Lavinia giggled. "Sorry."
Alice looked down. "I’m a duchess now," she said, the realization starting to settle in.
"The Duchess of Ravenmoor." Emma nodded. "You’ll have a lot of responsibilities. Managing the estate, hosting events, and eventually, producing an heir."
Alice flinched. "Maybe that’s why he married me...for an heir?"
"Maybe," Lavinia replied. "But there has to be more to it than that."
Emma nodded. "He doesn’t seem like a man who’d marry out of desperation."
Alice had considered that there might be a deeper motive behind Victor’s choice. It was certainly not love and certainly not some grand desire to redeem either of their reputations. Victor had not cared about his reputation for years.
As the reception came to a close, the ballroom filled with members of thetonbegan to thin out, their voices fading into the background. Alice stood by the grand entrance, her heart heavy as she watched everyone offer final farewells. Lavinia and Emma clung to her, their expressions a mix of concern and sorrow, as if she were embarking on a journey to a distant land rather than merely a few hours’ carriage ride away.
When the moment came for Alice to step into the carriage, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain composed. Timothy helped her into the carriage, and for a brief moment, she saw a flicker of concern in his eyes.
"You will do well, Alice," he said to her. "You’re smart and you can take care of yourself. That’s why I am confident."
Alice only responded with a smile. She scanned the crowd, looking for Patience. There were still questions she wanted to ask, and she feared that her window to discuss them was closing.
Victor followed her inside, the door closing with a soft thud. Alice didn’t look up to acknowledge him. She just sat still as the carriage began to move. She stared out the window one last time, annoyed that Patience had been too occupied to see her off. Disappointed, she sat back and watched the familiar sights of the place she called home all her life blur into the background.
Victor sat silently. Even though she couldn’t look directly at him, she could tell he was watching her. She avoided his gaze, trying to keep her eyes on the road, but slowly, she drifted off to sleep, her exhaustion overtaking her as the carriage rolled on. It wasn’t until the carriage began to slow down that Alice stirred, blinking awake just as they reached the grand entrance of Ravenmoor.
The sight of the magnificent house first took her breath away. She stared out the window with widened eyes, dazed by the towering spires reaching toward the night sky. Alice instinctively reached for the door, eager to alight and get a proper look at the Dukedom, but her hand collided with Victor’s at the same time he reached for the same thing, their fingers brushing against each other. A spark of warmth shot through her at the contact, and she felt the familiar tenseness that defined Victor’s presence.
For a fleeting moment, time seemed to still as they locked eyes. Alice quickly pulled her hand back as swiftly as she could. Clasping her hands together.
"What do you reckon will happen if you touch me?" His voice was deep and raspy, sending an involuntary shiver down Alice's spine. "Are you scared you’d turn to stone?"
Alice’s heart skipped a beat as she locked eyes with him. At that moment, he didn’t seem as intimidating as before. His eyes, usually piercing, seemed softer as he spoke. It was a side of him she did not expect to see, a glimpse of a vulnerability hidden beneath the layers of his rough exterior.
It was the first time she had seen just how pretty his eyes were. She liked the shade of green. It was rare.
"My apologies...Your Grace," she said and cleared her throat. "I should have waited. It’s just...we’ve been on the road for quite some time and I was in a haste to stretch my legs."
"You were asleep for the entire journey," he mumbled and stepped out of the carriage.
Alice took a moment before alighting after him. She stood beside the carriage, taking in the view before her. She noticed that he didn’t extend his hand to help her down, a subtle shift that didn’t really surprise her. Despite the distance he maintained, she couldn’t stop thinking about the softness she had just seen in his eyes and wondered where that person had gone.
Although it was dark, she could still see the beauty of the estate. The sprawling grounds before her, illuminated by the faint glow of the moon. The grand stone building towering majestically, its windows gleaming like eyes watching her arrival. The crisp air was refreshing, carrying the earthy scent of damp soil and distant flowers. It was different here.
The kind that she liked.
Now that she felt the fresh air on her face, Alice was fully awake. She kept her eyes on Victor, who was still standing in front of her, talking to the staff. Alice thought about their brief conversation in the carriage...how she had pulled away when her hand accidentally brushed against his as he reached for the carriage door. The sharpness of her reaction had been instinctive, but now it bothered her after seeing his reaction to it. She had recoiled as if his touch had burned her, and his question haunted her thoughts.
Alice stepped forward and stood in front of him. "Your Grace..." she began to say softly, hoping to break the silence and apologize. "...about earlier... when I?—"
He turned to her in a heartbeat but cut her off before she could finish. "We’ll talk later," he said, his tone curt. "You should go to your room for now."
For a brief moment, she wondered if she should be relieved, after all, he didn’t seem angry at her for pulling back. Merely...disappointed. But the way he brushed her off so quickly stung. If any other man had suggested she got some rest, she might have considered his gesture thoughtful, seeing that she had fallen asleep in the carriage. Yet, the grumpiness in his voice made her second-guess it all.
Was he truly offended that she had recoiled from his touch, or was she imagining things?
As she turned around to absorb the scene, a figure emerged from the shadows, walking with a graceful, measured stride. He wasimpeccably dressed in a tailored black suit and approached her with a polite bow, his demeanor calm and composed.
"Welcome to Ravenmoor, Your Grace," he said, his voice smooth and respectful. "I am Roberts, the butler. It is my pleasure to serve you."
