Enchanting the Duke - Lana Williams Page 0,27

did she know which tenant needed what repair as she had yet to learn all their names. But she would still listen if he chose to tell her about those things.

Wasn’t that what marriage was about? Taking the time to share and listen to each other, regardless of the topic. If something was important to him, then it was important to her. Making their relationship work for them both was all that mattered.

Chapter Seven

Douglas strolled alongside Eleanor in the village near Burbridge House the following day, surprised to realize he was enjoying himself. He had expected boredom to set in over the course of the house party, but instead, he felt...content. The sensation was both unfamiliar and peaceful.

He couldn’t think of the last time he’d done little more than ride, play billiards, converse, and indulge in parlor games, if ever. Certainly not for five days in a row.

His grandfather must be rolling over in his grave right now. The image brought no small measure of guilt along with it.

“What is it?” Eleanor asked, her dark eyes holding steady on him.

“Nothing.” He didn’t want to ruin the moment by speaking of his grandfather. Yet he saw in an instant that his reply had somehow hurt her when her lips tightened as she glanced away.

“I was thinking about how disappointed my grandfather would be with me right now.” The admission slipped out before he thought twice. He truly was becoming soft if he wanted to speak of his feelings. The idea had him clenching his jaw. Suddenly, he felt off balance, as though he’d taken a misstep on the edge of a cliff, and all that was familiar was now just out of reach. The sensation nearly had him breaking into a cold sweat.

“What makes you think that?” Eleanor’s quiet tone held no judgment, only curiosity. Somehow that gave him purchase on the steep slope of his thoughts.

“I have done nothing productive for nearly a week.” He frowned as guilt resurged.

“I don’t think that’s true at all.” She paused on the walkway to look up at him, the cold breeze tugging a strand of her hair loose. “You’ve toured Burbridge’s estate to see how he does things, and I have no doubt you found a few ideas you want to implement. You’ve shown support for a charity, showing leadership as well as empathy for those less fortunate. You’ve met others who either sit or will sit in the House of Lords and shared many conversations about what you see for the future of our country. That’s rather a lot in only a few days, don’t you think?”

He stared at her, nonplussed. Having her defend him, even to himself, stunned him. He couldn’t remember a time when someone had come to his defense.

“Sometimes stepping away from our routine gives us objectivity,” she continued. “We can better see what remains to be done and what our priorities should be. It’s not so much taking time off as it is taking time away.”

Everything inside him shifted. It was as if his heart expanded and the other parts of him moved aside to make room. He stared into her brown eyes, finding an understanding and empathy he hadn’t realized he needed or even wanted.

He’d never dreamed that having a wife would provide benefits beyond the marriage bed. But Eleanor was special. Her insights were something a business partner might offer but even better as they carried compassion and empathy. She cared about him and the people he was responsible for. How could he have not seen that before?

“I mean no disrespect, but your grandfather sounds like a character from a Dickens’ novel,” she murmured with a frown.

“I suppose he could be compared to Ebenezer Scrooge.” The thought amused him, much to his surprise. He’d always admired his grandfather’s single-minded focus. Now he realized there were disadvantages to it as well.

Yet sharing his duties and responsibilities was a foreign concept. Something that required thought and deliberation. It was a change that would not come easily or smoothly but in fits and starts, with wrong turns and missteps, much like journeying to an unfamiliar place with no map.

Still, he appreciated her words and the new thoughts taking hold of him. And he wanted her to know that. “You’ve given me insight that I wouldn’t have otherwise had. It’s a challenge to reconsider one’s beliefs. Thank you for helping to shift mine.”

Her brows rose, suggesting she was surprised by his response. Then her eyes sparkled as if lit from