Trapped with the Forbidden Duke (Forbidden Lords #5)

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

E dwina’s stomach was knotted with nerves. She was not accustomed to such a feeling at the thought of seeing her brother. She was used to feeling worried and anxious, but not nervous .

“What if he despises me for all of it?” she whispered to Lucien in the hallway outside the sunroom in Red Acre Lodge.

The physician was setting Nicholas up in the garden, as they had all agreed that he needed to have some fresh air first before coming back inside and sitting with everyone.

“Starting small and then building up,” the physician had recommended upon their arrival.

Isabel had already decided to keep Lucien busy—something Edwina was most looking forward to hearing about.

“He will not,” Lucien assured her.

“What if he blames me for taking away his addiction?”

“Then he can be corrected and blame me first.”

“Lucien.”

“I am serious, Edwina. I do not think he will, nor should you blame yourself. You were a concerned sister who agreed to have her brother rehabilitated. If he is angry, then it means that having you is less important than abusing opiates. In that case, I shall order the lead physician to tighten the protocol. It very well may be that case, and he is bound to crave the relief of addiction, but I believe he will also wish to have you back.”

Edwina could only nod as the doors to the sunroom opened. Lucien lingered in the hallway, allowing her to face her brother for the first time in a month, since their wedding.

There he was, perched on a chair, his face turned up to the early afternoon sun.

Edwina let her shoe scuff against the floor of the terrace, drawing her brother’s attention. “Hello, Nick.”

At that, his face turned to her, and she could have cried at the exhaustion beneath his eyes, the gauntness of his face. It was a mirror image of how he had looked at the lowest moments of his addiction—wasting away—except she had to remind herself that he was recovering.

“Winnie,” he breathed, pushing against the arms of his chair to rise to his feet. And Edwina, for all her nerves and worry, simply threw herself into his arms. “I… I am glad you came. When one of the physicians informed me I could have visitors, I was not sure you would come.”

“And why would I not?” She released him and sat in the chair opposite him.

Edwina had initially planned to walk with Nicholas, but he looked as though his legs would not support him for very long, and she did not have the strength to handle him alone.

“Because of what I have put you through.” There was a hitch in his voice, a tight admission as he looked away from her. “I do not recall a great deal of what we spoke about before you got married, but I know we spoke about forgiveness. But… this time, I wish to speak my mind and know where my thoughts are. Back then, I could feel what was happening, but it was hard to stop my thoughts from slipping away. It was like trying to catch a fish. Hard to keep hold of, hard to feel its true weight. But I am growing more and more lucid by the day.”

“That is excellent,” she whispered, her heart soaring with hope.

“Not quite,” he grumbled. “The lucidity comes with shame, guilt, regret. Every terrible feeling that the opiates had helped me escape. However, by escaping, those feelings would only grow bigger. A vicious cycle.”

“One that you are done with perpetuating?” She pulled back. “I am sorry. Your physician told me not to ask such questions, but?—”

“No, no. Please ask me anything you want. I owe you every answer. And yes, I am done with perpetuating that vicious cycle. One month has felt like an eternity, but at the same time, it is no time at all, really. I could still relapse, and I do not like how it looms over my head like a threat. But in that same thought, I could continue to get better, and I know which future I am consciously working towards.”

Edwina’s eyes welled with tears that she couldn’t hold back. “Nicholas, I am endlessly proud of you.”

“I owe you an apology,” Nicholas murmured. “I am sorry for not being a proper big brother to you as you deserved. You needed a leader, an earl to manage the estate and secure your future. You needed your brother . Instead, I kept you in a state of despair and worry. I almost ruined our family, Winnie. I cannot apologize enough for that, but if I have to do it every day for the rest of my life, then I will.” He swallowed, his mouth tightening. “And thank you. For ensuring that I made it here.”

Edwina nodded. “I am just happy to sit with you like this. It has been some time.”

“It has.”

His thoughts seemed heavy, and as much as Edwina wished to ask him to voice them, she held back. She could not push him. This was a visit, not an interrogation.

“I would like to do this often.”

“I will visit you when and if you are feeling well enough for it.”

She smiled brightly at him, really enjoying being in her brother’s company once again after so long of only worrying about him.

