Page 31 of The Duchess and the Beast
She gasped silently and tore her eyes away, stumbling back as if she had been struck.
“Is everything alright?” Sebastian half-turned, but then seemed to think better of it.
“Y-yes, it’s fine,” she stammered, her voice unsteady as she retreated from the tub. “Will you be joining me for supper?”
“Of course. I look forward to it.”
“Me too,” she said a little too quickly as she absently reached for the door handle, throwing it open. “I shall see you then.”
“And I shall see—”
She hurried through the washroom door, and not a moment later, burst through the bedchamber door too, slamming it shut behind her. Leaning back against it, her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and her breath came in quick, sharp gasps. Her body was flushed with a heat that had nothing to do with the steamy warmth of the bath she had just left—rather, it stemmed entirely from what she had just seen.
“Well?” Lucy’s voice broke through her thoughts, causing Virtue to jump a little. “What did he want?”
Virtue found herself unable to respond. Her thoughts were still back in that room, on that reflection, her first real glimpse of her husband’s face.
That face... it was nowhere near as dreadful as she had braced herself for. It was not grotesque, nor hideous, nor anythingmonstrous as she might have feared. To her astonishment, it was handsome… as handsome as she could have hoped, a visage that surely did not deserve to be veiled behind a mask. He was not a monster, neither in temperament nor in appearance. The mask was merely a shield, a barrier he used to hide his true self out of fear.
But his real self was what she desired, now more than ever. She remembered her stories, those of the prince rescuing the princesses, a story she thought herself trapped in only to realize suddenly that she had it all wrong. In this story, unlike those from her childhood, it was the prince who needed rescuing.
He was not the creature he believed himself to be, and all she needed was a chance to remove that mask he wore. Finally then might she see the real man concealed beneath.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The garden could not have been more different from the tragedy it had been just a few days ago. What was once a walk through misery and despair had been transformed into a thing of beauty; a true paradise that made it impossible not to feel some sense of elation at the sight of. It created a mood of vibrance, of ease, and companionship, softening the tension that may have existed between the pair, for the beauty that surrounded them was something to behold.
“What do you think?” Virtue beamed at Sebastian as the two walked side by side. Their hands touched as they walked but Sebastian didn’t move to take her hand, even though Virtue found herself longing he would. “It is really coming along, is it not?”
“Much swifter than I anticipated,” Sebastian agreed. “You have orchestrated a marvel here.”
“We,” Virtue corrected with a sly smile.
“You have orchestrated a marvel here,V.”
Virtue giggled at that. “You know what I meant!Wehave done a wonderful job. Please do not discount yourself.”
Sebastian grinned. “I am afraid I haven’t done anything. The credit is entirely yours.”
“No, no,” Virtue chided lightly, clicking her tongue in gentle reproof. “You are not getting off that easily, Your Grace. This was a collective endeavor...” She matched his grin. “Even if I had to drag you along, kicking and screaming.”
“Pah! I wasn’tthatbad,” Sebastian scoffed.
“You were worse,” she pointed out rightly. “But I suppose you did not take into account how truly stubborn I can be when I set my mind to a task. I am sure you thought that when I asked you to join me in this endeavor, you would be able to resume your activities of standing in the tower watching me all day, feigning you were helping.”
Sebastian paused, his cheeks flushing bright red. “That was one time...”
“That Iknowof,” she countered, folding her arms. He went to speak but she cut him off, enjoying the way it seemed to nettle and delight him all the same. “But we make a good team when we cease bickering like an old married couple, I think. Would you not agree?”
To this, Sebastian smiled, and again, his hand grazed hers but again, he did not make any attempts to take it. “I suppose I do. It is lucky you are so darn stubborn then.”
Like the garden they strolled through, Virtue and Sebastian’s relationship was slowly but progressively blossoming. It had begun as a bleak and disheartening sight, daunting and seemingly beyond redemption. Yet, through five days of gentle nurturing and patience, both the garden and their relationship had transformed remarkably, becoming almost unrecognizable.
Virtue’s patience had been key here. Seeing her husband now for the man he could be, rather than that which he pretended at, she had eased him toward her like one trying to lure a skittish cat to a pale of milk—a slow, steady, and understanding touch. No sudden movements. No over-the-top displays of affection—even if she wanted to at times. Warmth and honesty only, a kind and open heart, a willingness to be accepting of some of his more peculiar tendencies.
It had started with the garden. For five days now, the two had worked together to bring it to life. As he had suggested originally, Sebastian had hired a team of men to do so for them, for the job was large in scale and untenable for two people to manage on their own. But Virtue and Sebastian had been there to direct and give orders, to make decisions, to ensure that what came to pass was a shared vision that they could both admire as one.
“I am notquiteso sure about the roses though.” Virtue came to a stop by a row of rose bushes that ran by the base of the walls that encircled the primary garden.