Rivals in the Tudor Court by D. L. Bogdan

Author:D. L. Bogdan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2011-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

Elizabeth Howard

“My duchess!” Thomas exclaims as he picks me up and twirls me about like a child.

I cannot laugh. He is too happy about his accession and has not once expressed grief over his father’s passing. It seems unnatural to me, inhuman.

He sets me down. “How do you like the sound of that?” he asks breathlessly, his black eyes sparkling.

“It is very fine,” I say quietly.

“It does not seem fine,” he observes. “What is it?” he demands, his voice threaded with impatience.

I bow my head. “Thomas. Don’t you feel anything at all? Your father has died.”

“It is the order of things,” Thomas tells me, screwing up his face in genuine confusion. “Everyone dies, Elizabeth. The living cannot waste their time mourning something they cannot change.”

A shiver courses through me and I hug myself to ward off the chill.

“I am to return to the north to settle a matter regarding the Earl of Angus,” he goes on.

“Leaving again,” I mutter.

“What do you think I am going to do? Retire to the country?” He shakes his head. “Don’t you realize what this elevation means?” he asks. “I am the Duke of Norfolk!”

“So you have said,” I say. “And I am very proud. But as a duchess, I now require a home of my own. It is far past time.”

“Upon my return, my lady, we shall take to renovating Kenninghall,” he says, taking my hands and squeezing them. “On my dukedom, I promise.”

And he departs.

I watch him go, proud and straight on his black charger. My knight, my husband, my duke.

It is on that day that I cease to think of him as Thomas.

No bridge can cross the chasm between us.

He is not my Thomas anymore.

He is Norfolk.

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.