Betting on a Duke's Heart by Sing Royaline

Author:Sing, Royaline
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance; Victorian England; Historical romance; Victorian romance; Duke; Duchess; English peerage; ton; Triple Crown; horse racing; Derby; Bet/Wager/Dare; Indian culture; Hindu mythology; Indian folklore; Hindu gods, goddesses; Translations; Sanskrut; Mahabharata; The Love Saga of Nala and Damayanti; Kolkata, India; British Raj; East India Company; multicultural; Tortured Hero; Socially Awkward; #Ownvoices
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2021-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Pushkara mocked Nala. “Let’s finish the game with your only remaining stake. Damayanti.” The words finally stabbed Nala’s heart through the haze of the dice game and Kali’s whispers. He stripped off his jewelry and the garments, throwing them on the board. Clad in a single cloth, both Nala and Damayanti left the kingdom, hand in hand.

“The Love Saga Of Nala And Damayanti,” Mahabharata

“Dina!” Aetius screamed, tearing his throat in shreds. His heart hammered in his chest. What if he hadn’t followed to ensure her safe return home? He shuddered as he lifted her pale face from the dark earth. She looked so fragile in his large palms. Rochko neighed with agonizing sounds beside them. Good horse that he was, he didn’t buck, or worse yet, kick either of them. His mad stomping hooves matched Aetius’s heartbeats.

She groaned, eyes flickering but still closed.

“Jesus.” Aetius hugged her form. “Princess, can you hear me? You are safe.” Aetius checked the back of her head through her mumbling complaints. There wasn’t blood, thank God, or broken bones. Not finding any significant injuries, he decided he’d carry her on Blacknight. Her semi-conscious form cooperated just enough as he carried her back to the horse, grasped her by the hips, and hefted her up the horse’s neck, in front of the saddle. He hopped over the saddle and rode behind her, holding her waist with an arm. Aetius couldn’t take her to his own mansion for fear of a scandal. It was best to get her home. Blacknight walked to the Campbell stables, even though it was farther.

There were no grooms milling around, but he found William in the stable yard. In turn, the good man found Mary. They’d need Dina fully conscious for her to cross the stables, the house, and reach her rooms without getting caught. So they had Dina ensconced in a shed, on a makeshift hay bed, covered with wool blankets. Without asking questions, both of them let Aetius perform a thorough check for broken bones on every inch of her body, properly this time.

“As soon as I leave, call for the doctor. Check for every complaint that passes her lips, or I’ll stick to her bedside myself.” Aetius growled instructions to the maid.

“Let me resign and you can have my job.” The otherwise timid-looking maid put her hands on her hips and dressed him down. She suited every bit to her mistress, her eyes raking him over coals. She’d also fetched respectable clothes for Dina.

“You chose well,” he said to William and backed off, out of the shed into the stable yard.

“So did you, Your Grace,” the imp said, lightening the worried moment and walking to Rochko.

Aetius needed that. Dina was safe. She was here. He could calm his thundering heartbeat. He could breathe. He…he’d stop imagining the worst. He leaned against a wooden column, closing his eyes. He saw her flying through the air like a cannonball before descending to the ground with alarming speed. He’d thought he’d lost her.

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