Chapter 3 #2
Thalia almost laughed out loud at the comment. Of all the people who might convince her, he was the last who stood a chance. She did not laugh, however, because the Duke turned and looked at her and all hints of laughter died in her throat as if he strangled them himself.
The confidence that came from him… the assurance in his abilities… the power. Thalia could feel it and while she knew that she was going to say no, no matter what he said, a part of her worried that she might not be strong enough.
Such was typical when dealing with dukes.
“There is nothing you can say that will change my mind,” Thalia said the second that Damien left the room. He made sure to close the door behind him, allowing Thalia to speak her mind without fear of being reprimanded by her brother.
Although my brother isn’t who I should be concerned over…
“Is that right?” the Duke asked simply.
She furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes. “You are so… arrogant. Do you know that?”
“What have I said to give you that impression?”
“It is not what you have said, but how you have said it,” she said.
“Despite my objections, despite how clear it should be that nothing you do or say will change my mind, you act as if…” Her stare hardened.
“As if you are so much smarter than everyone else in the room. The world! That no matter what I do or say, it will make no difference.”
“Did you consider that maybe I am so much smarter than everyone else in the room?” he said simply. “And even I am not so arrogant as to laud my intellect over the entire world.”
She scoffed. “You won’t change my mind, so I suggest you make peace with that.” Thalia folded her arms. “And do not even think of arranging something behind my back with my brother. As I have proven already, I have no issues when it comes to ruining weddings.”
The Duke continued to look down at her; needed, because he was so tall. His expression remained neutral, emotionless, almost bored. But there was the faintest hint of a smile touching his eyes, as if he found Thalia’s objections amusing. Again, believing himself smarter than everyone else.
“I have no intention of going behind your back,” he said. “I fear that if I did that, come the day of our wedding, and you might… cause disruption.”
“That is a nice way of saying it.”
“No…” A shake of the head. “If we are to wed, you will be the one agreeing to it. In fact, I suspect that you will beg me to marry you.”
Thalia could not help but laugh. “I was wrong about you. It is not that you are that smart, but that mad. You must be, if you think that this going to happen.”
“Do you remember what I said to you?”
“What?” Thalia blinked.
“At the church, right after you convinced Lady Rosaline to go with you. Do you remember what I said?”
Thalia cast her mind back. She had vague memories of that day, most of which were a blur because it had all happened so quickly. She bit into her lip, doing her best to piece it together…
“I told you that there would be consequences for what you had done,” the Duke said calmly. “Now, there are plenty of ways to interrupt such a statement. Consequences for you. For your friend.” He shrugged. “Both. Really, it depends on why you did as you did.”
“I told you…” A lump appeared in Thalia’s throat, and her legs began to tremble because she sensed a trap opening. Worse, she sensed that she was about to walk right into it. “… I did it for my friend.”
“You care for her,” he said.
“I do.”
“You want only the best for her.”
“That’s right.”
He nodded, firmly. Like a banker whose sums had added up perfectly.
“Then perhaps you should consider what will happen if you and I do not marry. People are already speaking of what occurred, and if they continue to do so, the story will conclude with the undeniable fact that Lady Rosaline is a spinster who spat in the fact of society –”
“That is not true!”
“And you, he continued, “will be seen as her accomplice. Clearly, you do not care what people think of you.” He was looking right at her, his tone so calm and neutral…
which somehow, made it all the more threatening.
“But your friend, and your brother by extension…” He clicked his tongue.
“I hate to think what will happen to them.”
Thalia gasped. “No. They are not… my brother… I will tell people the truth!”
“What truth? That you stopped my marriage so that they could wed instead? As if people will care? You know they won’t.”
“I don’t understand…” Thalia could feel her bravery faltering.
“If you marry me, however, I will of course help to combat these nasty rumors. I will make it seem as if…” He exhaled. “As if this was always the plan. That the marriage to Lady Rosaline was rushed and organized against both of our wills, and that it was you who I always wanted.”
“No one will believe that.”
“They will believe what I tell them to believe,” he said sharply, sounding angry for the first time. “And once they do, Lady Rosaline and your brother will be forgotten, free to marry one another, able to live their lives in peace.”
Thalia was shaking her head. “How can I trust you?”
“Why would you not be able to?” he asked.
“Sadly, our lives are linked together now. You ensured it.” He was standing over her, but he chose that moment to take a step closer.
“If you marry me, it will end the rumors, it will save your friends and family, and it will keep me from doing something that neither of us will very much like.”
“Like what?” she breathed.
“Let us hope it does not come to that.” Another step closer so that he was only one foot away. He towered over her, like a storm cloud threatening to burst. “Now, will you marry me by choice? Yes or no?”
Thalia thought quickly.
She sized up the situation, trying to see ahead and determine what would happen if she said no.
Yes, it would greatly affect her own reputation, but she did not care about that.
What she cared about, the only thing, was Rosaline and her brother.
They were who she did it for, and they were who she would do whatever it took to save.
Next, she forced herself to meet the Duke’s cold eyes. He watched her closely, but he did not try and intimidate her. There was no mockery in his stare. No sense of triumph. He simply looked at her, determining her answer long before she gave it.
I have no choice. To say no would be to doom my friends and my family. To say yes… my life is over either way.
“Fine,” she snarled up at him, a decision reached. “If that is how it has to be, so be it.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It is.”
“Good.” A smile gently pulled at his lips, but it did not reach his eyes. The Duke was not surprised by her response, nor was he pleased. It seemed inevitable to him, a conclusion he knew would be reached long before he stepped into the manor. “I am glad we are able to agree.”
“What happens now?” Thalia’s mind was reeling, struggling to come to grips with what had happened.
“Now?” He frowned as he looked at her, his brow furrowed as he slowly reached forward.
She went stiff, preparing for… she did not know!
But his hand was gentle as it brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face, and Thalia gasped to feel the tips of his fingers stroking her skin. “We will wed, and soon.”
“How – how soon?” Her heart was racing, and it worsened when she noticed how close he was standing.
“As soon as is possible.”