Secluded with the Rogue

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

T he storm had begun to subside, the howling wind dying down and the snow outside tapering to a gentle fall. With the weather easing, some of the guests at Carrington Manor were already gathering their belongings, eager to leave after being snowed in for so long. The air in the house felt lighter, the tension of being trapped fading, but for Alexander, the weight on his shoulders was only growing heavier.

He would not leave. Not yet. His life was finally his own, but his heart belonged to the lady of this house, and until she accepted him, he dared not leave.

Alexander stood by the window of the drawing room, staring out at the snow-covered grounds as his thoughts churned. Last night with Genevieve had been… more than he had expected. It had been everything he had longed for, the connection they shared still alive after all these years. But it had also left him shaken. He could feel the fragility of their relationship, the cracks that still lingered from the past.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts, and when he turned, he saw his brother, Edmund, standing in the doorway.

“I just arrived,” his brother said, looking worse for wear.

“Edmund,” Alexander said, crossing the room to shake his brother’s hand.

“Alexander,” Edmund replied, his face serious as he handed Alexander a sealed letter. “I came as soon as I could. This arrived just after Father’s death. It is from the solicitors. It concerns your responsibilities as Duke and the details of your inheritance.”

Alexander’s chest tightened as he took the letter from his brother. His new title and the expectations that came with it had been heavy on his mind since their father’s passing. He had known this day would come, but the reality of it still felt overwhelming.

Edmund glanced around the room, then lowered his voice. “This is more than just about the title, Alexander. You know Father’s connections ran deep. There are obligations you will need to meet… decisions that will affect not just you but the entire estate and, well, other matters.”

Alexander nodded, though the unease that had settled in his chest deepened. He had not had time to fully process the changes in his life since their father’s death—becoming Duke, the responsibilities that came with it, and now, trying to mend the fractured relationship with Genevieve. It was all piling on him at once, and he could feel the weight pressing down, suffocating him.

“I will read it later,” Alexander said, slipping the letter into his coat pocket. “Right now, there is something more important.”

Edmund raised an eyebrow. “More important than the estate?”

Before Alexander could answer, a movement at the door caught his attention. His heart sank as he saw Genevieve standing just beyond the doorway, her expression unreadable. She must have overheard their conversation, at least part of it.

“Genevieve,” Alexander started, stepping toward her, but the look in her eyes stopped him in his tracks. The softness he had seen earlier that morning, the vulnerability that had begun to emerge between them, was gone. In its place was something cold, distant.

“Do not let me interrupt,” she said quietly, her voice tight. “It sounds like you have important matters to deal with.”

Alexander frowned, his pulse quickening. “It is not what you think?—”

“Is it not?” Genevieve interrupted, her eyes hardening as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I heard enough, Alexander. You are a duke now, and you have your duties, your responsibilities. That is where your priorities are, are they not? That is what matters.”

“No,” Alexander said firmly, taking a step closer to her. “Genevieve, you are my priority. Whatever you think you overheard, it does not change anything about how I feel about you.”

She shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. “I should have known,” she muttered, more to herself than to him. “I should have known that this…” She gestured between them. “…was just temporary. A way for you to distract yourself, to comfort yourself during your grief.”

Alexander’s stomach twisted. “That is not true.”

Genevieve’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she quickly blinked them away. “Is it not? You came back because your father died. You found me here, and for a while, it was… comforting. But I see it now, Alexander. You do not really want me. You just need someone to be there while you navigate your new life as duke.”

Her words cut through him, sharper than any blade. He wanted to deny it, to tell her how wrong she was, but he could see the hurt in her eyes, the fear of being abandoned again.

“You think I am using you?” he asked, his voice low with disbelief.

Genevieve let out a shaky breath, the walls she had built between them rising higher with every second. “I think you are not being honest with yourself, Alexander. You say you are here for me, but everything you have done shows that your responsibilities come first. And I cannot… I cannot go through this again. I will not.”

Alexander’s heart pounded, a cold dread settling over him. He reached out, trying to close the distance between them, but she stepped back, putting more space between them.

“I am not the man who left you, Genevieve,” he said, his voice strained with emotion. “I am not here because of my title or my responsibilities. I am here because of you. Because I want you in my life.”

But she did not seem convinced. She turned away, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest as if she were trying to protect herself from him. “I do not know if I can believe that,” she whispered.

Alexander felt his chest tighten with desperation. He could not lose her again, not now. Not after everything they had been through.

“Genevieve, please,” he said, his voice pleading. “Let me explain. My father left me with a mountain of responsibilities, yes, but none of that matters to me compared to you.”

She shook her head, her gaze fixed on the floor. “I have heard enough, Alexander. You have your duty, your estate, and your title, and I am not going to stand in the way of that.”

Alexander opened his mouth to argue, but the look on her face stopped him. The fear of being hurt again was too strong, and no matter what he said, she would not hear it right now.

“Genevieve,” Edmund’s voice broke the tense silence, his tone gentle. “You are misunderstanding the situation.”

But she would not hear that either. Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Alexander standing there, his heart pounding with a mix of frustration and despair.

Edmund sighed and ran a hand through his hair, watching her disappear down the hall. “You should have told her the truth before it came to this, brother.”

Alexander felt the weight of his brother’s words, the weight of the letter in his pocket, and the weight of his own mistakes crashing down on him all at once. He had tried to protect her by keeping her out of his world of duty and responsibility, but now it was costing him everything.

“I will tell her,” Alexander said softly, though the words felt hollow. “But I do not know if she will ever believe me now.”

Edmund clapped him on the shoulder. “If you care about her as much as you say you do, you will make her believe it. You will fight for her.”

Alexander nodded, but his heart felt heavy. He would fight for Genevieve. He had to. But as he stood there, watching the door she had walked through, he could not shake the sinking feeling that he had already lost her.