Page 15 of The Wallflower and the Duke
“Yes.” She smiled softly. “And I told you?”
“First, you laughed. Then you told me you wrote fiction, but you couldn’t live it. That no one would approve of a duke marrying a Merryweather.” He sighed. “My heart broke because I was willing to risk everything, but I understood I couldn’t ask the same of you. Not when you were at the start of publishing your novels. You’d found a small comfort in your life, and I was there asking you to give it all up for a lot of unknowns.”
“I would have been with you.”
He shook his head. “I knew what I wanted, but that was not true for you.”
Alfie approached, slowly holding his hand out. Marjorie nestled her cheek against his palm, shutting her eyes for a moment. “And now?”
She opened her eyes. Now, it was her turn for the shattered heart. Though, she was sure she hadn’t been in love with Percy for some time now.
“I need more time, Alfie. I’ve only ever known us as friends.”
He dropped his hand but remained close. “I should apologize. I don’t?—”
“I’ve missed you, and even if you never replied, I thought of you often. I’m afraid of… deepening our friendship.”
For a moment, she thought he would yell or toss his arms in the air or make a snide comment like Percy had. Instead, with a small nod, Alfie turned and walked away.
She didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t mean…
“I’m sorry,” she said.
But instead of answering, he rang for dinner and turned, collapsing back against the wall. “We have lived our lives with many secrets, Jo. I can wait until you are ready. If you are ever ready. In the meantime, will you have dinner with a good friend?”
“Dinner?”
She was struck at the sight of him leaning against the brocade wallcovering, his head tipped up enough that his dark-green eyes narrowed in on her.
She wasn’t focused on dinner. Suddenly, her thoughts flew to kissing. And that might have been odd to consider yesterday, but today? Marjorie and Alfie were no longer friends.
They were… a scandal waiting to happen.
“Dinner,” he confirmed. But his voice was low and husky, and she thought maybe he also was thinking of kissing her.
She nodded, suddenly lifting her hand and laying it at the bottom of her throat, pinning her there under the heat of his stare. Her sister had teased her about being ruined, not knowing the truth. She already was. If she confessed that to him…
“Very well.” She finally dropped her hand and gathered her things. “I will stay for dinner, then accept your offer of a carriage. It wouldn’t do to have gossip spread. Or worse, staff telling your mother.”
“My mother is the last person I wish to think of now.”
She smiled at his strained voice. It was a small flirtation and a wicked promise.
Good, at least they could find humor in the situation. However surprising it was for her to discover. She always was a quick learner, and if he continued looking at her the way he was now, she was certain she would leave this evening having kissed him.
She chuckled, walking to the window. Hollyvale was beautiful at sunset. In the distance, a few stags grazed in the field. The past few years, she was used to confining herself to her rooms to write, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling of being stuck in his suite.
“You’ve filled this space with some lovely things.” She turned, clasping her hands behind her back and slowly strolling over to the statue in the corner of the room. “And I see you have plenty of books. You’ve stayed here for nearly a year now, so I’m curious. When you don’t have women climbing in through your window, what do you do?”
That look, the one which made her grow warm and achy, dropped suddenly. Marjorie could have sworn his warm, green eyes turned icy black.
“Every day, more or less, feels the same, and after a while, I’ve grown accustomed to making this my home.”
She tilted her head, studying him. “Hollyvale is your home. There are over one hundred seven rooms, I believe.”
“One hundred twelve.”
“Yes, well you are living in one at the moment.”
