment. You’re not a burden.”

“I am if I ruin your debut,” Aurelia argued, her smile turning wry.

“I’ll survive.” Nora rolled her eyes. “To be honest, I don’t think I’m ready for marriage.”

Aurelia let out a soft laugh before pulling her sister into a hug. Although Nora groaned—a sign of being crushed—she didn’t pull away.

“Whatever happens,” Nora murmured against her shoulder, “we’re with you. Even if he’s a beast.Especiallyif he’s a beast.”

“And if you need rescuing,” Louis added from his perch on the bed, “I have a stick. A very long one.”

Aurelia let out a chuckle, a genuine one this time. “Good to know.”

She sighed softly, her arms still wrapped around Nora. Somehow, her siblings always made everything feel better, and she knew she would have felt better still if Celia had been around.

The twins left a few minutes later, after promising not to listen at her door for any signs of tears—a promise she knew they wouldn’t keep. When she was alone, she curled up on the window seat, with Sir Whiskerton nestled in her lap.

She stroked his fur while watching the darkness outside, and her mind drifted back to the Duke of Whitmore.

A stranger, with a child who might not exist.