Duke of Honor by Aston Alexa

Author:Aston, Alexa
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2021-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Hadley followed Phoebe to her bedchamber. As they entered, she saw Phoebe’s husband sitting in a chair by the window, an open book on his lap and his infant son in his arms.

“Hello, my darling. Lady Hadley,” he greeted. “We have been reading Shakespeare’s sonnets.”

Robby screeched piercingly and then a huge grin crossed his face.

Phoebe went and lifted her son into her arms and kissed his forehead. “Is Papa teaching you to be a romantic?” she cooed to the child. Turning to Hadley, she said, “He is, you know. A romantic.” She smiled fondly at Windham and handed the baby back to him.

“You have a look in your eyes, Wife. You are up to something,” the duke noted.

The duchess smiled. “We are. Operation Rescue.”

“Hmm. It sounds military in nature to me. Who needs to be rescued, my love?”

“The Duke of Hardwick,” Phoebe replied. “He’s meant for Lady Hadley here and is too obstinate to realize it.”

Windham nodded. “I have pointed that very thing out to him myself, my dear.” His gaze turned to Hadley. “Sebastian has feelings for you, my lady. The war changes men, though. It colors the way they view the world. I think my friend was more affected by his experience than most.”

“That is my observation also, Your Grace,” she said. “Hardwick told me, in so many words, that he doesn’t deserve happiness. He kissed me—and then let me know we had no future.”

The duke chuckled. “Couldn’t keep his hands off you. That’s a good thing, my lady.” He reached for his wife’s hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “I assume Operation Rescue is meant to make Sebastian see the wisdom in offering for you.”

“I hope so.” Hadley sighed. “I don’t know how to save him, Your Grace. My head tells me he is a broken man but my heart wants to help him heal.”

A thoughtful expression crossed the duke’s face. “War is devastating to a man’s soul, my lady. In countless ways. Officers, in particular, carry a heavy burden because of the love they feel for their men. When letters are written to loved ones at home confirming a soldier’s death, details and feelings must be suppressed. Duty lies above all else.”

He kissed his son’s head. “Everything about the war stays with you, long after you have left the battlefield. The sounds of the cannons firing until you feel you might grow deaf. The smell of gunpowder and blood permeating the air. The ground littered with bodies—some still and dead, while others who are maimed or fatally wounded cry out for help or their loved ones. You dread falling asleep because you dream of these things. You awaken from the nightmares in a cold sweat, your heart beating so violently you think you will die. You second-guess yourself after a battle because you wished you could have done more to save the men you lost.

“And you must write countless letters to the families of the soldiers under your command who were lost. Over and

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.