Page 31 of Trapped with the Beastly Duke

“Would you like to visit Emberly Castle?” he asked.

Rose lifted her head, meeting his eyes with her hopeful ones. “I should very much like to visit and to get to know your family.”

Something inside his chest twisted, and he found himself nodding. “Very well. We shall make the arrangements, and we shall spend some time at the castle.”

Olivia let out a delighted squeal and immediately began telling Rose of the things they could do. Alexander smiled, though a peculiar emptiness seemed to spread across his chest.

He had not spent more than a few days at a time at the castle, not since his father’s death. Nor had the castle been visited by anyone other than his family in years.

Am I ready to share this with a stranger?

Alexander glanced at Rose, noticing how she seemed to come alive while talking to his sister. He was so used to people treating him with disdain and treating his family with scorn that he had not stopped to consider that Rose would not do the same.

Perhaps I have misjudged her.

He thought about the tall turrets of Emberly Castle. He remembered many days spent there, and the joy of spending time with his younger siblings. Though, none had met many people outside of their family, and Olivia’s display tonight reminded him how unruly they could all be.

Yet, he was unable to shake the feeling that he wanted Rose to see his old home. More than that, he found that he wanted her to like it.

The thought surprised him.

I do not usually care what people think of the castle.

The thought of Rose disliking the castle made him uneasy, but he knew that he would not be able to keep her from it now. He had already agreed, and Olivia would never let him renege on it.

I cannot let myself relax around her. There is nothing to be gained from closeness. She will only despise me in the end.

Sighing, Alexander found himself thinking of all the ways he could avoid seeing his wife once he was in his childhood home. His sister might be determined to have them spend time together, but she knew little of the world.

She was too blinded by her love for him to see his flaws. He knew them, though. And he was determined to keep away from Rose, no matter what it took.

Chapter Eleven

Emberly Castle

Rose and Olivia were strolling arm in arm through the gardens of Emberly Castle. It had been three days since they had arrived at the castle, and the first day when the weather had been pleasant enough to walk through the vast grounds.

“It is such a shame you could not see the gardens as they were before Father died.” Olivia sighed as she carefully avoided a more overgrown and cracked path, steering Rose towards a great maze in the distance.

“What were they like?”

Olivia paused a moment, chewing on her bottom lip as she considered her answer. “Full of life. There were flowers and birds. So many colors, and everywhere you looked, there was something to bring you joy.”

Rose surveyed the landscape around them, trying to see it as Olivia remembered it. Like much of Emberly Castle, the garden was serviceable but devoid of life, color.

It is looked after well enough to survive, but nothing more.

“Is there not a gardener? Who is responsible for the care of the gardens?” Rose asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Hunt is an able gardener, but he lacks direction.” Olivia shook her head. “He fears making a decision my brother would disapprove of, and as the Duke, itmustbe his decision.”

“Is this the case for the rest of the castle?”

Rose was thinking of the drab nature, of all she had seen.

It is almost as though it is a moment captured in time, yet desperate to move forward.

Olivia nodded. “Yes. But my brother is rarely here, and I think Mother feels that it is important that he makes the decisions. Although perhaps it’s because it’s too painful for her.”