Page 39 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
“You chose to be a maid and work for the ugliest man alive?” Marcus asked. “How does that make any sense? You could have lived a comfortable life with me.”
"I am living a comfortable life," Arabella told him. "Working as a maid is rewarding, and the duke is a lovely employer. He is respectful, thoughtful, fair, kind, and a far better man than many I have had the misfortune of meeting."
Marcus widened his eyes slightly. “Indeed? You speak so highly of him, yet the fact remains that you're working as amaid, and he is theBeastly Duke. You cannot argue that away.”
Arabella rolled her eyes. "You have always been insufferable, Marcus," she said. "You see things in black and white and not the colors of the rainbow. You assume that because I'm working as a maid, I need to work—I do not. You have heard terrible rumors about the duke, and while I admit that he is scarred, I only see the man he is beneath his scars. It is unfortunate for you that you could never see past your nose."
Marcus was shocked into silence, but only for a moment. “I see you haven't changed,” he said. “You still have a sharp little tongue on you. I always hoped I would tame it one day, but you didn't give me that opportunity, did you?”
“I certainly made the right choice not marrying you,” she bit back.
Marcus threw his head back and laughed. "I love your sense of humor, Arabella," he said, wiping tears of laughter from his light blue eyes. "Life certainly has been boring without you. No one but you tries to put me in my place, which is why we would be perfect together. I'll take care of you, and you will keep our marriage interesting."
Arabella slowly shook her head. The man had to have rocks in his head to think marriage had ever been possible between them. Just watching him slick his pale hair back as though he was the gift of the gods for all women irked her. It was just thewayhe did it.
“Did your mother drop you on your head as a baby?” she asked. “I think I insulted you into next week, yet it's like water down your back.”
“I know you, Arabella,” he said. “I have known you for years. You have a sharp tongue but a sweet heart. I like the combination.”
Arabella shook her head in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?” she asked. “Oh, just get out of the way and let me go to the bookshop. There is no talking to you.”
She couldn't recall if Marcus had been this insistent before. He sounded desperate, even.
“Come to my home and have tea with me,” Marcus insisted. “With Mother and me. I'll show you that you deserve better than working for the beast.”
“Oh goodness!” she cried, throwing her hands into the air. “What do you not understand? You will not convince me to marry you, and I enjoy working for the duke! Do you have any notion of how beautiful Euston Hall is? I also keep my hands busy rather than sit about being a kept woman like you probably expect me to be. I've also met new people and made a new friend.”
To her surprise, Marcus clapped his hands. “Good for you, Arabella,” he said.
“Are you mocking me?”
"Mock you?" he said. "No, no, no. I know how you like your little adventures and get bored rather quickly. Also, your father died not too long ago, and you likely needed something to take your mind off losing your parents. However, you'll get bored again and move on to the next thing. There is only so much one can handle while living under the same roof as the Beastly Duke."
“Would you stop calling him that?” she demanded.
“What else should I call him?” Marcus asked. “He is beastly looking. All those terrible scars on his body. His face is practically disfigured! How can you stand that? Doesn't it make your stomach turn?”
Arabella shook her head and looked away. She hated hearing others speak so terribly about the duke. She simply didn't see him as others did. It was flabbergasting that people couldn't look past his scars to the person he was beneath them. Those scars were also part of him. Instead of seeing them as a flaw, people needed to see them as another aspect of his physical appearance.
“Come back to Thetford where you belong, Arabella,” Marcus insisted. “Leave that monster to live in his house.”
"Monster?" Arabella exclaimed, rounding on him.
"How dare you call him that?Youare the real monster. You may look handsome on the outside, but you're a terrible person inside. You're self-centered, think you're better than anyone else, and treat anyone who doesn't meet your standards like they're not even human! You are truly despicable. I cannot tell you how many times I wished to wipe the permanent smug look off your face. I could do it right now and live happily for the rest of my life."
Marcus frowned. “You do not mean that.”
“Oh, I certainly do,” she said. “Now, get out of my way.”
Marcus' ears were bright red when she forcefully pushed him aside and climbed the steps to the bookshop, flinging the door open. She almost banged it but remembered it was not her property. Arabella gently closed the door behind her and closed her eyes briefly, counting to twenty to calm down.
“Well, as I live and breathe,” a man said behind her. “Arabella?”
She turned to the bookshop owner and smiled. “Mr. Beaton,” she said. “It has been a long time. How are you?”
“Better for seeing you,” the bookshop owner replied. “How are you?”
“Very well, thank you,” she said. “I've come to buy books for the Duke of Richmond. I believe he opened an account here a few weeks ago?”
