All Chapters of The Duke And I: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Two days later, Cassy decided to go visit Adeline and share the news with her. But to her utmost surprise, Henry had told everyone not to allow her to leave the house. As if she were his prisoner!Burning with rage, she stepped into his study and found him bent on work."How dare you?!" she seethed angrily.Henry looked up slowly, his eyes hooded and his lips perched in a bored line. "I’ve dared to do a lot of things in my life, Cassandra," he said. "Could you please be more specific?"Cassy placed her palms on the desk, trying and failing to reel her anger in. How dare he sit there nonchalantly after trying to keep her locked up in the house like an animal!"You think you can keep me locked here as you wish?" she asked furiously. "You think I’ll sit back and do as you ask because I live und

As he held Rebecca in his hands and watched his wife leave, Henry quickly pushed Rebecca away from him. He had no idea why he had done it, no idea why he had felt the compelling urge to hug Rebecca and kiss her as soon as he saw her standing in his study.Maybe he was confused at the words she had said, maybe their argument last night had done that. Point is, he had only caught her in the hands of his cousin, and she was drunk, which meant he might have possibly only helped her like they both said. But now, she had caught him kissing another woman, right in their home.He had wanted to hurt her as much as he was hurting, but definitely not the type of hurt he had seen in her eyes when she saw him kissing Rebecca."Leave," he growled angrily at Rebecca, and Sheldon wasted no time in dragging her out, despite her pleading. He had been pained to have seen Cassy seein

"Why wasn't I told?" Adeline seethed angrily. "Why do I have to find out when things are worse? Henry, do you any idea how helpful I might have been in looking for her?""I don't care to discuss it, Madam," he said coldly, causing her to shiver. "And I'll find my wife myself.""You don't feel it necessary now when she has left already? With a baby? Your baby?" Adeline injected a note of scorn in her voice that made Henry's eyes blaze with fury as she said, "You're a coward, Henry Blake, and I never thought that of you before.""You have no idea what you're talking about!""I most certainly do. You're afraid to admit that you love Cassandra, and you're afraid she doesn't love you back as much as you do. I can tell you that she does."Clasping his hands behind his back, Henry said in a biting

Cassy mounted one of the sedate.The raw pain had eased slightly and was duller now, more easily dealt with now that she wasn't expecting anything, now that she wasn't expecting him to follow her. She had given up already on their love.At first, nothing had helped, then for the past week, she had begun taking her life one day at a time, making it through the day and then congratulating herself for it, spending as much time with Zack as possible. Finally, she had begun taking pains with her appearance again and had begun wearing the new clothes that fit her fuller figure. Her breasts were larger, and her waist, though still small, was not as small as it had been. Her hips were fuller, too, swelling in a curve that would hardly be mistaken as boyish now. She had definitely matured, and pregnancy surely did agree with her.But what good did it do to her if Henry was

Jonathan growled as though he would punch Henry without hearing from him. He had a defensive stance, waiting for the best moment to strike."I have no idea," Henry began, his voice cold. "Perhaps you might know where I can find her, Levington?"Jonathan was seething with rage. "Now you see why I was so against the wedding!" he snapped angrily before punching Henry on the face.If Henry heard him, he gave no sign. His attention was on the door. He didn't bother to reply Jonathan, he didn't care how angry he was. He wanted to fight. It had been a long time since he'd felt this fierce urge to battle another man, but he did now. Few of the duels he'd engaged had been of his choosing and fewer still had he anticipated. Most of the time, he had simply refused to back down when pushed and had given his challenger every opportunity to gracefully extract himself from a fig

"Colin?"His name was a whisper on her lips, too light and feathery to be real. It had been too long since she last said the name; too long since she last saw the rugged smile and those beautiful eyes staring down at her. 

For a long while, Cassy simply stared at him. She could hardly believe that he was actually here, standing before her with his darkened eyes and his tousled hair. "May I come in?" he asked. 

Henry took her home that evening. Cassy smiled all the way back home, looking at him as though he would disappear from her sight. "What is it?" he asked, smiling at her. "Nothing," she replied. "I just want to look at you."His aunt was much too happy to see them returned, and she held Cassy for a bit longer than expected. Jonathan had a long talk with his sister the next day when he arrived, and for the first time since her marriage to Henry, he actually smiled at her husband. "Isn't she amazing?" Adeline asked as she stood beside him by the large hall, both of them gazing at Cassy adoringly as she spoke with the servants; Sheldon and Gabriel included. Ever

"I love you so much. . . ."His kisses seared her flesh like glowing brands as his mouth moved around her lips.  "You're the best thing to had ever happen to me," he murmured against her lips, before capturing them yet again in a searing kiss.It had never occurred to Cassy that he would want her to touch him as he touched her, and the knowledge was thrilling. She put her hands against his tanned chest, slowly spreading her fingers, amazed when her simple touch made his breath catch.Feeling as if her heart would break with the love bursting in it, Cassy answered him with a melting kiss. It was answer enough.Still holding her, he moved onto his side, then he combed his fingers through her rumpled, satiny hair and brushed a tender kiss against her temple. Cassy’s lashes fluttered up and he felt as if he would drown in the

April 25, 1822"Twins, your grace," the physician said, smiling wearily at the man sprawled in a chair in his study. "Boys. And healthy they are, bawling their lungs out."Henry stood up slowly, running a hand over the half grown stubble on his jaw. Twins? Boys?"How is my wife?" he asked after an instant of stunned silence."Very tired, as she's so small and it was a hard birth for her, but she's well. There seem to be no problems.""There better not be," Henry growled, fixing the doctor with an intent gaze. "You are to remain here until she has completely recovered. I've heard too many times about women who have died within a few days after a normal birth, and I won't have that happen to Cassandra.""But your grace, I have other patients who need me," the doctor protested. "Lady Auberly is nearly..."Henry wasn't listening. He strode across the