She Was Sold to an Old Duke — But His Wedding Night Gift Changed Everything
Chapter 13
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Thomas looked at the iron resolve in her young, tired face. He tried to speak, coughed weakly, and then managed a raw, gravelly whisper: "My barricade.""Rest, Thomas," Josephine said quietly, holding his hand in both of hers. "The vultures are gone. I have the gates."The fever broke three days later, just as the bleak Yorkshire dawn bled gray light through the heavy drapes. It did not vanish in a dramatic sweep, but receded slowly, leaving Thomas Ashbourne hollowed out and gasping, stranded on the shore of the living.Josephine was asleep in the hard wooden chair beside the bed: her neck was cricked; her dark hair was falling out of its pins. She woke to the sound of dry, rhythmic tapping. She blinked, her vision blurring, and saw Thomas weakly striking his silver ring against the wooden side table."Water," he rasped. It was a terrible sound, dry as old parchment.She poured a glass from the ceramic pitcher, her hands shaking slightly from exhaustion. She slipped an arm behind his shoulders, lifting him just enough so he could drink without choking. He weighed nothing: the broad, imposing Duke of Clydesdale had been whittled down to sharp bone and loose skin in a matter of weeks.He drank slowly, then fell back against the pillows with a heavy sigh. His pale blue eyes tracked her face; they were clear—the glassy, frenzied heat of the infection was gone."You look," Thomas managed, his voice barely a whisper, "like hell, Josie."Josephine set the glass down. A short, breathless laugh escaped her lips; it sounded like a sob, though she was determined not to cry. "I am entirely well. I cannot say the same for you. You are a terrible patient.""Did they come?" he asked, the question sharp despite his weakness."Reginald and your sister," Josephine confirmed, smoothing the heavy blankets over his chest. "Two days ago. They demanded the keys to the office and the master ledgers."Thomas closed his eyes; a muscle in his jaw twitched. "And?""And I told them if they crossed the threshold, I would freeze the coal shipments and bleed the estate dry before Reginald could inherit a single penny," she said flatly. "They left."Thomas was quiet for a long time. The heavy grandfather clock in the corner ticked, marking the slow return of normalcy to the quiet room. When he finally opened his eyes, he did not look at her with the calculating approval of an employer: he looked at her with a profound, heavy sorrow."They will never forgive you," he said quietly. "I made you a target. I wanted a barricade, and I built it out of a 19-year-old girl. It was a selfish thing to do."Josephine sat back in the chair. She laced her fingers together in her lap. "Do you think my brother was less selfish, Thomas? Do you think the creditors who would have dragged me into the alleys were kinder? You gave me £40,000 and the keys to my own bedroom. You gave me a fortress. I am simply defending it."