Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
“Ibeg your pardon?”
The words were out of Nora’s mouth before she could think, and they only served to further fuel her anger.
She could not believe her brother had done such a thing — what’s more, without speaking to her about it.
Cecil might look as though he never took anything seriously, but he was the most purposeful person Nora knew.
Her brother took deliberate steps every day, made concise decisions that would tie in perfectly with his well-being and that of his family — Nora especially.
He was not one for casual choices, so she knew he had decided this long ago.
And had deliberately failed to inform her, so as to leave her with no other choice.
“This is unacceptable. He cannot simply put a stranger in charge of me as though I am some — some sort of pet that needs to be watched closely! I am neither a pet — nor a child! I do not need you or anyone fawning over me like a governess. I have long since begun to take care of myself, and I fully intend to do so, even in his absence. It was one thing for him not to trust me enough to do that, and another thing entirely for him to entrust me to your care.”
Nora was breathing heavily now, still not done speaking but feeling somewhat satisfied, following her outburst. She had expected to be interrupted or scolded for raising her voice at the duke.
But he had simply watched her silently — almost patiently, as though he were waiting for her rambling to end.
His silence filled her with unease and heightened her rage as well.
How dare he make her look childish with her complaints?
Surely, he had better things to do than to spend his days following her about.
There had to be a way to appeal to his senses to leave her to her devices, as she was meant to be.
“I do not need a guardian. I am not engaging in any activities that would risk my life. I am not going to war, for Christ’s sake. So, the whole arrangement was wholly unnecessary.” She added, her breathing starting to calm down.
Godric waited until it was clear she did not intend to speak up again. Then he parted his lips to address her,
“I agree completely, Miss Nora.”
Nora blinked at him, surprised by his easy admission.
“Y-You do? Really?”
Godric nodded sagely.
“Certainly. You are not an infant child whose movements need to be monitored so closely. You do not appear to be in any immediate danger, nor are you a person of interest in any legal cases — that I am aware of — and as such, it is rather much imposing such a detail on you. I do wish your brother had at least spoken to you about it beforehand, so that a decision would have been reached together. It is rather unfair — to you who must endure this outcome.”
Nora’s hopes rose, and she nodded in agreement. “Yes! Exactly!”
“Nonetheless, I gave my word that you would be cared for, and I intend to honor it completely.”
It took a moment for his words to sink into her mind. And when they did, her heart and hopes sank along with them.
It was a terrible idea for her brother to have entangled her with this man, because he was clearly just as stubborn as she was. Perhaps even more so. Still, Nora had no intention of relenting. She would make sure that she had her way, no matter what.
This was her only chance to live for herself, to focus on her goals and what was important for her future. She could not do so with this difficult, overbearing being of a man breathing down her neck.
Oh, just what could her brother have been thinking?
“This is ridiculous. If my brother’s wish was to ensure I was being looked after sufficiently, why did he not enlist the help of our older sisters? Why did he ask you? They are perfectly capable of looking after me in any capacity.” She remarked.
Godric scoffed and gave her a look that spoke of how unimpressed he was by her ploy.
“That was a good attempt, Miss Nora. But I suppose you do not expect that I have heard about your sisters. I know that one of them lives far away from London — where you would find it difficult to attend activities of the season. And the other has a very large family and would not be able to handle your affairs. Seven children do take up quite a bit of time and effort. Surely you are smart enough to know that, so the only reason why you would rather be looked after by her is if you want to go unnoticed.” He stated simply.
It was incredibly frustrating how intent he was to stay and fulfill the duty that had been given to him. Nora could not fathom why, wondering how a Duke would willingly forgo his comfort for the sake of upholding the promise he had given to his friend.
The duke had been a close friend of Cecil’s since they were children. His family lived in an estate close to theirs, and he had later attended university with Cecil.
Nora had crossed paths with him several times, but they had barely spoken to each other then, willfully ignoring each other’s existence.
She was under the impression he did not even know her name, because in her eyes, his relationship with Cecil was superficial and bland.
He was nothing like her jovial, kind, and thoughtful brother, and she could never understand how they had remained friends for so long.
As such, it was hard to imagine why he was so committed to a role he claimed he had not wanted to partake in. All she could imagine was that he was doing this solely to get a rise out of her.
And by God, it was working.
“In any case, you do seem as though you require someone to watch over you closely. After your broken engagement and the nearly irreversible damage it has done to your reputation, you ought to tread lightly henceforth. I am curious as to how you managed to disrupt such a simple thing. All you needed to do was be on your best behaviour, at least until after the wedding. I cannot say that I am surprised that you could not hold the attention and affection of a singular gentleman who had already pledged to wed you.”
White hot fury filled Nora and she could not help but grit out, voice tense,
“I beg your pardon? Who do you think you are to make such outlandish remarks? You know nothing about me –”
“I know enough to determine the fault was likely yours. With all the –” he paused, his heated gaze sweeping over her slowly in a way that made her feel exposed and vulnerable.
“Growth you seem to have attained over the years, you are still that reckless child who followed her older brother to places that did not concern her.
You have no regard for where your place should be, and you expect things to happen according to your whims. Your brother has deemed you unreliable and you have not made any efforts to dissuade me from assuming that is truly the case.
The dissolution of your previous engagement reflects as much.
