Page 58 of Starlight and the Duke
Oh, really?
“I am only here because my parents disapprove of my hopes, wishes, and desires. They are pushing me toward you because you are a duke.”
“There’s a surprise,” he said with disdain.
“They are convinced your title is all the prize I need. Let me assure you, it is not. Nor can I turn my heart on and off at will.”
“Your heart? Have you fallen in love with someone else?”
Please, please. Yes.
Fiona could not blame him for a failed match if Eloise was the one who rejected him. That would neatly take care of all the young ladies they had chosen as potential matches for him, and leave him free to enjoy the rest of this house party unburdened.
“Becoming your duchess,” Eloise said, regaining his attention, “and having others grovel at my feet will not lessen the pain of giving up on my dreams.”
“I am not in the habit of encouraging anyone to grovel.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Nor will I lock you in a dungeon.”
“I never thought so. You do not come across as cruel. However, you do not come across as scholarly either.”
Was she calling him an idiot?
He smothered a grin. Fine, let her believe he was all muscle and no brain.
“Let us clear the air, Your Grace. I do not dislike you. In fact, I appreciate your efforts to be polite and engaging. But you do not strike me as a man who will ever accept anything less than complete faithfulness in his wife, and I can never promise you this.”
“You would cavort with other men?”
Holy ham hocks.That was quite the admission, especially from a girl who had hardly spoken a sentence to him in over two hours.
“Other men?” she said, the notion seeming to catch her by surprise. However, she did not attempt to deny it. “Perhaps, but I was thinking of my first love, which is scientific research and my general thirst for knowledge. They will always come first in my heart, you see.”
“And what of children?”
“What do you mean? Whose children?”
“Yours. Ours if we were to marry.”
Eloise blushed. “But this is why I am being honest with you from the start. I do not want the distraction of children.”
“No children? Ever?”
She nodded. “That’s right.”
His heart tightened, for Fiona had been in anguish and praying for a child for years while Eloise could probably pop them out year after year and did not care a fig.
One of life’s cruel ironies.
Eloise pursed her lips and frowned. “Nor do I want any other duties required of a duchess. My heart is pledged to learning. This I can do without interference because I have a sizeable inheritance from my maternal grandmother. Nor will my parents be excessively put out, because I have eight brothers and sisters who will be far more amenable to doing their bidding.”
Rob was not so sure her family would be so easily assuaged. “Lady Eloise, they have thrown you in my path because they know your status as a duchess will not only provide a good life for you but also elevate the chances of your siblings to make good matches. Surely you understand this.”
“Oh, yes. I do understand this is their aim. However, it does not seem fair of me to use you in this manner when I have no intention of taking on the duties of a wife. Well, not to aman such as yourself. And please do not take this as an insult. I only mean that you are the sort who would want a wife who understands the importance of putting your marriage first.”
Was that such a demanding request? To love and honor one’s husband? To respect one’s marriage vows? He would do no less for his wife.
