Page 50 of Her Ruse with the Rakish Duke
The temperature in the room rose as they settled into silence. She was vaguely aware of his bed in the periphery of her vision and what things could be done under such cover of darkness. Things that no one would ever know about.
“Daphne,” he begged.
“I am not leaving until you speak to me,” she said stubbornly so he understood none of his attempts to change her mind would work. “I do not come here with ulterior motives. I am here as a friend. Let me be that.”
He stared down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Then, he moved away from her with a sigh. She noted he had not turned his back to her.
He threw a shirt over his head and leaned against one of his bedposts, running a hand through his hair. Her eyes roamed over his arms and body as the shirt lifted, giving her a brief glimpse of his abdomen.
She instantly felt guilty for harboring such indecent thoughts when she took in his hooded eyes and posture. He obviously had a lot on his mind and she was busy ogling him.
Focus Daphne.She scolded herself.
“We can talk in the morning, Daphne.” He tried one last time to dissuade her.
“You said we would talk after dinner, and I intend to hear what you have to say. But first, what is the problem?”
“Stubborn woman,” he grumbled.
“Victor.”
“All right, all right.” He groaned, sitting on the edge of his bed. “It’s my mother. She is sick and gravely so, but we do not know if it is terminal or not. She has been taking medicine from some of the best doctors in town, but even they do not know what they are treating.”
Oh.
Daphne certainly had not been expecting that.
She had noticed the woman’s pale look in recent times, but she had not thought her health that poor.
“I am sorry.”
He nodded and they fell into uncomfortable silence which Daphne longed to fill. It was obvious from the few interactions she had noted between him and his mother that he loved her dearly and was protective of her. Seeing her that ill, with no power to help, must have hurt him more than anyone could imagine, especially considering he always seemed to be in control of everything around him.
“The trip here was her worst decision yet. The roads here were abominable,” he complained. “But the damned woman could not stand being alone in the townhouse.”
His words lacked anger but rather voiced only his concern and fear for her.
“I hear country air is good for people who are ill.” She smiled at him, looking to give him hope. “You will be surprised that, with a little more rest, she will recover quickly. Your mother is a strong woman. She will be up on her feet in no time. Do not worry.”
He was silent for a long time leaving her wondering what he could be thinking about.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked her with a frown. “I do not see why you would unless… Have you, by any chance, started to harbor a certain fondness for me, Daphne?”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head.
“No, I have not,” she said hurriedly. “I only consider you my friend.”
He scoffed, sending her a mocking look that incensed her anger.
“You are a young, unmarried woman,” he told her. “Surely you have marriage on your mind.”
“You know nothing about what I want.”
“I might not but I do know what all women desire. The safety of marriage. I cannot give you that, if it is what you expect or hope for from me.” He told her this with a dark voice. “If I have given a false impression that I intend to marry you, I am sorry, but I will never marry. I…”
“I already know how you feel about me, Victor,” she told him with a level voice that somehow did not betray how hurt she felt hearing him say those words again. “And I know your views on marriage, so do not worry about my feelings.”
“How would you know that?”
