Chapter 13 #2
Edith could feel him trembling and began stroking his arm.
“We did our best, but we couldn’t save them all,” he whispered. “By dawn, the fire had died out, but one of the beams had struck me.”
He took her hand and ran it over his cheek, neck, and shoulder, where his scars were.
“That’s where it hit you?” Edith asked, her heart sinking.
“Yes,” Laurence murmured. “The skin was terribly blistered and burned. The aftermath, though… I could never have imagined what would come next.”
Edith looked at him, swallowing hard. It was clear that whatever had happened had left him traumatized.
“My father… he publicly declared that the tenants had started the fire themselves. He evicted everyone who had survived, claiming the land for the expansion of the estate. When I confronted him about it, he didn’t even bother to deny it.
He said that no title is maintained by mercy.
That weak men are forgotten. That the legacy he had built could not be undone. ”
Edith watched as he clutched the bed sheets, and tears gathered in his eyes. She laid her hand over his to remind him that he was not alone. He glanced at it and took a breath, slowly letting go of the sheets, and wrapped his arm around her.
“After that, most of my friends abandoned me. The woman I loved and was betrothed to fainted at the sight of me and called off our engagement. My father called me a disgrace to the duchy. That my weakness had done this to me and that I was unworthy of everything he had built. The only person who stayed by my side was James.”
“He’s a good man,” Edith murmured.
“He is,” Laurence agreed. “I am grateful, even if I will never admit it to him.”
Edith let out a half-laugh. “I am sure he knows even if you don’t say it.”
Laurence nodded, then his eyes met hers. “In truth? After my former fiancée ended our engagement, I genuinely believed that no one else would ever care for me, that I would never find love or happiness in the arms of another,” he said, tenderly cupping her cheek. “You proved me wrong.”
“I’m glad,” Edith said warmly. “Your father was wrong about a lot of things. Most of all, he was wrong when he said you were a disgrace to the duchy. I’ve seen the work you have put into making sure that the people you oversee live well.
I know how hard you’re trying to make up for the sins of your father. ”
“It feels like it will never be enough,” Laurence admitted in a whisper.
“It doesn’t matter how it feels, Laurence,” Edith chided him gently. “Because the truth of the matter is, you’re a good duke. A particularly good one when compared to those who have come before you. Do not undersell your efforts or your value.”
Laurence smiled and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead. “You are too good to me, Edith. I do not know what I did to deserve your gentle soul.”
“I imagine that jumping into fires and saving children had a role to play in it,” Edith teased.
Laurence rolled his eyes. “I suppose it is only right for my wife to think of me so highly.”
“I do not believe it is just me.” She smiled.
“Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I have seen how Tilly looks at you, and how the servants respect you. I believe they all see what a good man you are.”
“Tilly doesn’t seem to have learned to fear anyone.” He laughed. “And the servants… I believe it to be more of a necessary fear and respect.”
“You would be surprised, Laurence. The servants respect you, yes. And you are well aware that you can be fearsome. But I do not believe they would have done so much to accommodate you if they did not care. I should also say that there appears to be a healthy… distaste for your father.”
“Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Indeed, if my tour with the housekeeper was anything to go by. Not all of them went with you to the fires at the village, but they all saw what you have sacrificed. They also see that you are nothing like your father. Honestly, they refuse to speak about him around me and Tilly. It would not surprise me if they’d all quietly agreed to let him stay dead. ”
Laurence nodded slowly. She could see he was considering what she had said. He took a long breath.
“I… had not considered it that way before. The longest-serving servants who did not come with me that night… I truthfully had assumed they were in support of my father and his actions.”
“I don’t think that’s very fair. There are many reasons why a sane individual may not wish to risk their life and limb in a fire.”
“I suppose you are right. Maybe I haven’t been fair to them.”
“That seems to be a recurring truth for you, husband.” Edith smirked.
“It would seem so,” he sighed. “I don’t think I can be blamed.”
If I had lost my friends and the person I loved due to an injury like that, I would likely think the way he does.
“Still, now you know. So, perhaps you can be a little kinder to them? Or thank them a little more often?” she suggested.
“Maybe.”
Edith kissed his cheek. He smirked and kissed her lips. She moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.
“For tonight,” he murmured between kisses, “I think I have a much different goal in mind.”
“And what would that be?” she asked breathlessly.
“To have my wife thank me instead,” he teased.
He rolled her so she was underneath him and let his hand caress her skin. She shuddered with anticipation as his hand ran up her thigh. He leaned down and kissed her again, swallowing her moans.
His finger found its target, sliding inside her. She moaned into the kiss, her hips bucking slightly. She felt herself getting wetter as his finger prepared her for the pleasures to come.
“My wife is rather eager,” he purred against her lips.
“Only because my husband is rather good,” she breathed.
He grinned and kissed her harder, his thumb pressing against her bud. She gasped and moaned, still sensitive from her earlier release.
“You’re a fast learner,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “I need more.”
He pulled back and lined himself up with her entrance again. She spread her legs for him and whimpered as he filled her.
He kissed and nipped her neck as his hips rolled against hers. Pleasure surged through her body, bringing heat and need in its wake. She couldn’t help but grab his arms.
“My wife,” he panted.
His pace picked up, making her see stars again. He gripped her hips, and she was sure there would be bruises there later. His mouth moved down her body, licking and kissing her collarbone. He grazed his teeth against her skin, making her gasp.
“Laurence!” She could feel herself coiling like a spring.
“You’re so close already,” he murmured as his tongue explored her breasts.
It was enough to send her over the edge, and she cried out as she reached the pinnacle of her release. He grunted and filled her again.
He collapsed onto her and held her tightly. She held him, breathless and satiated. He looked at her, panting, his eyes filled with love and adoration. She could melt into that look forever.
Soon, exhaustion overtook them both, and she fell asleep in his strong arms.
She was going to become addicted to these nights.