She didn’t want to talk. Because she feared talking would break this perfect moment. Ellen remained still, and Ryder’s hands grazed her tangled hair and patted the scar along her right side and back. She felt his tongue slipping on her scar. Her body shivered.
Slowly, reluctantly, Ryder pulled himself out and stood up. She could feel the traces he left flowing down her body. Ellen slowly turned her head from River’s chest and looked at Ryder. She was afraid he would say something cold, but she had to see him. If she looked and made sure, River would no longer tell her to be patient. Only then will she be able to erase some sort of hope lingering in her head.
Was she hopeful? Ellen bit her lips. It seemed so because he had said he was interested in her. He had asked her to call her name even though it was just in a moment of passion.
Ryder’s eyes stopped on her, resting on River’s chest. He turned around after putting his trousers together. As Ellen laid exhausted, River’s hand came up and patted her back. The sound of water being poured into a basin and a towel getting damped could be heard from the back of the room. After a while, Ryder came back to the side of the bed.
“Get out of my way, you rascal. I told you the seamstress is coming. Shouldn’t you wipe Ellen’s body before that?”
“You’re pretending to be thinking about the welfare of Ellen right now.”
River laid her body on the bed with a grunt and slowly pulled out. Ellen sobbed softly as his member filling her private parts came out.
“It’s all right. Is the towel warm?”
River looked back at Ryder. He shook his head and headed for the door.
“I’ll tell them to bring hot water.”
“It’s okay. This will do…”
Ellen tried to get up, but River pressed her back into lying with one hand while Ryder looked back at them from the door. A smile appeared on his face, somewhere between amusement and bitterness.
“If you’re not going to let me hold the tray instead, at least let me do this.”
She heard him going out of the drawing-room and shout to the servant to bring hot water. River smiled down at Ellen.
“In his own way, he is caring for you. As I said, be patient, Ellen. That’s all I’m asking for.”
Ellen, who held River’s hand wiping her body with the towel, looked straight at him.
“The fact that I’m with you, that I’m being patient, does that make you happy? If I was by his side… Would the Duke be happy too?”
River supported her chin with her hand and kissed her lips lightly.
“I’m happy just to see you exist and smile at me. Just like you worrying about whether being next to me will be a joy to me, I’m also worried about whether you’ll be happy with just me. Rather, I’m worried that my brother and I might be a burden to you, a nuisance.”
“You are not! It’s not like that. It’s just…..”
She was just worried whether she was a burden or a nuisance to them. Suddenly Ellen realized that it was the same as River thought. He had the same worries as her. Why? Could there be a woman who feels burdened by him? Who felt he was a nuisance?
“Ellen, open your eyes and look. Look at how women around my brother, around me, behave. And think about whether those women really care about us more than you do, okay?”
He wiped her body with the towel without further comment. Ellen couldn’t understand what he said, but she just stayed still.
***
7
There were not many women around the Duke of Madison. It was because of his status as a duke and his cold attitude. The woman who had his eyes on him most was only Countess Bryson. Rumors were rife in the palace.
But it was also clear that the Duke was not interested in any of them. Some women even went so far as to say that the Duke was not interested in women at all.
“I don’t blame him. All these women want is the duchess title. If he doesn’t like women anyway, people are conferring that he could marry anyone to make a successor.”
Celia said in a light tone as she fitted her dress. Ellen frowned.
“I think he’s even willing to make Lord River’s son his successor.”
Celia’s eyes widened.
“Really? I didn’t know that. Lord River… …is good to have fun with, but not many people consider him as a marriage partner. He’s a great knight, but in the end, that is all he is. Just a knight with no title, no land. And all power is in the Duke of Madison’s hands.”
Ellen bit her lips. It did not matter who had power. River was a wonderful man as he was.
She thought many women considered River. In contrast to Ryder, there were obviously many women around River. He was generally kind to these women. And Ellen hated him being nice to them, but after hearing what Celia said, she became even more disgusted.