Page 27 of Bound to the Heartless Duke (Regency Beasts #4)

And without another word, she turned and left first, before Theo made his way out through another door.

The door had barely clicked shut when Cecilia crossed her arms, turned to face her brother, and narrowed her eyes like a soldier preparing for a final standoff.

“Well,” she said, “now that we’re alone, are you going to pretend you care about my honeymoon just to change the subject, or will you tell me the truth?”

Magnus exhaled through his nose. “I was going to ask how Venice was—a harmless nicety. But I see you’re in no mood for niceties.”

“Don’t patronize me,” she warned sternly.

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. That tone. That passive, world-weary ‘I’ve done nothing wrong but everyone’s so upset with me’ voice—don’t use it on me, Magnus.”

Damn, she knew him so well.

Magnus moved to the hearth, folding his arms across his chest. “You’re being dramatic.”

“I just found out that my brother owns a gaming hell and won my best friend’s childhood home in a bet!”

“That’s not exactly?—”

“Do you have any idea how utterly mad this sounds to anyone who isn’t… well, you?”

He turned to her, his jaw tight. “I didn’t plan this.”

“You never do. You just end up in the middle of everything, covered in sin and smugness, and act like it was fate.”

He winced at the harshness of her words. “Not entirely wrong,” he joked.

She sighed heavily and began pacing the room. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it would matter.” He faced the fire.

“It does.”

Magnus watched the flames for a long, quiet moment. Then, in a voice far softer than earlier, he asked, “Do you think I’m a monster?”

Cecilia stopped pacing.

It was so odd hearing those words—words seeking judgment—coming out of Magnus’s mouth that she paused, shocked. Then, she turned around.

“What?”

“You do not seem all too pleased finding out that I am married to Lily.” Magnus turned to look at his sister. “So I’m asking you, do you really believe I would ruin her just for sport? Am I that… heartless?” He raised an eyebrow.

Cecilia sputtered, “You hurt people, Magnus. Sometimes without even realizing it.”

“I know,” he said.

She blinked, again caught off guard.

“I know I’ve made a mess of things.” Magnus heaved a sigh.

“And maybe I didn’t say it in the right way—hell, maybe there’s no right way to say it at all.

But I didn’t just propose to her because of the house.

Or Nathan. Or any damned bargain.” He ran a hand through his dark hair, his voice dropping low.

“I did it because I couldn’t stand the thought of watching her belong to someone else. Not Bailey. Not anyone.”

Cecilia stared at him, stunned.

“I know what kind of man I am,” he continued. “I know what this world sees when they look at me—gaming hells, blood money, a rogue without a soul. But Lily… she saw something else, even when I didn’t deserve it. Especially when I didn’t.”

Cecilia said nothing for a long moment. The rage in her eyes had faded into… something else.

Then, her voice came, soft and skeptical. “You’re in love with her.”

Magnus didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure if he needed to; Cecilia had already seen through him. He had told her the very secret he hadn’t told Lily. The main reason he wanted to marry her.

Now, Cecilia saw it plain as day.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, her arms slowly falling to her sides. “You’re really in love with her.”

Magnus’s mouth twitched, and he quickly turned back to the fire. “I thought that was obvious.”

“It was not.”

“Well, it is now.”

Cecilia pressed a hand to her brow and turned toward the window. “I need a minute.”

“Take all the time you need.”

“I said a minute, not an age.”

He smiled.

And for the first time that morning, Cecilia let out a sound that resembled a laugh. It was brief, exasperated, but unmistakably hers.

Then, without another word, she turned on her heels and hurried out of the room.

Lily was in the guest chamber when Cecilia found her. Apparently, she was preparing the room for her dear friend.

The sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a soft glow on the settee where she had curled up like a depressed princess. Her shoulders were drawn back, her posture tense, and an aloof look flickered in her eyes.

“Why does the bride look so gloomy?” Cecilia’s voice broke through the silence, startling her.

Lily couldn’t help but smile as she sat up straighter.

Cecilia knew there was something they hadn’t done yet. Something they should have done earlier. She opened her arms wide and pulled her friend into a fierce, breath-stealing hug.

“Ceci!” Lily giggled.

“I’m going to scream later,” Cecilia muttered into her hair. “Just not right now.”

The embrace was like a balm to Lily’s soul.

She smiled against her friend’s shoulder. “Fair enough.”

They sat like that for a moment, letting the silence do what words couldn’t. Letting the madness of the morning settle into something gentler.

Eventually, Cecilia pulled back, her eyes shining. “You’re really going to marry him?”

Lily paused, a bit surprised to see her friend talking about the idea of marrying her brother without looking so horrified.

“I am,” she replied quietly.

Cecilia nodded slowly. “And you’re happy?”

“I am.”

There was a long beat of silence between them, as though Cecilia was trying hard to see behind Lily’s mask, while the latter was trying her hardest not to slip.

“I missed you,” Lily said.

Probably an attempt to distract her friend, but in any case, she had meant it.

Cecilia’s lips curled into a trembling smile. “I missed you, too.”

Lily sat up, brushing invisible wrinkles from her skirts. “I was going to explain everything. I owe you that. All of it. I didn’t want you to hear about the house from Nathan, and I should have told you the moment you returned. You’re my dearest friend, and I?—”

Cecilia placed a hand on hers. “Later.”

Lily blinked. “But?—”

“No buts. Right now, I’d rather talk about anything else. Let’s just… have some tea. Possibly eat our weight in scones. Complain about the men in our lives, like decent women do.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “Even Theo?”

Cecilia shrugged. “Especially Theo. He woke me up at dawn and told me not to pack three different coats for a two-day trip. As if I don’t know how many moods England has in August.”

Lily laughed. It was good to have her best friend back. “You haven’t changed.”

“And neither have you, thank God.”

“I’ll call for the maid,” Lily said as she intertwined their fingers. “You can tell me everything about Venice.”

“And you can tell me what in the Lord’s name possessed you to fall for my brother.”

“Oh, I’d need more than tea for that.”

“Wine it is, then.”

They both laughed as they walked out of the room together, the sound echoing through the corridor reminiscent of girlhood.

Whatever storms had passed or were yet to come, they still had each other.

And that was most important.