“Edwina,” Nicholas said seriously. “The physician who has been monitoring my mental health asked me what might trigger me to chase opiates. I told him you played a role. Not because of you specifically, but because of the pressure to be a good brother, to be the responsible man you needed. I know they report to you about my recovery, so I didn’t want you to hear about it in the wrong context. Whenever I realized how my addiction made me lose my sense of responsibility and honor, see what I was putting you through, I chased another fix to forget it. Again, that vicious cycle. But I do not consider you as a trigger. Please believe me.”

Edwina blinked slowly, processing his words. She could have guessed as much, but to hear such honesty out in the open made her heart swell.

Reaching across the table, she took his hand and squeezed it. It trembled, but this time, it was not from a high dose of laudanum but from the fatigue of recovery.

“I have missed you, Nicholas,” she told him. “And of course, I believe you. Thank you for telling me.”

He nodded.

“And you have somebody else to thank, you know.”

Nicholas’s eyes darted behind Edwina at the clearing of a throat. A hand brushed Edwina’s shoulder.

Nicholas sat up a little straighter. “Lucien.”

“Nicholas.”

The two men eyed one another, distrust and awkwardness filling the air.

“I believe I may have said some rather unpleasant things to you the last time we spoke,” Nicholas sighed.

“Rather, the last several times. But you look incredibly terrible, so I might just have to forgive you. Honestly, are you even sleeping?”

“I do not look that bad,” Nicholas muttered, rolling his eyes. “I have looked worse.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. “No. No, I do not think you have.”

Despite herself, Edwina sniggered, especially as Nicholas cracked a smile.

“We have a lot to speak about, do we not?” Nicholas asked, glancing again at Lucien.

“Indeed. But I do not wish to press you too hard, so we shall keep it light. Edwina, your aunt has requested your presence in the parlor. We shall join you soon.”

“Oh, Heavens. Edwina, do not leave me with him.”

Edwina laughed as her brother turned pleading eyes on her.

“Is this my punishment? To endure time alone with your husband, who will no doubt give me a good hiding for causing you so much trouble.”

“Perhaps,” she teased. “But you two were friends before he was my husband, so do think of that more.”

As she made to go inside, he caught her wrist. “Edwina… you seem happy. Are you happy with him?” His voice dropped. “I cannot sit with the guilt of thinking you have tied yourself to him only so I can recover here.”

Perhaps at first .

But out loud, she said, “I am most happy, Brother. I would be only happier to see you with color and good weight on your face, and the knowledge of you two being civil once more.”

“I am perfectly civil,” Lucien muttered. “It is this idiotic heathen who is not.”

“Heathen! I shall have you know that I am becoming the perfect gentleman once more, you entitled, pompous duke.”

Edwina tensed up, but the men only smirked at one another, clearly finding their own rhythm.

It would take time, but she was happy to leave them out there for now as she went to join her aunt.

Isabel was in the parlor, sipping her tea and cramming a chocolate square into her mouth before hiding the wrapper beneath her saucer. Right as Edwina walked in, she swallowed, winced, and smiled tightly at her.

“Dearest niece! Come, come. I hope you do not mind me starting my tea ahead of your arrival. You know how I abhor cold beverages. They do very little for one’s poor, dry throat. Hot tea is much more soothing.”

Edwina had no idea what her aunt was speaking about, but she filed the hint away for when she might need a particular remedy for a sore throat. She crossed the room to join her aunt and sat down, embracing her.

She picked up the teacup that had been prepared for her.

“There were some chocolates, too, but that blight of a fool I call my nephew must have eaten them.”

Edwina held back a chuckle, having caught her aunt. “How terrible.”

“He is! He steals everything! The last slice of bread at dinner, the last glass of wine—which we have rationed into very small helpings, should he need to resist the temptation to overindulge once reintroduced to Society. Now, he is stealing my chocolates. They are my one joy while I’m out here all alone.”

Again, Edwina bit back a laugh, for her aunt had always enjoyed living alone. “I am sure more chocolate can be bought.”

Her aunt’s face lit up. “Tremendous! Now, my dear, how are you?”

“I am… doing tremendously well,” Edwina replied, smiling softly. “Married life agrees with me.” The memory of her bent over the breakfast table the other morning while her husband thrust into her flashed through her mind. “It agrees with me a lot .”

“I must admit, your letter was not entirely convincing, but you seem to be much happier than I thought you would be. I caught a glimpse of you and His Grace as you entered the estate. I can see the way he looks at you, Edwina.”

