Page 43 of Her Ruse with the Rakish Duke
There was no way around it. Victor was half of that man. Half of his vileness resided in him. He could not guarantee it and he would not risk it, no matter how much he wished it.
Still, he hated that she had not granted him a chance to prove himself first.
You have her now,a voice like his mother’s prodded in his head.You have a chance to make her see you in a better light. Why are you wasting it?
Because if her hatred turned to love, he could not bear to shatter her heart.
Victor watched the musical drama on stage, but he could barely assimilate the exploits of the Ottomans, nor could he appreciate the beauty in their voices.
His head was a raging menace. He craved the ease that had been between them before he blurted out that question. A cool hand was placed on his. It took all of his self-control to remain calm as he looked sideways at her.
Her gaze was trained at the stage, but she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and then made to retract it. Victor’s restless heart gave a heavy thud. He covered her hand with his.
What felt like an eternity passed, while their hands were joined. Slowly, the webs in his heart began to dissipate. On stage, each time a character executed a comical move to eliminate the enemy, Victor found himself laughing.
She relaxed on the cushion, her lips curved up in time with his. In there, there was no room for hatred, or the past or effects.
He would stay in that moment. And treasure it.
ChapterEleven
Inspired by the performance they had enjoyed the night before, Daphne decided to spend some time reading.
She glanced out of the window of the library as thick droplets of rain landed on the green grass. She always found summer rain to be rather comforting, and the perfect excuse to curl up with a book in the library after dinner.
As she entered the house’s master library, a smile formed on her face.
The room exuded an aura of timeless elegance, its walls covered with shelves upon shelves of weathered books, which made Daphne’s heart flutter with excitement.
After taking at least a quarter of an hour to choose a book, she took the volume in her arms and sat down in a plush armchair, positioned near the crackling fireplace, which must have been lit by the servants to warm up the house during the cool downpour.
The flames cast flickering shadows across the room while the light from the candles peppered the room in light like fireflies.
Daphne opened the book and became so immersed in the marvelous story, that she barely lifted her head when the door opened.
“Oh. Sorry. I thought everyone had gone to bed,” Victor said gently as he passed the threshold.
She gave him a polite smile, “Not everyone. I thought I would take some time to read.”
Victor’s gaze shifted towards the tall windows, and as he did, the embers from the fire in the hearth reflected in his eyes like little stars.
“Perfect weather for reading, isn’t it?” he muttered and returned his eyes to her with a smile.
She nodded and returned her attention to the book.
“Do you mind if I join you?” she heard Victor ask.
“Be my guest,” she shrugged and continued reading.
Still, she remained aware as he picked a book off the shelves and sat in the armchair across from hers.
He flicked through the pages, the sound mirroring the crackling of the fire. Then, she felt his eyes upon her.
“I would like to ask you a question,” Victor finally spoke and she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.
Under ordinary circumstances, she would be quite annoyed with him for interrupting her reading. However, with the way he was staring at her, she could not help but feel drawn toward him.
“Yes?” she raised an eyebrow.
