Page 27 of Ravished by the Beastly Duke (Regency Beasts #1)

CHAPTER 27

W illiam had been on the road well over a day. However, despite being weary and tired, not once did he take his mind off his goal: getting his wife back. He had only stopped for a moment to get a bouquet of his wife’s favorite flowers—white tulips.

This was why he was so elated when the carriage finally pulled up to Notley Manor.

The carriage had barely stopped in front of the house when he jumped out, breezing past the butler, who announced his arrival.

“The Duke of Mayfield!”

There was a flurry of footsteps, and the next moment, Eveline’s sisters rushed down the stairs towards him. However, William continued to search for his wife.

Her sisters stopped at the bottom of the stairs, blocking his way to the rest of the house.

“What are you doing here?” Ava asked, glaring daggers at him.

Even Stella did not look kindly at him.

William could not fault them, of course. After all, he had treated their sister rather horribly.

“I only want a moment with Eveline,” he explained.

Ava laughed at him as though he was a jester.

“You only want a moment with Eveline?” she repeated. “You can never have a moment with Eveline. In fact, I would advise you to leave this moment.”

William was at his wits’ end. He had been so determined to get to his wife and take her back home that he had forgotten that her sisters would not take kindly to his return.

“Ava, I know I have wronged Eveline,” he began.

“You certainly have,” Ava sneered.

“You not only wronged her, but you also hurt her terribly,” Stella added.

William took a deep breath as he considered the best way to convince them.

“I promise you, Ava. I will never hurt her again,” he promised.

Ava nodded. “I know you will never hurt her again.”

William was happy. Finally, he was beginning to get through to Eveline’s older sister.

“Because you shall never see her again,” Ava continued. “Now, leave this moment!” she ordered, pointing at the front door.

William was shaken by her words and the fire in her eyes. Her eyes were narrowed with anger, and it was obvious she disliked him at that moment.

“Ava… I…”

“Leave!” she shouted.

William knew there was no use trying to appeal to her when she was so upset. There was only one thing he could do.

“Can you at least give her this?” He held the bouquet out to Stella. “They are her favorite flowers.”

Stella shrank back from him as though he had just tried to infect her with a deadly disease.

“You think a bouquet of tulips would right your wrongs, don’t you?” Ava drawled.

“I could never be presumptuous enough to think that,” he replied. “I only wanted her to have it.”

“Eveline wants nothing from you. Now, leave!”

He turned on his heels and walked out the front door. As he stood outside, he watched Ava go to the butler.

“Do not let him in again!” she ordered the man, before walking back into the house.

William stared at the closed door, feeling defeated. His carriage was only some steps away, waiting to take him home.

The next course of action, of course, was for him to accept defeat, return to his estate, and hope that the heartfelt letters he would send his wife would convey his emotions and convince her to return to him.

However, he refused to do that. He had made a decision, and he was determined to stand by it.

He was at Notley Manor to take his wife back home, and it would take more than two angry sisters to make him give up.

“EVELINE!” he called at the top of his lungs.

Eveline was somewhere in Notley Manor, and no matter how much her sisters tried, he was determined to speak with her.

“I SHALL WAIT HERE UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SPEAK WITH ME!”

His voice echoed back.

He scanned the windows on the first floor, hoping to catch just a glimpse of his wife.

He saw the curtains move in one of the windows, and he knew then that his wife was there. However, he could not make out anyone, as it was too far.

But he was undeterred.

“ALL I WANT IS A MOMENT TO SPEAK WITH YOU, THEN I SHALL GLADLY LEAVE!” he shouted, looking pointedly at the window.

He watched as the curtains closed, but there was no movement beyond.

William knew that he might not get an audience with her soon. Therefore, he decided to make himself more comfortable by sitting on a low wall in front of the house.

Eveline had been absolutely furious when the butler announced William’s arrival, and she had been all too grateful for her sisters, who quickly kicked him out of the house.

However, it was now late at night, and her anger had slowly ebbed, now replaced with concern for him.

She moved to her window, and her heart skipped a beat when she spotted him sitting outside, in the dark.

Since it was so late at night, Eveline could only imagine how cold he must be at that moment. Despite everything, she could not help but pity him.

The door to her room opened, and Ava entered.

Ava frowned when she saw her standing by the window, with the curtain drawn. “Eveline, do not tell me you feel any pity for him.”

“Not quite,” Eveline lied. “I am only concerned for him. Sitting in the cold for so long could cause him to fall sick.”

