Susan was lying on her bed, reading a novel, when she heard a familiar sound of something hitting her window. Just to be sure she wasn't hearing things, she waited for the third hit before going to open the window.
She carefully walked to the side of the window and opened it to avoid any accident like the one that happened last night.
Edmund chuckled when the window opened with no one in sight, just a fair, slender hand pushing it open. He entered and closed it. "I am not that careless."
"Anything can happen. Besides, who knows what next you will throw at me."
"My shoes, perhaps?"
She giggled, "That would be instant death."
"You don't say." He chuckled.
Her smile died down, "Good evening, Duke Edmund. You are here again."
"Yes, I am."
"For what reason?"
"For my congratulations."
"I already did that."
"That one doesn't count," He walked closer to her, "I need to hear it loud and clear from your beautiful lips."
"Here to seduce me again, Duke Edmund?" She turned away from him
"What? No. You already made it clear that you do not want me."
"I never said that. You know I do want you, but not in the way you do."
"Enlighten me, my Lady."
"Well, you just want my body, and I, on the other hand, want all of you, Duke Edmund. I want you to be mine not just to satisfy our carnal cravings but in all aspects of life."
"I am here for my congratulations, remember?" He smiled,
"Well, congratulations to you on your big win today. There you have it." She picked a band from the vanity table to hold her hair loosely behind.
"That doesn't sound heartfelt. It sounds like you didn't want me to win. I know you wanted your suitor to win."
She turned towards him, "You know that's not true. I wanted you to win. I always want you to win."
"I always win."
She rolled her eyes, not minding about the societal view of it being unladylike. Also, she knew Edmund didn't mind such silly things. "You know, on second thought, it would have been great to see Viscount William win that way you won't have that proud smirk on you right now."
The corners of his lips curled, "You wish. He had it coming his way for bragging so much."
She felt her world stop when those beautiful eyes intently stared at her, "I felt like you were holding back."
"I was. I wanted to teach the brat a lesson. He brags a lot. I allowed him to get too close to victory, only to snatch it away from him at the last minute. Next time, he won't mess with me."
Susan rolled her eyes at him again, only to have his lips tug further. "Talk about proud people."
Edmund chuckled, "I am one of them."
"How can you be so proud of being PROUD." He threw his head back and laughed again, making her smile. He looked so relaxed and handsome and wonderful and sensual and tempting and many more that had her feeling giddy. "You are an incredible racer,"
"I am. Also, I wanted to prove you wrong."
"You did. Are you happy now?"
"Yes, very." He walked towards her bed and picked up a book. His brows arched when he saw the title, "Scarred Hearts?"
"It's a tragic story,"
"I wouldn't have guessed. They look quite happy on the cover. Tell me about it. That is if you don't mind."
"I don't mind," Her eyes glittered in excitement, happy to share her new story with someone.
He patted the bed, "You are welcome to join me. I don't bite."
She smiled, "It is my bed, and I see no fangs."
"My bad," He grinned when she made herself comfortable on the bed.
"Do you still want to hear about the story?"
"Yes, of course." He focused his attention on her face when she cleared her throat.
"It is about Emily and Davis' love story. Tragic love story."
"Okay," He chimed, giving her an encouraging smile.
"They met at a soiree. Davis was a mystery man. Everyone wanted to know what ran through his mind. He was an enigma. Everyone wanted to crack him open to know what he was really like. This uptight MYSTERY MAN couldn't resist the charm of a young maiden, who by just a glance can melt souls."
"Well, they sound perfect for each other." Edmund put in as glanced at the book cover again. Samantha was the name of the writer.
"They were perfect for each other. Their hearts connected most beautifully after one dance that evening. She loved him so dearly that she looked forward to starting a home with him, but Davis was a man with baggage. A mental baggage. He was scared of turning out like his alcoholic father, who had stabbed his wife to death for mistakingly breaking a bottle of his expensive whiskey. His father was a beast, and so was his grandfather. Davis was scared that it was something that ran in the family's blood. He didn't want to do that to his sweet Emily. Therefore, to protect himself and Emily, who had made it her life mission to make him her man, he left the town without any letter or explanation." She turned to see if Edmund was still in the room or listening to her.
He smiled at her, "I am listening. Please, go ahead."
"Emily was heartbroken but hopeful. She waited for him to come back and confess his undying love for her. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months and years. She looked all over for him. Of course, the people of the town began talking. Seeing her inability to settle down with any man, rumour began spreading that she was cursed. Emily became desperate. She couldn't wait any longer for Davis. She didn't have any choice other than to accept Desmond's proposal when it came. The marriage was torture for her. Desmond was everything she prayed against. Desmond was a drunkard, a gambler. Everything every woman— didn't hope for. He abused her physically, emotionally, mentally and in whichever way he saw fit. Desmond broke her. For every pain inflicted on her, her hatred for Davis grew."
"Why would she channel her anger and hatred towards Davis? He was trying to protect her from his demons."
"Well, that worked just fine, did it not?" Susan sighed, "He could have tried to make things right. At least an explanation or even a single letter would have been enough."
"Emily would have tried to stop him or find him." He stated firmly.
"Maybe, and that would have been the best thing. Davis was a coward. He ran away with his tail tucked between his legs."
Her intense gaze told him they were not just talking about Emily and Davis. "So, Davis never returned?" He asked.
"Oh, he did. One of his kinsmen told him about Emily's condition. He wanted to make things right. He wanted to save her from the hell hole he put her into." She smiled dreamily. "It wasn't hard for him to make her love him again. She fell for him all over again. Their love was even stronger. They decided to elope and start a family. Desmond wasn't ready to give up his wife to another man. He loved Emily in his own sick way. He followed them on the night of their elopement with a gun."
"That doesn't sound good." Edmund chimed in,
"It doesn't. Long story short, during the brawl between the men, Davis mistakenly shot Emily in the heart —twice."
"How?" Edmund asked, eyes glittering in confusion.
"He was trying to hold the gun away from a mad Desmond, who was threatening to kill them if Emily didn't follow him back to the town like a good wife. Davis didn't know the safety wasn't on."
"Damnation. He lived his nightmare."
"You can say that."
"What happened after he killed her unintentionally?"
"He shot himself in the head after giving Desmond two bullets in the eye…."
"Well, thank goodness it is a fiction."
"Yes. Tragic fiction. I hate tragic stories."
"Why did you read this one then?"
She gave a slight shrug, "It was fun..."
Edmund knew there was more to the story than she was letting on, and he wasn't ready to go down that path.
When his eyes fell on a chessboard lying idly on the table, a smile formed on his lips. "LET'S PLAY A GAME."