Unlocking the Secrets of a Duke’s Heart - Abby Ayles Page 0,1
deep moan, unable to stop himself as the sounds of mourning came from him.
“Shhh,” the woman said, as if to comfort him.
But there was no comfort. A hard, cruel coldness began to creep through the boy’s veins, as though everything he had ever known was now lost to him.
The boy would not be moved, although the woman tried to pull him away, holding tightly to his hand.
“There’s nothing for it,” she said to the man.
“He won’t leave on his own accord until that ship is halfway out to sea again,” the man replied.
Finally, the boy felt the man’s arms scooping him up.
He screamed and fought with all his might, but he was overpowered. There was no chance that he would be able to get the man to put him down, to let him go, to give him the freedom to run back onto the ship and be with his uncle again.
It had to be a mistake. His uncle would not do this to him. It had to be a mistake.
But the man carried him from the dock, and soon the boy could see the water no longer.
His uncle was lost to him.
Chapter 1
Amelia Shenton was relaxing in the parlor, enjoying the sun’s rays slanting through the window. She heard a shuffle, and her grandmother, Beatrice, entered the room with a flourish.
“Oh, good! Your brother will be arriving from Scotland tomorrow,” she said, her light green eyes gazing upon a letter in her hands that seemed to sway with each of her own motions.
Amelia tried to hide the amusement that was reflected in eyes the same color as her grandmother’s. Only Beatrice was capable of turning the simple act of reading a letter into a form of dance.
“That is wonderful, Grandmama!” Amelia exclaimed, with genuine excitement. She had not seen her brother in several months, and she missed him terribly. It had been difficult to be separated from him for so long. He was truly a friend, in addition to being a brother.
And yet, Amelia understood the importance of his time away. Her poor, dear brother needed to grieve. He had been through so much and had barely been hanging on by the time he had previously returned to England. She hoped this visit to Scotland would be a breath of fresh air and open the doors to his heart being healed.
However, she had also enjoyed this time with her grandmother. Just the two of them. It had been such an unexpectedly pleasant surprise, although she had always enjoyed living with Beatrice.
Without the seriousness and the tension that had existed between Jacob and their father, there had been nothing but games, and walks, and enjoyment. Her grandmother’s wit and humor, all of it was just delightful, and Amelia imagined that anyone would envy her the opportunity to spend time with a woman like Beatrice Shenton.
“You ought to wear something nice. And we shall have to contrive something to do with that hair of yours. Oh, it is so long now. I wonder if we ought to trim it a little,” her grandmother said.
Amelia reacted defensively, tugging at the length of her black hair, and holding it close. It was one of the few things that gave her an intense pride, and she had no intention of having it hacked away to a more manageable length.
“Oh, stop it. I shall not chop it off, even if I think it could do with a fair bit of shortening,” Beatrice said.
“You have no taste at all, Grandmama,” Amelia said, shaking her head.
“And you must concentrate on making yourself presentable for the return of your brother. The rest you must forget about for now. He must be the priority for the time being,” Beatrice said.
Amelia nodded in agreement. Jacob would need a good deal of special care from both of them. He would need to be treated delicately until his heart was able to heal.
“I have already instructed Miss Hanover to prepare everything. If we are lucky, this time he will actually stay put once he arrives,” Beatrice said, a flair still in her every movement.
“I am sure that he will stay this time,” Amelia said. “Where else can he go? He has already been everywhere.” Deep down, she hoped that he would stay. Although she spoke as though there were no chance of him leaving, she really could not be sure.
“Oh, you know what young men are like,” Beatrice said. “Always searching for something else to entertain them.”