Page 74 of The Duchess' Ultimatum
“I need to tell you something,” he spoke over her. He was not looking at her when he did, speaking into his body as he stared at her chest. “Something that does not come easy, but it must be said.”
“Oh…” She hesitated, knowing what he would say, but finding it no easier to reckon with. “If you insist.”
He took a deep breath. “Last night, what was said, I want you to know that I meant every word, Penelope. Truly, these last few weeks have been a revelation and I will never forget them. What it has done is…” A smile touched his lips. “It has made me realize that a world exists outside of my own, one that under anyother circumstance is one I would very much like to live in.” The smile grew a fraction. “You are not what I thought, and I wish I realized that sooner.”
“I… thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“But I have been thinking and… this has not come easy… last night…” He was sweating, stammering over his words, unable or unwilling to get them out. “You and I… I wanted to give us a chance – I thought we might be able to. But… it is not… there are other factors which –”
“Dorian, it’s fine.” Penelope spoke over him and then forced herself across the room. “Truly, I know what you are going to say and…” She laughed softly to break the tension. “Would you believe that I was going to say the same thing?”
His head snapped up and he frowned at her. “You were?”
She stood just a few feet away, desperate to reach for his hands, but not willing to make contact. “I too have been thinking a lot today and I have decided that despite what was said last night, that it might be best if we…” She felt her chin wobble. “That I return home tomorrow.”
“You… you are?” She could not tell if he was relieved or broken by the statement.
“I think we know it is for the best,” she said gently. “We tried, we failed, and that’s all there really is to it. Not all marriages aremeant to work out and…” Her chin continued to wobble, and she sniffed back tears. “And that’s not a bad thing. At the very least, I am glad that we were able to be friends.”
“Friends…”
“Aren’t we?”
Dorian considered her. Brow tight, he looked into her eyes and she prayed that he rejected her words. That he took her, pulled her into him, placed his lips on her own and kissed her as if his life depended on it. She needed him to – if he did, she would have happily accepted him. Damn the consequences!
“I hope we are,” he said, his voice a whisper. “Only, I also… I don’t want you to go home empty-handed. We made a deal, you kept your end and I…” He firmed himself up, his expression turned suddenly serious. “It would only be right if I made good on the deal. I said that I would. I owe you that.”
“Oh…” She blinked. “I… you mean…” Cheeks flushing red, she looked away with embarrassment.
“A child,” he said. “You still wish for one, yes? After all, was that not the entire reason you came here?”
The truth of the matter was that Penelope no longer yearned for a child as she once did. She knew now that it would not fill the hole that existed inside of her and might only make things worse.
But when she went to tell him that, her mind moved forwards, picturing the duke taking her to his room, laying with her, being with her for a single night. It was not the outcome she wanted. It would not make things better – it might make them worse. However, as things stood, it was the best she could hope for.
And that alone was proof of how she really felt.
“It is,” she said, doing her best to not show her eagerness, as if this was a mere business transaction.As it was always meant to be.“And if you are still willing…”
A soft smile touched his lips and he reached for her hand. “My room, I think. If it pleases you.”
“It does.”
She took his hand and felt a warmth spread up her arm so that she nearly cried out. This was a bad idea, and she simply did not care. She was well past that point by now.
And then, together, as man and wife, Dorian led Penelope from her room and into the hallway. It would be their last night together, so they best make it count. Even if it was sure to make everything that much harder.If such a thing is even possible…
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
They were halfway down the hall when they both heard it.
Penelope was surprised by the fact that she did, as her mind was thoroughly fixed on where she was going and what she was doing. It was her heart that thundered in her chest, blood that pumped through her ears, and the fact that she was able to hear anything beyond that was startling.
But there could be no mistaking it. The sounds of someone crying.
“What…” Penelope slowly came to a stop, pulling Dorian with her. “What is that?”
Dorian looked about, brow furrowed as he listened and heard it too. A moment as the sobbing grew, and then his eyes widened with fear. “Barbara!” Without another word he released Penelope’s hand and fled down the hallway.
