Page 36 of The Duke's Improper Bride
Her soft whimper cut the tension in the room. He couldn’t stand her crying, especially not on his account. He loved her. She had to know that.
“You’re unwell. Let me ring for the maid.” He reached out as if to take her in his arms, but she shook her head, instead bracing her arms on the washstand.
“This has been a m-mistake. You and I—” Nora inhaled a big, shaky breath. “What we found in Scotland was beautiful. But I can’t be your duchess.”
A shiver ran down his spine. “Can’t or won’t?”
“I can’t be who you want me to be. I’m not the woman you need.”
He threw his arms into the air. “You’re exactly the woman I need, Nora. I married you. I need you to love me. Maybe not today, but sometime. The rest is pointless without that. If you don’t wish to go tonight, we won’t. You’re ill—”
“Everything happened t-too soon.”
“Why does love need to follow a timeline? We found each other, can’t that be enough? Even for now?”
“You’re infuriating.”
“I don’t know how else I can convince you that I love you, that I need and want you. I didn’t marry anyone else but you, and for good reason.”
“You’re forgetting the biggest reason why you should have left me back in Scotland.”
He tossed his arms into the air. “Because you’re tongue-tied? Because those around you claimed you’re simple and dim, and that you should be kept away from society?”
Nora sputtered, not saying anything.
“They were wrong. Every damn one of them, sweet. But until you can accept that you are worthy of being in this world, I can’t make you believe it.”
“That’s exactly what you’re attempting to do.” Nora held her chin high, even as tears spilled down her cheeks.
“This wasn’t a mistake.” He pointed his finger at her then dropped it, striding toward the door to leave. There was no air left in this damn room. “It’s not, and I refuse to talk about this further. Stay home this evening if you wish. Hide if that’s what will bring you comfort. But you’re mistaken if you believe I’ll remain by your side to pity you. You’re not a woman to be pitied, Nora. And London would have loved you for it.”
He slammed the door behind him, leaving Nora alone.
Chapter 10
The air stank of vomit, her hands shook, and her chest was too tight to breathe. Nora bent forward, bracing her hands on the mattress; her head dipped as she struggled for air.
Marrying Isaac so soon might have been a mistake, but it would never compare to watching him walk away.
Worse still, when he was right.
She was afraid.
Afraid of what they could have to gain or lose. Afraid of finding her place in London or failing. And now terrified that she didn’t know the secrets possessed by the man she had married.
And yet Nora stood, gathered a few things, then marched toward her husband’s office.
She might have been afraid of the life she could share with him, but she wasn’t afraid of the task before her. She had made a promise, and she would see justice for Daniel. She would see to his safety, even if it meant risking her own.
Nora was through waiting on others.
She shuffled through the papers on Isaac’s desk, unsure of what she’d find, or if she would find anything at all. It might be easy to dismiss her husband, but if Nora were to trust her gut, she knew he had begun his search for Daniel.
And she was right.
Beneath a stack of papers about Elmside Castle was a folded letter in another man’s handwriting containing two addresses and Daniel’s initials. One address was in Scotland, the other in Ireland.
She grabbed the paper and returned to her room. Once undressed, she dismissed the maid and quickly packed a few items, thankful her old walking dress from Scotland was still tucked away in the back of her closet. She dressed, grasped the small valise and ducked out the doorway of her bedroom.
