Page 14 of The Wallflower and the Duke
“I could stay a little longer,” she said after a minute.
“I would like that. We can have dinner.”
She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. He was so close. She could kiss him here. Kiss him and see if all the wild spinning thoughts consuming her now made sense. Or if they were only worries.
“That sounds lovely.”
He reached up and placed his thumb on the soft dimple of her chin. She hated it. Always had, always felt self-conscious about it. No one else she knew had the same jawline.
“Stay for dinner,” he urged. “Then we can read again together afterward.”
“I can’t stay here, especially not alone after dinner.” Her fingertips brushed over the buttons of his shirt. “It’s bad enough I’m holed up in your room. If someone were to say something?—”
“You’d be ruined.”
“Yes,” she said after a minute. But even then, she couldn’t take her focus away from his mouth. How close he was. Her fingers itched to touch him.
“I can ruin you,” he said, “and I’d be the perfect gentleman about it.”
She knew he was teasing. At least somewhat. But the way his voice dropped, she realized he had also spoken some truth there as well. That frightened her a little, maybe excited her a bit more.
“Ruin me?” She licked her lips as the space between them grew even smaller.
“I don’t think it would be considered ruining you if I still intend to marry you.”
She drew back a little, laughing. “Marry me? You were talking about ruining me. I was talking about leaving a minute ago.” She jumped to her feet, putting her forehead in her hand. “Alfie, I must go. I think it’s best. I don’t know what…”
She swallowed hard, watching emotions play across his face until he finally sat up, gathered her manuscript, and stood.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know a lot of things to be true in this life. Hell, I can’t even leave this room. But I know I still care for you, Jo. I do enough that, if it is a crime, I am willing to pay for it. I am already a man condemned.”
He sighed again, and she noted his hands fisting along his waist. “I already can’t get out of my own mind. Being stuck in this room has also made me realize what is in my heart. And I know I wasn’t wrong all those years ago. I knew then I wanted you to be my wife. I still want you to be my wife. Be my Duchess, Jo. Go to London and we will see that Percy acknowledges what he did, and more importantly, you receive the praise you deserve.”
He stalked closer. Marjorie’s heart hammered in her chest. She remained still, afraid to move, afraid to speak. Marry him? He wanted her to marry him. After all this time?
“Alfie,” she gasped, shaking her head, overwhelmed. Because this time it didn’t seem so ridiculous an idea.
“I love you, Marjorie. And however inconvenient a truth that is to hear, I have to tell you. I don’t know if I told you enough then. I don’t think you were ready to hear it. I know you’ve just come back, and I realize I have been my only company for months now, and I’ve had plenty of time to consider this, but I don’t see any way out. Because you are it for me, Jo. You have always been the only woman for me. I want that. I want you. I want to learn what love is because I’m learning it with you. I know it’s a lot for you to hear. I’ll be patient if you need time. I’ll wait. I’ll wait until my dying day.”
“Alfie, you’re the Duke of Aldridge,” she said.
He straightened, putting a little distance between them. “I need you. I don’t care about the rest. I’ve spent too much of my life worrying about what I should do, what I was born to do, what I needed to do. But duty only saw me locked up in this room. And it took you crawling in through my window for me to recognize this doesn’t have to be the end of my story. I don’t have to say goodbye. All I’m asking is for you to allow me to love you.”
Marjorie waited, stunned.
Only moments earlier, she was preparing to return home. She had come this morning to be a friend because her friend had been hurting. She was quite positive she had just had a duke propose to her.
Again.
CHAPTER 4
The air in Marjorie’s lungs left in a soft whoosh. To his credit, Alfie stood still, close enough to touch, but allowed her space as surprise washed over her.
“Do you remember when you first asked me to marry you?” Her voice wobbled as heat rushed to her cheeks. “We were swimming after a long summer walk, and you pulled yourself out of the water while I dried myself off in the sun. You stood before me with your hands on your hips and told me?—”
“You were the most beautiful girl I ever met, and I needed you to marry me immediately.”
She swallowed the soft sigh in her throat at the memory of that day. For years, she thought she missed summers here with him. Now she realized it was likely she missed him.
