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Chapter 44: Skeletons.
Date de publication:
2026-05-07 00:27:24
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His Father's Bride Chapter 45: Falsehood.
The ball room was suffocating in its elegance. Laughter rose too easily, glasses clinked too often, and every conversation seemed wrapped in politeness so perfect it bordered on falsehood. I had learned how to exist within it—how to smile when required, how to listen without revealing too much, how to remain just distant enough to avoid becoming the subject of interest. Tonight, I had almost succeeded. Almost. “Lady Rathcliffe.” I turned, already recognizing the voice. Lady Penbury. “My lady,” I said, inclining my head. She approached with practiced grace, her fan resting lightly in her hand, her smile delicate—and edged. “I must say,” she began, her gaze sweeping over me, “you have settled into your role remarkably quickly.” “I do my best,” I replied. “Yes,” she said softly. “One must, in circumstances such as yours.” I held her gaze, waiting. “There are always whispers,” she continued, lowering her voice just enough. “Particularly when a marriage occurs so… efficiently.”
His Father's Bride Chapter 44: Skeletons.
The music carried upward long before I ever stepped into it. From the top of the staircase, I could see everything without being seen—guests moving in graceful patterns across the floor, laughter rising and falling like a tide, candlelight flickering against polished glass and silk. For a moment, I allowed myself to remain there. Alone. It was easier that way. No expectations. No careful words. No watching eyes measuring every movement, every glance. But I could not stay hidden forever. Not tonight. When we were hosting William's pre-wedding ball. I drew in a slow breath and placed my hand against the banister, steadying myself before taking the first step down. One step. Then another. I kept my gaze lowered at first, focusing only on the rhythm of my descent. The soft music. The distant murmur of voices. My eyes immediately found him. Without intending to. Every time we argued it was like he dissapeared more from my days. I barely saw him now. Not even in passing, not even b
His Father's Bride Chapter 43: Fall in love with me.
Belle's POV The quiet in my room did not feel like a refuge that evening. Not when my thoughts refused to be quiet with it.Emma sat across from me, her posture composed but her attention fixed entirely on me in a way that made it impossible to retreat into silence. I had tried—at first—to say very little. To give her only what was necessary. But Emma was not someone one could easily deflect. “Start from the beginning,” she said gently, though there was a firmness beneath it. I let out a slow breath, my hands tightening slightly in my lap. “I was in the garden,” I began, my voice quieter than I intended. “I did not expect to see him there. Not so soon. Not after…” I trailed off. Emma did not interrupt. She rarely did when it mattered. “He was with Cora,” I continued, forcing the words out steadily. “She was speaking about the wedding. About flowers, I think. Or seating. I do not remember.” “What do you remember?” Emma asked softly. I swallowed. “The way he did
His Father's Bride Chapter 42: Kiss.
William's POV The carriage ride to Lady Ashbourne’s house felt longer than it should have, though I remembered every moment of it with frustrating clarity. Strange, how the mind works. The things that were expected of me—the polite conversation, the duty of seeing Cora home, the simple act of being present—seemed to slip through my fingers. And yet one thing refused to leave me. Belle. I sat opposite Cora, aware of her, aware that I should speak, should say something appropriate, something expected of a man in my position… but the words never came. My thoughts circled endlessly, returning to the same moment, the same sentence that had changed everything. Your wife is with child. I heard it again, as clearly as when the doctor first spoke it. I remembered the silence that followed. The way my father stepped back. The way he said nothing. Nothing. That was what unsettled me most. If there had been doubt—if there had been even the slightest suspicion—he would have said somet
His Father's Bride Chapter 40: Shock.
The garden had always been my refuge. It was the only place where the house felt distant—where the expectations, the whispers, the weight of everything pressing in on me softened, if only slightly. The air was cooler there, the breeze gentle as it moved through the hedges, carrying with it the faint scent of roses and damp earth. I stood near the far path, my fingers brushing absentmindedly against the petals of a bloom I had not truly seen. My thoughts were elsewhere. As always. I heard laughter and I turned to see William and Cora. "Oh Belle," she said, rushing over to me. "William and I were just talking on where we would reside after the wedding." I swallowed hard. I did not think about what would happen after the wedding. How i would survive in the same house as William and his wife. They would have children and he would never know that this child I was carrying was his. "I would think a couple would want some privacy," I said and William cocked an eyebrow at me.
His Father's Bride Chapter 39: Belong to.
9 days passed. 9 days since that night, and yet it lingered in everything. In the silence. In the glances. In the way Lord Rathcliffe no longer seemed entirely unaware of me. We did not speak of it. Not once. There was no mention of that night—no awkward attempt at recollection, no probing questions, no lingering suspicion voiced aloud. It was as though we had both silently agreed to fold it away, to place it somewhere neither of us would dare to reach. And yet… something had changed. Subtly. Unmistakably. He noticed me now. Not in grand gestures or overwhelming attentions, but in small, almost hesitant ways. A pause when I entered a room. A question directed at me during meals. The occasional attempt at conversation—brief, careful, but real. “Did you sleep well?” “The weather has turned colder.” “You should take a shawl.” They were simple things. But they were more than before. And each time, something inside me tightened. Because I knew what he believed. And I knew the tr
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