𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 || 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑊𝐻𝐼𝑇𝐸 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝐸𝑁

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐿

~Tides of Grief~

Holding her tightly on their bed, Richard gently kissed Eleanor's hair as she sobbed endlessly against his chest. It had been almost two days since her Mother had died and the Duchess had not been able to cease her crying, apart from when she fed Bess and even then she had tears gliding down her cheeks.

It had surprised Richard when she had gone to him first in her grief. Not Elizabeth, not Anais or Marie. Him. And in truth, though he felt guilty admitting it even to himself, her coming to him had sparked a little bit of joy within his heart.

But he hadn't asked why or pressed her for a further explanation, instead Richard tried everything in his power to comfort her but she was not to be consoled and so he simply held her for as long as he could and for as long as she needed. He glanced at the door as he heard it open and frowned when he saw George slip into the room, a guilty look on his face.

He was about to order him away when Eleanor raised her head and spotted her brother in law, suddenly forcing herself to cease her sobbing, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her gown.

"What do you want, George?" She asked miserably as he approached the bed "have you come to gloat? Or to start another fight over Anne while I'm mourning my own mother?"

"No" he muttered, twisting his rings back and forth on his fingers "but I would like to speak to you....alone" he added the last word a little firmer and Richard frowned, immediately shaking his head, fully aware how his brother could twist the situation to his advantage.

"If you think for one moment...." he began only for Eleanor to gently lay a hand on his arm as she sat up.
"All is well" she uttered before nodding to their daughter's crib "take Bess....care for her while I speak to George" glancing between her and his brother, the Duke only nodded when she gave him a small push from the bed before rising herself and beginning to straighten her gown and fix her hair which had been left loose that day.

Walking over to her daughter's cradle, she gently lifted the sleeping girl from her covers and handed her to Richard, who immediately began to rock the child slowly back and forth in his arms.
"I will be in the next room" he announced sternly, shooting a look of warning at George before he left and Eleanor sat down by the fire.

"Well" she prompted curtly, watching warily as George sat opposite her "why are you here? If not to gloat"
"Why would I gloat?" He asked, still quite clearly on edge as if Eleanor were readying to pull a dagger on him "I'm here to offer you your victory"

"What victory?" Eleanor snapped, in no mood for any mystery before she thought "so this is about Anne!" George reluctantly nodded, well aware of how damaging his imminent admission would be to his own pride.