Page 34 of The Duchess' Ultimatum
Dammit, she was finding it hard enough just to walk without tripping over herself. The duke had his arm linked through her own, their bodies were held closely, his other hand had reached around and was rested on her arm. And all the while, her room came closer as they continued through the empty halls.
The silence growing around them…
What is this? I might say he is simply being a gentleman and walking me to my room, nothing to over think or wonder too much about. But it feels as if it is more than that.
Was it possible that he intended to make good on their deal right here and now? With the arrangements for the party having been made, with her task done, that he was ready to give her the child that she so desperately wanted? And if so, was she ready for such a thing?
It was no wonder that Penelope could hardly put one foot in front of the other without stumbling And trying to make her tongue work normally… she might as well have sprouted wings and started to fly.
“I was surprised when you invited me to supper.” Penelope forced herself to speak. And she looked dead ahead when she walked, determined to appear calm. “Might I ask what changed?”
“It was Barbara,” the duke offered simply. “She wished to join us.”
“She is certainly not as I originally thought.”
“She still is,” he said. “But she knows this weekend is happening, and that she cannot stop it. My hope is that tonight is proof to her that being social is not the horror she has spent so much of her life believing it to be.”
“A sign of things to come,” Penelope said, but only because she felt she had to say something.
She was not at all certain of what was going on. If the intent here was to take her to bed, why was he talking about his sister? Should he not have been preparing her? Letting her know what he wanted… and how he wanted it.
A shiver ran up her spine at the mere thought of where tonight might lead. All afternoon, Penelope had debated with herself what she wanted and what she might do when the time came. If it was best to avoid the duke, or if getting closer to him was the right move to make.
Now, she knew that it made little to no difference what she wanted. At the end of the day, it was the duke’s decision to make.
For this reason, she felt her heart thunder in her chest. Her excitement growing steadily. They turned the corner, her bedroom door came into view at the end of the hallway, and despite the nerves flooding her, she felt a pull in that direction… as if the doorway was beckoning her.
“I wanted to thank you,” Dorian said.
“Huh?” Penelope tore her eyes off the bedroom door and looked at him, not sure at all what he meant.
“I wanted to thank you,” he said again, this time with a smile attached. “For the way you have treated my sister. You have shown her a kindness, and I don’t think you understand just how big of a deal such a small thing as that is for her.”
“Oh…” Penelope’s frown deepened. Again, if he was leading her to the room to finally make good on their deal, why was he still talking of Barbara? “It is quite alright. In truth, I rather like your sister.”
“She likes you too. I can tell.”
“Well…” She laughed awkwardly. “I am rather personable, once you get to know me. No doubt these last two weeks and you’ve started to realize what it is you have been missing.”
Thankfully, he laughed at the joke. “I wouldn’t go that far. You are not so good of company as that.” He looked at her flatly, and she smiled because she could sense that he was trying to make a joke. “But I do often wonder…” He sighed deeply and she could feel him tense through her arm. “My sister was not always as she is, and seeing the two of you, it forces me to consider where it all went wrong.”
“I… I am not sure what –”
“It is not your concern,” he spoke over her. When he did, he squeezed her arm gently and she felt it pulse through her body so her heart started to beat all the harder. “I suppose my mother is who’s to blame, not that it would make any difference.”
“Your mother?”
“Not a conversation to be had right now.” There was an edge to his voice, and clearly this was a topic Dorian did not wish to breach.
A good thing too, for they just now arrived at Penelope’s bedroom door. It was closed shut, and when they reached it Dorian pulled his arm free but did not step away. Rather, he turned to face Penelope, meeting her eyes, one hand still touching her lightly on the wrist.
Her eyes flicked to that hand… held it… her breath catching and she was all but certain he could hear how her heart hammered.
“Here we are,” he said.
“Y – yes,” she stammered, hardly able to stand the tension.
This is it… the moment I came here for…
