Chapter 19 #2
“That must have been quite hard for you, Your Grace,” she said softly.
Arabella didn’t know what experience Gerald had with other people, but the look of disbelief that he gave her the moment she showed some empathy told her everything she needed to know. He was looking at her as if someone saw him for the first time in his life.
“It is just an inconvenience,” he gathered his emotions back into the wall of his composure.
“I’d like to think that having your family go out of their way to trap you for what I assume has to be either revenge or financial issues is not just an inconvenience.”
What she really wanted to say to him was that it was totally understandable to feel reserved and unsafe under those circumstances and that she was there to share that burden.
“Inconvenience or not,” Arabella continued without letting him answer, “we made an agreement, and I always plan to honor my agreements.”
Gerald let out a small huff that would be mistaken as laughter in his cruel, cold world.
“That is quite refreshing on your part. I should like to thank you,” Gerald said.
“You’re most welcome,” Arabella tried to lighten the dark mood.
“So you’re telling me all I need to do during the engagement party and the wedding breakfast is to basically stay by your side like some form of a sentinel so that whoever your family has enlisted doesn’t throw themselves on you. Am I reading the situation correctly?”
The Duke chuckled and shook his head before looking at her as if she were some kind of wonder.
“You must excuse me, Your Grace,” he said, lighter than before. “But now I am picturing you, in full armor that you can barely lift, following me around to get some refreshment.”
“That would be the least of our problems. Imagine if we have to dance and I am still holding a sword.”
“I would say my dancing abilities would be tested,” he smiled.
“Stepping on your toes would be quite devastating, I would presume.”
She saw with pride the heavy clouds that had burdened him lift and perhaps a little sunshine let in.
“We need to avert the armor disaster, and I think I have the solution,” he said enigmatically and got up.
He left the room for a while, and then he came back with a big box with a distinct golden sign. Madame Claire’s Lily.
“Gerald?”
“I wouldn’t allow my Duchess to attend any of these events with just any gown.”
“But how did you…?”
“The bill came for your three gowns. The ones you have ordered.”
“The bills were supposed to come to me.”
“It was a mistake. And I’m glad. Because what I saw seriously irritated me.”
“I used the pocket money you have-”
“You were very conservative. The amount of money that you spent was laughable.”
Arabella’s jaw dropped. The money that she had spent on one gown alone was the budget she had for all the gowns she had owned as Miss Marriot.
“I wanted to rectify this discrepancy.”
“How exactly did you rectify that?”
A wide smile bloomed on his face. Arabella was taken aback by the rare appearance of that smile in the light of day. And then she looked at the box again.
She placed the napkin on the table and got up. She opened the big box only to find two gowns wrapped carefully in paper. She gave one glance at Gerald that encouraged her.
She opened the paper only to reveal a sapphire gown.
The sunlight was catching on the silk, so deep, Arabella thought for a moment she was looking at the ocean.
It was adorned with such fine silver embroidery that one would think it was made out of thin air.
She was ready to put it aside when she noticed that the bodice was adorned with stones.
“Those are not real sapphires, are they?” Arabella asked in disbelief.
“Open the other one,” he said instead of an answer.
Slowly, she opened the paper from the other gown only to find a striking ruby-colored dress, delicate and adorned with red stones.
“Your Grace,” she stuttered, “please tell me these are not real rubies.”
“You seem to be insisting on questioning whether I would allow my Duchess to wear real stones.”
“But this must have cost-”
“Exactly what my Duchess deserves.”
Her cheeks inflamed and her eyes went back to the box. She could buy at least two middle-class houses with those dresses.
“Do you like the colors?” he asked almost timidly.
“They are beautiful.”
“I picked the blue to match your eyes and the red…” he looked at her with a hungry look. “…to match your lips.”
Arabella looked at the gowns and then back at him, only to find him fixated on her lips. He moved faster than she had anticipated. One arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to him, the other hand went behind her neck to keep her exactly where he needed her.
He took her lips slowly, almost lazily, but she could feel the barely contained passion underneath. It was the same fire she had experienced last night, ready to burn her in the broad daylight of their breakfast room.
He took three steps only to pin her against the wall, and he kissed her again. She could see the fire in his eyes, but his lips were soft, gentle. The fire had simmered down to a warm flame, equally devastating.
Arabella wrapped her arms around his neck and bathed in his warmth. She had yet to decide what ruined her the most, his fiery kisses or this tender one.