Aimlessly wandering down the draughty dark corridor, he paused to touch his hand to the door of his mother's room. A ritual he followed every day since her death the year before.
The duchess never fully regained her strength after giving birth to twins, her heart had been compromised.
She had often stood between her husband and the two boys, protecting them from his excesses while counselling him to be more understanding. With her ability to influence him, the duke had joined many family outings and evenings by the fireside, getting to know his sons better. Without her to intervene no one curbed their father's actions, and he had become brooding and introverted. All his time was spent building his duchy and planning for the future; it was as if he no longer wanted to live in the here and now.