Page 91 of His Tempting Duchess

“Stop looking at me,” he muttered, his voice low. “I cannot give you what you want.”

Emily swallowed reflexively. She ought to look away, to laugh or to say something to change the subject. That was the sensible thing to do. Instead, she kept on looking at him, her mouth growing dry.

“And what is it that I want?”

He tore his gaze away from the window, turning towards her.

“You want my heart,” he said, enunciating every word. “You want my heart, but you cannot have it.”

She swallowed again, trying and failing to work moisture into her mouth. “Why not?”

Why not? Why not?! What a thing to say. Like a child complaining about not being given a second pudding.

He gave a tiny, tired smile. “I promised someone a long time ago that I would never give away my heart. I must keep that promise.”

“Oh,” she whispered. “Oh, I see.”

“I never minded that promise until… until now. But I swore to Matthew, and he’s not alive to release me from my oath. So, there it is.”

To her horror, Emily felt tears pricking her eyes. She turned away, staring at the landscape as it blurred past them. She said nothing, half afraid that she would cry if she did.

“Emily? Emily, please, look at me. Are you angry with me?”

Cassian slid across his seat until he was directly opposite her, his knees almost bracketing hers.

“I’m not angry,” Emily whispered. “I could hardly be angry with you for keeping a promise you made to your dead brother. It’s only that you seem hell-bent on throwing away your future to live in the past.”

He bristled, and she sensed at once that she’d struck a nerve.

“You don’t understand,” he responded dismissively, turning his head away. “I knew you would not.”

A flare of anger warmed Emily’s chest. She leaned forward, forcing him to look at her.

“And why should I not understand? Do you think me an empty-headed fool, Cassian? Do you think that I am simply too dense to understand what is, at its core, a remarkably simple concept?”

He snorted. “And whatremarkably simple conceptis this?”

The scorn in his words bit deep, but Emily persevered.

“As I said. You live in the past, while your future is entirely neglected,” she responded quietly. “It is a pity you cannot see it.”

He glared at her, eyes flashing.

“Icannot see it? Me? My dear duchess, I did not marry you to change my life, but to help me maintain it. Now, I thought I was perfectly clear on the terms of this marriage and the parameters of what you are expected to do. If you cannot stay in line, then…”

“Stay in line?” she burst out. “I am not one of your footmen, for you to command as you will! As you said, I am yourduchess, not a maid, you wretch. This – This is why you are so alone all of the time, because you treat the people who care for you as if they were servants.”

He flinched at that, then leaned forward, snarling. “Oh, andyoucare for me, do you, duchess?”

Heat rushed to her face, but Emily did not allow herself to pull back. Instead, she leaned further forward, coming almost nose to nose with him.

“I would care for you, if you let me.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “What a delightfully begrudging offer.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. This is your life, Cassian! Your future that you are sacrificing, your present that you are squandering! Why won’t youlisten? Why won’t yousee?”

Abruptly, he snatched up her hand, long fingers curling around her wrist. Emily gave a squeak of alarm, eyes widening. He did not squeeze hard, did not hurt in any way, but she knew without trying that she would not be able to easily pull back her hand.

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