How Not to Hate a Duke by Haymore Jennifer

Author:Haymore, Jennifer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2024-02-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Georgiana had been taunting Theo, daring him to try to kiss her again. She’d wanted him to kiss her again. Despite knowing better than to play with fire, she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off the man.

He hadn’t taken her bait, though. Instead, he sat beside her on the blanket, keeping a more-than-respectable distance between them. He handed her a glass of wine before turning to gaze into the dark reaches of the cavern. They sat silently for a few minutes, the only sound the rushing water in the distance as they sipped their wine. Finally, he asked, “What do you think of this place?”

“It’s dark. It’s dirty. It’s gloomy. It’s eerie.” She shrugged and took a sip of wine. “I believe I rather despise it.”

“I find it interesting.”

“Why?”

“Considering how it was created—what it took, over thousands and thousands of years, to create such a strange, wild place.”

She glanced around at the outcroppings and slick walls. “I suppose you’re right. I admit, it is extraordinary in that way. I wouldn’t want to live here, though. Do you think those people back by the entrance reside there as a choice or by necessity?”

“Hard to tell.” He leaned back on his elbows and stared at the cave ceiling high above, lit only intermittently by the scattered torches. “Sometimes,” he said thoughtfully, “I wonder if the remaining tenants on my land have remained there by choice or necessity.”

She grew still at the serious turn in the conversation. “Have you ever asked them?” she inquired softly.

“I doubt they’d give me an honest answer.” He sighed. “You may find this surprising, but I’d like them to be there by choice. I’d like for them to have options but choose to remain because that land is what makes them happy. Does that make sense?”

The previous duke was famous for not giving a fig about anyone beneath him in status—which included just about everyone in the world. Georgiana no longer could bring herself to believe that Theo was anything like his father.

“It does make sense,” she said. “And it is good to strive for your tenants’ happiness.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “I might strive for it, but it seems impossible. I feel the land is tainted, somehow. That it is as far from being a happy place as a nightmare might be. Sometimes I believe it has been cursed.”

“That can’t be true. I’m sure you have experienced at least some happiness at Clairwood Park.”

“Yes,” he admitted after a moment. “When Sebastian and I were very young and our mother was still alive.”

Georgiana didn’t remember the duchess well. She recalled seeing her at church sometimes, and occasionally from a distance at various community events. She was rarely mentioned anymore, her reputation—whatever it might have been—buried deeply under her husband’s far more colorful and scandalous one. “What was your mother like?” Georgiana asked.

“She was…” Theo looked away. “She was a kind, generous soul. She was happy, once. When I was very young, she had many friends who

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.