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

Clara Beaumont flung herself dramatically onto the chaise lounge in the drawing room, her expensive black mourning dress spreading around her like a dark cloud. "This is unbearable! We've been trapped in this house for days, and I haven't seen a single suitable gentleman caller."


Lady Beatrix barely glanced up from her embroidery, her needle moving with practiced precision. "Lower your voice, Clara. The servants will hear you."


"Who cares what the servants think?" Clara huffed, adjusting her perfectly arranged blonde curls. "Father isn't even cold in his grave, and we're acting like prisoners in our own home."


"Your father's passing requires appropriate mourning," Lady Beatrix replied, though her voice lacked any genuine sorrow. "At least in public view."


Chapter 45 - A Father's False Grief, A Daughter's New Path