Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

The dining room fell silent after Clara's departure. I sat alone at the head of the table, her parting words still hanging in the air. The momentary satisfaction I'd felt from standing up to her had dimmed, replaced by an uneasy foreboding.


My thoughts scattered when the door swung open again. Baron Reginald Beaumont – my father – entered with Lady Beatrix close behind him. His eyes immediately fixed on where I sat.


"Isabella," he said, his voice tight. "What are you doing in your mother's chair?"


Lady Beatrix made a scandalized noise. "Such impertinence! Reginald, you must—"


"It's my last night here," I interrupted. "One dinner in my mother's place seemed appropriate."


My father's jaw tightened. He glanced between me and the chair as if debating whether this battle was worth fighting.


"Lady Beatrix should sit there," he finally said. "She is the lady of this house."


Chapter 24 - A Father's False Love