[Bonus chapter] UNCARING DUKE

CHAPTER 25

The carriage came to a sudden halt as they arrived at Burnsbury. Reginald, predictably, came and planted a knock on the door. Alexander was acutely aware of what this meant; it signalled that the man would soon be telling Evelina that she was free from him.

The thought of losing her once more filled him with overwhelming emotion, but he knew it may be for the best.

Evelina's reaction had been unexpected when he suggested she stay the night; perhaps it was foolish of him to hope for more, knowing that she despised him. Hadn't she rejected him before, after all?

She must not have the slightest bit of softness for him.

"Your Grace," Reginald halted, taken aback by the sight of the sleeping young lady sprawled against the Duke's shoulder. "I apologize for this, Your Grace. She came to me seeking help, and I had to oblige."

"You were reckless to let a stranger in without my knowledge, Reginald. The reason does not matter; you put your Duke in jeopardy. All for this?" Duke Alexander pointed at Evelina with bitterness but did not attempt to move her.

"Once again, I apologize, Duke. But now that we are here... " Reginald trailed off.

"You have come to ask her to leave, correct?" Duke Alexander interjected with an air of contempt.

Reginald nodded, but Duke Alexander's mind raced with curiosity. "Tell me, Reginald. How long does it take to reach Longdale from here on average?"

"Approximately three hours, Your Grace," Reginald replied.

Three hours? Duke Alexander's mind raced with various considerations as his eyes grazed over Evelina. She had been sassy with her words, but could she withstand being alone? He doubted it; she seemed too fragile to him. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving her by herself, and his heart couldn't take it.

"Drive us up to the Castle," he commanded with urgency.

"Your Gr-Grace?" Reginald stuttered in disbelief.

Alexander's expression remained stone-like. "I said, get back on. And hurry while you're at it."

"But, but the young lady... She sought my help. Her parents may be worried," Reginald countered.

'Perhaps they should have thought of that before they left her to fend for herself,' Alexander thought to himself. 'Let this be a lesson to them.' Aloud, he ordered, "I can deal with that in the morning. Now, do as I say."

Although Reginald hesitated, he eventually closed the carriage door and made his way back to his post in the carriage's front. As the carriage began to roll forward again, Alexander stole a glance at Evelina and scoffed.

"I shouldn't care," he whispered under his breath, careful not to disturb her. "I shouldn't care if I just left you alone, defenseless against any wild beast that may come your way. But I do care. For your safety, everything else is worth it, even if you wake up hating me and act ungrateful."

Evelina stirred slightly at the sound of his voice, causing Duke Alexander to tense up. However, she continued sleeping soundly, giving him some relief, knowing she had not heard his words. Regardless, he vowed to keep his thoughts to himself from then on.

After a further twenty to thirty minutes, they finally arrived at his castle. Observing Evelina still sleeping, the Duke couldn't help but wonder just how exhausted she must have been. It wasn't until Reginald brought the carriage to a complete stop that she groaned herself awake.

"Mnh where are we?" she asked calmly, rubbing at her bleary eyes.

Alexander foresaw the explosive reaction that was sure to follow once she heard where they were. It was like a trick question.

Reginald appeared at the door.

"We have arrived, Your Grace," he informed the Duke, striving not to meet the young lady's gaze, who to his astonishment had woken up already.

"Excuse me. Where are we, Sir?" Evelina suddenly inquired, her eyes now wide open. "Are we in Burnsbury? No, wait, are we presently at the Duke's castle?"

Reginald completely ignored Evelina's question and turned away after briefly nodding to Alexander. "Wait," Evelina called out, but Reginald had already left. Frustrated, she turned all her anger towards Alexander. "How could you do this to me? What are you hoping to gain? I am a maiden, I am unmarried, what will people think if they discover I stayed at your house overnight with you, the Duke?"

Alexander was aware of her valid concerns, but they didn't matter to him. He knew it was only a matter of time before Evelina belonged to him. "If you're done with your outburst, can you step outside to allow for my exit?"

Evelina was taken aback by the Duke's lack of emotion and disregard for her. Nonetheless, she followed his orders and exited the carriage. The moment Alexander stepped out, he completely disregarded her and headed straight for the main entrance.

Evelina's world came to a standstill.

Several minutes slipped by as Evelina stood there, watching in despair as Alexander retreated further and further away from her. She knew she should chase after him, argue, or even flee, but she felt weighed down and powerless to do any of those things.

"Excuse me, miss," a man's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to see a strongly-built man dressed in military uniform standing beside her. "What are you doing standing here instead of going in with him? I mean the Duke. I thought you two agreed to come together," the man inquired.

"Agreed?" Evelina couldn't help but scoff, but then she had an idea. A foolish one, perhaps, but she was determined to see it through. "Please sir, can you show me how to return to Longdale."

"Tonight?" Otto sounded bewildered.

"Yes, Sir. You see, I was abducted against my will by that man!" Evelina pointed at the Duke.

"My Duke?"

"Your Duke," Evelina repeated firmly. "He brought me here against my will, and I have a family back home who would be worried about me since I went missing."

From all indications, it was evident that the man to whom she had reported didn't take the news well. Evelina noticed the way his features twisted before he abruptly left. He didn't show her a way out of the castle; instead, he went to catch up with the Duke. What was his intention?

Alexander had just entered his mansion when he heard Otto calling out to him. His mood instantly turned sour as he suspected that Evelina had spoken to him. "Your Grace," Otto said.

"What now, Otto?" The Duke turned to lock gazes directly with the man. However, looking up ahead, he saw Evelina still standing out in the cold. Was she shivering slightly, or was it just a figment of his imagination?

"You cannot do what you hope to do tonight," came Otto's accusatory outburst.

Alexander found it amusing and wanted to watch Otto's reaction. He folded his arms with great interest before throwing the question back at the man. "And what, may I ask, am I about to do, Otto?"

Otto looked back with a scowl. "That maiden," he said. "She claims that you abducted her against her will and brought her all the way here."

"Is that so?" Alexander said, dipping his hands into his pockets. He tried hard to keep his cool, but he was fighting the anger burning within him. "From what I believe, you followed me all the way. Did you not?"

"Yes, I did."

"So, you must have seen her come up to me of her own free will, did you not?"

Otto paused for a minute before admitting slowly, "Well, now that I ponder on it, she did appear to be running from something. If she was, she may have entered your carriage by accident."

"And whose fault is that if she did?"

Otto let out an audible sigh of defeat and conceded, "Mine, Your Grace."

"I am glad you are sensible and admit your mistakes," Alexander said, barely concealing his resentment towards Otto.

Otto maintained his silence and Alexander left off, not feeling the need to explain himself further.

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