Ava shrugged. “If he falls sick, then perhaps he would know just a little of the pain you have endured.”

“Even if I despise him, I would not wish for him to catch a cold and fall sick,” Eveline insisted.

“It is his choice to stand outside the house.”

“He said he only wants to talk to me and he shall leave. Perhaps he might listen to me if I go outside and tell him to leave?”

Ava looked doubtful.

“All I will do is tell him to leave,” Eveline promised.

“Fine! But Stella and I will be right behind you,” Ava warned. “We must ensure that he doesn’t try to convince you.”

Eveline was relieved that Ava approved.

She soon made her way downstairs, and as she stepped outside, she could see William scrambling to his feet and approaching her with a bouquet in his hands.

He looked defeated, and yet there was a smile on his face.

“Eveline,” he called.

Despite her anger, her heart clenched at the sight of him.

She stopped just a few feet away from him and stared pointedly at his left side. She was determined not to meet his eyes.

“William, you must leave,” she said.

“Eveline, I am sorry. I should never have…”

“I do not care what you have to say. Leave me alone,” she insisted, her voice breaking just slightly.

“Eveline, look at me,” he pleaded.

She shook her head as she felt tears well up in her eyes. “I want you to leave me alone and never come back. Go back to your home.”

“Eveline, look at me.” William cradled her chin and turned it so that she was forced to look him in the eyes.

Eveline felt the pain in her heart grow tenfold. He looked troubled, as though he were hurting, and for a moment, she remembered the man she had married, the man she had fun with.

However, she reminded herself that the man she had fallen in love with had never existed. In his place was this cruel man, who had shattered her heart into tiny bits.

“Eveline, I know I have wronged you. If I could take back my words, I would.”

Eveline shook her head as her tears finally began to fall. “I cannot believe I’ve ever loved you,” she said bitterly.

“Do not say that yet.”

“I was indeed a fool to have thought that you even cared about me.”

“Do not say that,” William begged. “You are not a fool. I am the fool.”

“And I am an even bigger fool because even now, as I walked out of the door, I still could not bring myself to hate you. I hate myself for still loving you.”

Eveline wiped her tears with the back of her hand as a sob racked her body. She had never been so torn, and she had never felt so awful about herself. She hated that she was not able to keep her composure in front of him.

“I know that I am not good enough for you, yet you did not have to deceive me by pretending that you cared for me.” Her chest heaved uncontrollably.

“How could you possibly think that, Eveline?” William asked, hugging her.

Eveline knew she should shake him off and pull away from him, and yet she could not bring herself to do it.

She had missed him terribly. She had missed being held in his arms while she breathed in his scent.

“You are too good for me,” he said.

“Do not lie to me again,” she muttered.

“I will do anything, endure any punishment, just to show you that I am sorry, just for you to forgive me and come back home.”

His words angered her, and she finally pushed him off her.

“I would be a fool to forgive you. Why would I ever forgive you, when I know that after only a while, you will only tell me you do not have feelings for me?”

“Eveline, I promise you, it will never happen again.”

Eveline wanted to believe him—she desperately wanted to. However, she knew that she would only get hurt again if she did.

“Why should I forgive you?”

“Because I love you!” William shouted.

Eveline was stunned. Not in her wildest dreams did she ever expect that William would profess his love to her, and certainly not under these circumstances.

“I love you, Eveline,” he repeated, taking her hands in his. “I love you so much that it scares me.”

Eveline could not believe her ears.

“I have fought in battles, and yet nothing scares me as much as the thought of losing you, Eveline. It is the reason I pushed you away. I could not live with the knowledge that I might lose you someday.”

“Oh, William,” Eveline breathed as she threw her arms around him. Her heart soared with joy.

“These few days without you made me realize that being away from you was worse than death. I could not live another moment with you,” he continued.

Eveline smiled. “I shall be your wife and go home with you only if we have a honeymoon.”

She watched as her husband’s eyes widened with pleasant surprise, and that surprise quickly turned into joy.

“Yes, Eveline. We shall have a honeymoon and anything else that you want,” he promised as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

The moment their lips met, all of Eveline’s worries melted away, and she could not help but smile.

The world could be crashing around them, and she would not have a care in the world. She was in the arms of her husband. All was well with the world.

“It would behoove you to return to the house before you get sick,” a familiar voice called.

Eveline broke the kiss for a moment.

It was her father, stepping out of his carriage.

“What is happening here?” he asked, looking from Eveline to William and then Ava and Stella, who were standing at the front door, dabbing at their wet eyes.