Edwina took a moment to remember the short note she had sent to her aunt during the first week of her marriage, not long after an argument with the Duke and days of avoidance.

Isabel had seen the truth well enough. But now Edwina truly was happy.

“How does he look at me?” she dared to ask.

Isabel took her hand. “As though you are the sun and you are about to come out after the darkest of days. As though he is not even aware of how much he needs sunlight. It is a look you deserve to receive, whether you see it or not. I can see the spark between you two.”

Edwina blushed, smiling widely as she thought of their growing closeness. “Thank you, Aunt Isabel. How has your stay here been?”

“It has been difficult at times,” her aunt admitted. “Your brother’s care is more serious than I realized.”

Again, Edwina had the sense that her aunt had known about Nicholas’s addiction all along, that it might not have been possible to hide in such close proximity, but neither of them said it aloud.

“I am sure he is grateful for your presence,” Edwina told her. “It sounds as though he may have gone mad if he was left alone.”

“I fear I might go mad if I go through another day hearing him pacing in his room. He cannot sleep, and by midday, he is exhausted and falls asleep wherever he is. But I am here for him, and that is all that matters.”

“Indeed,” she said. “And you can write to us should you need anything.”

“Only more chocolate,” Isabel grumbled. “And a stash of wine of my own.”

Edwina laughed, turning to drink her tea. “I am sure we can discuss that.”

“I would like to discuss the social events you are scheduled to attend,” Isabel said, perhaps ready to draw the attention away from Nicholas. “I wish to see my niece performing her ducal duties properly.”

Edwina sighed but smiled. “Well, there is the Rothmonds’ garden party next week…”

And thus appeared a glint in her aunt’s eyes as she told her about her social duties.

The Viscount and Viscountess Rothmond had decided to host a garden party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter, Grace, to a wealthy gentleman’s son—the Viscount Oakton—and Edwina rather enjoyed watching the festivities as she stood next to her husband.

She was holding a glass of champagne, sipping from it slowly as she watched Grace be led around the garden by her betrothed.

“It is beautiful, is it not?” she asked Lucien, gazing up at him.

She imagined hosting a similar event one day, and, without her quite realizing it, she was already envisioning how her children might look like.

Perhaps her daughter would have Lucien’s eyes and hair and her height. Pretty, petite, the lady every suitor would want to court.

Perhaps her son, who would be groomed to take over the dukedom, would be handsome and striking, just like his father.

Edwina quickly shut those thoughts down, reminding herself that Lucien had never spoken of the necessity to have children.

“Very,” he answered, his gaze unfocused as he looked at the proud Viscount as his daughter was handed back to him.

Lord Oakton, Grace, and the Viscount himself stood around a silver vase of peonies, all speaking joyfully.

Beyond them stood the Duke and Duchess of Silverton. The Duchess’s pregnancy was more visible than the last time Edwina had seen her. She looked radiant, glowing at her husband’s side as they laughed at something together. The Duke leaned into her ear, whispering something that had her covering her mouth with a gloved hand, looking scandalized.

Edwina turned to her husband, finding his eyes fixed on the same couple. “Does it make you think of anything? You look lost in thought.”

Before Lucien could answer her question, a voice sounded from behind her—a voice she had not heard in a very long time.

However, a long time was never long enough to go without hearing Lord Stockton’s voice, for her heart sank at the sound of it.

“How delightful,” he sneered. Lucien had immediately turned to face him. “The Duke and Duchess of Stormhold—a happily ever after. I ought to get some credit, no?”

“You ought to leave,” Lucien growled, stepping forward. “I warned you once before about going anywhere near my wife.”

“Ah, but she was not your wife back then.” Lord Stockton laughed cruelly. “She was nothing but a lady in a whore’s dress.”

“How dare you speak of the Duchess in such a way. Only one of us has a stellar reputation among the ton, Stockton. I could have you thrown out of this party, and nobody would even notice you were gone.”

“Your wife would,” Lord Stockton sneered. “Tell me, was your marriage a deal too? Did she offer herself to you for that worthless brother of hers, as she did with me? She could not throw herself at me quickly enough, begging me to be merciful with them.”

