Page 59 of Her Seven Nights with the Duke

That was the only way he would ever truly be able to ease his worries. Not that he thought he would ever be truly free of his worries about her.

“Samuel, the evening is perfect for a stroll, and I’m sure Lady Marina is quite wound up from being in such a crowded room. Perhaps you could take her for a walk around the gardens,” his mother asked him, wearing a small smile.

Samuel looked between his mother and the petite blonde. She curtsied, giving him that beautiful smile, but he was not moved.

All night, his mother had constantly tried to get them to talk, even though he had made it clear from the moment she chose to invite the lady that he was not interested and would have nothing to do with her.

His mother had never been so resilient about matching him with a lady as she was with Lady Marina.

“May I speak with you for a moment, Mother?” he asked. “Alone?”

Lucy-Anne looked between her son and the woman she wished him to marry, her expression showing how torn she was to leave her out of their conversation.

Samuel scoffed. His mother had never been torn when it came to making decisions that concerned him, not even when she knew his interest lay elsewhere. He walked a short distance away, waiting for her to join him.

He stopped after he was sure they were out of earshot and stared at her. “Mother, I need you to stop insisting on matching me with Lady Marina because I will not marry her.”

The Dowager Duchess matched his look. “You have not tried to find a duchess for yourself, which is why I have had to resort to such means. You can no longer avoid it. It is your duty as the Duke to marry and have an heir. How else will you carry on the family name?”

Samuel glared at her, utterly irritated by her refusal to let the topic go. “We have had this conversation before, Mother. I will not entertain it again, because this will be the end of this discussion.”

His mother looked taken aback. “Samuel! Where is your understanding of responsibility?!”

Samuel walked off, leaving her standing there. He realized that he no longer cared about what was expected of him as the Duke. Nora had changed that for him.

He had always been able to pick up on the signs, although she tried not to let it show, since they were entertaining.

“Your Grace, this note came in for you,” the butler said, handing him a note.

Samuel looked at it quizzically, turning it around for a clue of whom it was from. However, the note did not include a name.

Meet me at the veranda. We need to talk.

He crumbled the note in his hands, immediately turning and heading in that direction. Surely it had to be from Nora. She must have been looking for a way to speak with him. He struggled to wipe the smile off his face as he hurried towards the veranda.

Samuel paused when a movement caught his attention. He frowned when he saw Nora walking down the hallway. He hurried after her, eager to speak with her.

There were so many things he wished to speak with her about, none of which seemed right whenever he thought about them. But first, he wanted to apologize to her for being cold during their trip back. He knew she had begun to develop feelings for him, that much had been obvious for a while. However, he should have handled the situation better, even if he did not wish to be married.

He followed her, his brow furrowing as she turned a bend that led away from the veranda and into the study. She’d been there enough times to know where the veranda was. He shrugged as he followed her into the study.

“Nora,” he called, reaching to touch her.

He withdrew his hand when she jumped and turned around in surprise. She looked shocked to see him there.

“Your Grace, what are you doing here?” she asked.

Samuel took in all of her and the letter in her hand. She hid it behind her, her face turning red at being caught.

“I should be asking you what you are doing here,” he said.

Shouldn’t you be on the veranda?

“I got lost and couldn’t find my way back,” she said in a small voice.

Samuel shook his head, advancing towards her. “You have been here a few times already. You cannot get lost so easily.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. At that moment, Samuel realized the one thing that mattered more than anything he’d been thinking about telling her when he finally had a chance to speak with her.

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