“If you wish to move forward from that arrangement, you must keep your eyes forward and refuse to be distracted by little situations around you. Otherwise, you can bid your hopes of finding another suitor — one willing to overlook your past and marry you — goodbye.” Godric added simply, as though he was speaking about the weather and not about a dreaded topic he knew nothing about.
Nora felt her frustrations rise and boil into fury. He clearly believed her engagement had ended due to her faults. Did he really see her as a damsel who could not get over a man?
“How dare you?” she seethed angrily.
Infuriatingly, Godric remained calm and stoic, his eyes dark pools that had always hidden mysteries about him for as long as she had known him.
He had always been so well-mannered and poised, not like he desired to always portray respect, but more as though he could not be bothered to show that he had an unruly side.
It made her scoff at how obviously fake his personality was, and she could never stand the blank stare he gave her whenever he was around her brother.
He never laughed, never gave any sort of reaction that portrayed that he was human. He was nothing more than a wall of ice to Nora.
Now she was meant to put up with this unfeeling man for weeks? Had she not endured enough in her life already?
“You know nothing about me or my previous engagement. Do not speak so casually about it,” she snapped, feeling rage pulse through her veins.
“You stand there, privileged and polished, and you dare judge me? I do not know what my brother was thinking, entrusting me to such a being, but he was better off leaving me to the wolves. You are nothing more than a miserable man who derives joy in making others as miserable as he is.”
The words were scarcely out of her mouth before she found herself pinned against a wall. Her heartbeat increased rapidly until she could hear it echoing in her head.
This close, she was forced to look at him closely and notice the sharp line of his jaw, the tidy way his dark hair was combed back, and the broad span of his shoulders as he towered over her.
The distance between them allowed her to discover the color of his eyes — blue, like a stormy sea — and his intent stare made her shiver.
He placed a hand against the wall on either side of her head, leaned in close until their faces were mere inches apart. Nora tried to inhale and she felt her lungs expand as it filled with his scent, her nerves thrumming with strange anticipation of whatever was to come.
The heat radiating off his body was melting her insides, lulling her forward with a dizzy spell that only grew with the heaviness of his gaze. There was a fire ignited within her, one that was spreading a yearning itch that she did not understand.
“You will watch your tongue around me. I am not one of your simple-minded friends that you can speak to so callously. If this is how you treat your guardian, then perhaps your brother made the right decision after all. You certainly need someone to watch over you this season, so you do not ruin things for yourself once more. Henceforth, I will be keeping a close eye on you at all times.” He said darkly, his eyes staring deeply into hers.
With an air of finality, he pulled away and left the room.
Nora felt her lungs release air she had not been aware that she was holding, and she dizzily slumped to the floor, her skirts pooling around her.
She could not believe this. All her plans, her aspirations, and hope for the season had been dashed.
It was all completely ruined.
Godric heard exactly when Nora left her brother’s house. It was rather difficult to ignore with the way she had slammed the front door shut.
He sighed, settling into a chair tiredly.
He had begun to regret agreeing to do this for his friend.
It was clear that his sister was quite… erratic, which was likely why Cecil had wanted someone to look after her closely.
And with an absent father and sisters who were preoccupied with their own lives, it was no wonder his friend had no one else to turn to.
Still, he wished someone else had been chosen. He did not have the time to follow her about, not when other important tasks beckoned.
But perhaps… perhaps this would serve as a useful advantage.
With a hum, he returned to the drawing room in which he had argued with Nora moments ago. His eyes were drawn to the painting that hung high on a wall instantly, and he felt something in his heart settle.
In the lower right corner, initials had been signed.
A.D. Arnold Dexter.
A famous artist whom Godric’s mother admired. For her birthday, his father had gotten her one of his works, which he had won at an auction for her. The day he presented it to his darling wife was the day Godric had learned that tears were not necessarily a sign of grief and pain.
His mother had looked so… beautiful as she wept, her lips pulled into a smile she had worn for the rest of the day. Godric had wanted to see her smile like that again, and he pledged to find more of Arnold’s paintings and gift them to her.
She had laughed and told him she felt blessed to have such a family that loved her so much, while his father grumbled about his role being challenged by his own son.
But… he had never gotten to fulfil that promise.
Godric had mentioned in passing that his mother had been fond of Arnold’s works to Cecil. He had not expected his friend to remember, much less procure him one of the artist’s pieces.
He ran his fingers along the bottom of the wooden frame, his heart growing heavy within his chest.
“I wish you could see it, mother. It is a spectacular piece. I can see why this artist held your admiration.” He whispered, before stepping back.
At some point, the loss of his parents stopped being a glaring pain that threatened to consume his entire being and had become a dull ache that existed within him. No matter how much time passed, it never seemed to fade.
Nor did he want it to.
The ache served as a reminder of what he needed to do. And he planned to do everything in his power to ensure nothing got in the way.
With a last look at the painting, he turned around and left the room, returning to the guest room that had been prepared for his stay. His things had already been brought in by the staff and arranged in an orderly manner, but he could not help but feel as though his mind was in disarray.
His thoughts wandered back to Nora, her fiery eyes and fierce spirit, and he felt drained already by her bothersome nature.
It would seem that when his friend spoke about her innocence and naivety, he failed to mention her stubbornness.
But no matter. Godric would do what was necessary and fulfil his role.
He had given his word, after all.