Page 144 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

Lavinia smiled. “I finally have you to myself.”

Jane leaned lightly against the window frame. “For approximately five minutes.”

“How are you feeling?”

Jane considered the question honestly. “Relieved.”

Lavinia waited.

Jane drew a slow breath. “My mother is safe.”

She looked toward the drawing room where Lady Wynten laughed with one of Hector’s elderly aunts.

“I no longer wake wondering what Zachary might do next.” Her shoulders relaxed. “I no longer have to search desperately for a husband before everything is taken from us. I cannot explain what that feels like.”

Lavinia squeezed her arm gently. “You do not need to.”

Jane smiled gratefully. “I feel as though I have been holding my breath for months.”

“And now?”

“Now I can breathe.” Jane looked across the room.

Hector was speaking with Ambrose near the fireplace. Even now he carried himself with that same quiet confidence that had first unsettled her. He looked composed. Until Ambrose said something that earned one of Hector’s rare half-smiles.

Jane’s heart gave a ridiculous little flutter. She looked away before anyone noticed. “I do not quite know what to make of him.”

Lavinia raised an eyebrow. “You married him.”

Jane searched for the right words. “I am hopelessly drawn to him. But...he can be so terribly cold. One moment I think I understand him. The next, he withdraws entirely. He keeps so much hidden.”

Lavinia chuckled. “My dear...I believe that man has been in love with you for far longer than even he knew it.”

Jane blinked. “You think so?”

Lavinia smiled knowingly. “Some gentlemen speak constantly because they feel very little. Others struggle to speak because they feel far too much.”

Jane turned that thought over quietly.

Lavinia continued. “I have watched the duke watch you. He rarely takes his eyes off you. I think you simply need patience.”

“I have already needed a great deal of patience.”

“And I suspect you’ll need a little more.” She squeezed Jane’s arm once more. “Now. Go be a duchess.”

Jane laughed. “I shall attempt it.”

They stepped back into the larger gathering together.

Almost immediately, Jane spotted her mother waving enthusiastically from across the room.

“There you are!” Lady Wynten beckoned eagerly.

Jane crossed the room. Hector stood beside her mother. So did Zachary. Her uncle looked distinctly unhappy.

Jane considered that an encouraging sign. “Mama?”

Lady Wynten positively beamed. “My dear!”