“You brought it up,” she pointed out.
“I suppose we could trade questions for bites of food again,” he mused, and much as he’d expected, she blushed and then took a large bite of her pie.
She is embarrassed by how little she eats; she doesn’t want me to know about it.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said as she took another large bite. “This really is an excellent steak-and-kidney pie.”
“It’s even better with wine,” he said, and he signaled for a footman to pour the Duchess more.
“Oh, that is very good,” Rosalie agreed as she sipped the wine, and Nathan was pleased as he watched her take another sip, followed by more food.She is really eating more than she has before.
He reached for his own wine glass and took a long gulp before setting it back on the table.
“I always stop here on the way to the Castle,” he said, looking around. “The food and drink are excellent, and the innkeeper is a good, honest man. The rooms we are in are his and his wife’s, but they always insist I take them whenever I stop through.”
“That is very kind of them,” she observed.
“It is. It was difficult for me to accept at first, but they always insist—I think it is an honor for them. Anyway, I understand the importance of hospitality. Of course, I pay them far more than the going rate, and I always come back to this inn, even if it’s not the most convenient way to travel to the Castle.”
“You are loyal,” she said slowly. She was watching him with a thoughtful expression on her face, as if this was just occurring to her.
“I am loyal to the people who earn my loyalty,” he corrected. “For instance, I don’t think one should be blindly loyal to someone just because of family ties.”
“I agree, of course,” she said. “Look at my father.”
“Precisely. But I do value loyalty, and once someone has earned my respect and friendship, I will stand by them through anything.”
She nodded slowly and took another bite of food. “That quality is to your credit.”
“Of course, the opposite is also true,” he noted. “Once someone loses my respect, it is difficult for them to ever get it back.”
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me,” she replied, and he thought he saw the hint of a sarcastic smile. “One doesn’t become a fearsome duke by forgiving easily.”
“What about you?” he asked, choosing to ignore the pointedness of her remark. “Do you forgive easily?”
She looked surprised by the question, and she paused in her eating. “I am not particularly vengeful,” she said after a moment. “Nor do I expect people to be perfect. But I would never forgive, for instance, Lord Cain.”
“Because of how he hurt you?” Nathan asked, and for some reason, he really wanted to know her answer.
“Hurt me?” she responded, her eyebrows going up. “What do you mean?”
“Well, he made you fall in love with him, and then he turned out to be in league with your father.”
“Oh!” Rosalie laughed then shook her head. “No, I was never in love with Lord Cain. Yes, I found him handsome and intriguing, and I certainly had a girlish crush on him, but it wasn’t love. No, what I can’t forgive him for is being involved in Violet’s kidnapping. Anyway, even if he had broken my heart, I could forgive that. What I can’t forgive is someone hurting those I love.”
Nathan smiled slightly. “Ahh. So you are loyal as well.”
She smiled. “Yes, I suppose I am.”
The mood between them remained pleasant for the rest of dinner and continued as he led them back to their rooms later that evening. As they rounded a corner, a candle from a nearby sconce lit up Rosalie’s face, and he saw that she was smiling to herself.
“What is it?” he asked. He’d quite forgotten about their conversation about the castle, and he was surprised when she mentioned it again.
“Oh, I was just thinking about the renovations that Carramere Castle needs.”
“Oh?”
“And, well, it is all a matter of perspective, don’t you think?” She laughed, and he could tell from the way she leaned on his arm that the wine had gone to her head. “You can either dread rebuilding and fixing the castle, or you could look forward to the renovations. After all, it symbolizes a new beginning. Just as you and I are at a new beginning in our lives, in our marriage, so can the castle also start afresh. And you know, I think I’d have some ideas for how to make it your own—our own—and not about your father or family’s legacy.”