Edwina flushed, her teeth gritted in humiliation. She was only grateful that she and Lucien were standing away from the other guests. She had not thrown herself at Lord Stockton but rather accepted an unfair deal. She had, however, thrown herself at the Duke for help.

“My wife is honorable, and you attempted to make her the opposite,” Lucien spat. “Would you prefer to discuss this privately, Stockton? I can still reciprocate what you did to my house. Stockton Estate is rather admirable. Perhaps if I destroy it, reduce it to nothing but ashes, I may buy it. I am sure I have another business I can set up there.”

“You would not dare,” Lord Stockton huffed.

“Insult my wife again and I would very much dare,” Lucien hissed.

Lord Stockton scowled, and Lucien remained stoic beside Edwina, even as the cad walked away.

“I despise him,” Edwina hissed. “How could he have the audacity to show up and say such things?”

“I do not know, but I will not stand for it,” Lucien growled.

Edwina stepped closer to him, her expression innocent as she tugged on his arm, drawing his attention away from Lord Stockton. “I think you are very attractive when you threaten people, especially in defense of my honor.”

“Your honor.” Lucien laughed sarcastically, his face relaxing slightly. “Your honor was ruined long ago in a dark hallway while you stalked me to the library.”

“My! Such accusations, husband.”

“If I could, I would snatch you away from this crowd right now and bury myself between your legs,” he murmured, lowering his voice so that it curled over her ear. She shuddered, pressing close to him. “I would brush my mouth over those beautiful thighs of yours, map out the swell of each breast, and I would make you beg so loudly that the entire party would hear you, and I would not care. I would keep you like that, begging, and I would make you wait.”

Edwina’s neck flushed, her heart rate quickening. “Lucien,” she whispered, gripping his arm as pressure built in her core.

“I would make you wait while you’re on your knees, sucking me off. You have asked to taste me, no? I would not care if we did it at this event. I will have you when and where I please, Edwina. And once you had used your rather clever mouth on me, I would have you riding my cock for as long as you could last. Even if you reached your peak, I would keep you pinned to my cock, chasing my release inside you. Perhaps I would make you climax more than once.”

Edwina was reduced to an utter mess, a whimper escaping her lips. “We… we cannot, although you are a tease for even suggesting such a thing.”

“During the carriage ride home, then,” he murmured. “I shall see how many orgasms I can wring from you before we arrive home. The journey back to Stormhold is at least an hour.”

Edwina was gripping his jacket tightly, feeling dizzy with his sensual speech, which only sent more heat through her. She found she was losing interest in the event they were at, only thinking of how he might drag her to a forgotten path in the woodlands surrounding the Rothmond estate.

When she met his eyes, he smirked at her—wicked and dark, seductive.

“I find myself ready to go home,” he told her. “Do you?”

Several days later, Lucien snarled as he shoved his hands into his hair.

“You have now confirmed that all creditors have been paid?” he demanded.

“Yes,” his solicitor confirmed. “Every back-alley crime lord, dealer, and lender has been paid off.”

“And the risk of revealing any sensitive information?”

“As you said, the extra bribe took care of that, with the threat of having every penny reclaimed should a hint of a whisper about the Earl of Montgomery find itself in the gossip sheets.”

“Good,” Lucien muttered. “Now, there is the matter of another venture to secure for Nicholas. I want him to take over one when he is back on his feet. He must have responsibilities that he cannot rely on others to shoulder. I need something lucrative but small enough that he will be able to handle upon reentering Society.”

“There is the business of producing carriages,” his solicitor suggested. “Not yet fully expanded but planned to be by the time Lord Montgomery would be ready. It could be several months.”

Lucien nodded sharply. “Then I will choose that one.”

“However,” his solicitor continued, wincing, “Lord Stockton has a monopoly over it. He owns the warehouse and imports all the necessary parts. Introducing another competitor would hurt his income greatly, and could possibly land you in trouble with him.”

Lucien only laughed. “I am not afraid of scum like Lord Stockton. See it done. If it hurts Stockton’s business, then I can only see that as a benefit.”

His solicitor hesitated before sighing and nodding. “I shall see it done. May I help with anything else, Your Grace?”

“That will be all.”

With that, Lucien stood up sharply and left his solicitor’s offices.

He climbed into his carriage, thinking only of his wife as he returned to Stormhold to prepare for the ball being held at the Tulley countryside estate that night.