Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nora stood before the door of her brother's house, her heart hammering against her ribs with a mixture of indignation and apprehension.
The note was still clutched tightly in her fist, a solid anchor that was likely all that was keeping her from turning around and marching right back home.
But she was too curious and too stubborn, irritated by the idea that she might appear cowardly if she turned tail and left. And so, with a deep breath, she lifted her closed fist and rapped against the door, perhaps more forcefully than strictly necessary.
The door opened almost immediately, as though Godric had been waiting just on the other side. Which was a likely scenario, knowing what he was capable of.
“Miss Nora,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. “Thank you for coming.”
“You did not leave me much of a choice,” she muttered, brushing past him into the entrance hall.
She could barely hold her tongue until they were in the drawing room, whirling around to face him once they had crossed the threshold to ask,
“How dare you leave notes in my bedchamber? Do you have any idea how improper that is?”
“I am aware,” Godric replied calmly, closing the door behind them. “However, given your own improper activities, I hardly think you are in a position to lecture me on propriety.”
Nora narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “My activities? What on earth are you talking about?”
It was just then that her instincts had begun to alert her to what a terrible idea it was – to have come to him at this hour, knowing fully well how easy it was to rile him up.
The drawing room looked more like a study now, with the desk he had brought it cluttered with papers and books littered all over the surface.
To her left, above the fireplace hung the beautiful painting that served as a reminder that the duke had not opted to fulfil this role of guardian from the goodness of his heart but rather because he had been paid to do so.
Being here with him like this filled her with numerous emotions she could hardly put a name to. It felt intimate and confining, and Nora told herself to maintain as much distance from him as possible, having learned that nothing good came from being close to him,
The duke, however, had no such reservations. He moved to stand before her, his tall frame seeming to fill the entire room, his blue eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her want to squirm.
“Where were you tonight, Nora?”
The use of her given name so informally sent a chill down her spine. Strangely, she felt her attention slip sideways, focusing on how his voice seemed to rumble as his lips curled around the sounds that came together to form her name.
That strange yearning she had been fighting since he kissed her days ago came alive again, nearly pushing her to ask him to do it again. To call her by her name.
With a huff of indignation – at her own foolishness, no less – she refocused her attention on him and lifted her chin defiantly.
“I do not see how that is any of your concern.”
“It is very much my concern,” Godric said, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. “Especially when you are sneaking out of your house in the dead of night, alone, and disappearing into God knows where.”
Nora's blood ran cold. “You had me followed. I thought I sensed – you asked someone to follow me?”
“Of course I have. Did you truly think I would leave your safety to chance? That I would think so little of my duties and leave my responsibilities up to fate?”
“My safety?” Nora's voice rose sharply. “You have been invading my privacy! You have no right – ”
“I have every right,” Godric interrupted, taking a step closer. “Your brother entrusted your welfare to me. How am I supposed to protect you when you are gallivanting about London at all hours, putting yourself in danger?”
“I am not in danger! Stop acting so high and mighty, as though I have barely managed to survive all this time without you! I certainly do not need your protection!”
“Do you not?” Godric's expression was thunderous now, but she was too angry to celebrate her victory in getting him to show some emotion on his face.
“You are wandering through some of the worst parts of the city, completely alone and vulnerable. Anything could happen to you, and no one would even know where to look!”
Nora felt her anger reaching a boiling point. It was hard for her to think and breathe. All she knew was the rage pulsing through her veins and the need to speak up for herself.
She would not let this man judge her on matters she knew nothing about.
“You are insufferable! You stood there and claimed you would give me space to handle my affairs as I see fit, yet it is clear that you had no intention of honoring that promise from the start!”
“Can you blame me?” Godric shot back. “You disappear for hours on end when you think no one is watching! God only knows what you are up to!”
“I have not done anything wrong!”
“Then tell me where you were,” Godric demanded, his voice dropping to a low, almost dangerous register. “If you have nothing to hide, then explain yourself.”
“I should not have to explain myself to you!”
“How am I meant to trust your word when your actions have shown otherwise?” Godric asked, and something in his tone made Nora pause.
He looked genuinely worried. Beneath the anger and the arrogance, there was real concern gleaming in those eyes she could hardly ever read.
The fight drained out of her slightly, replaced by a weary resignation. Perhaps it would be better to simply tell him the truth. At least then he might leave her alone.
“I visit an orphanage,” she said quietly, her voice losing its sharp edge.
“On the east side of the city. It is small, but there are a handful of children there that are clearly of no concern to the city. So… I have taken it upon myself to provide for them, according to my capabilities. It’s not much, but I take some provisions to them and also add a little of my allowance.
It seems to help somewhat, and I have been doing it for a little while now. ”
Godric stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to her absolute astonishment, he laughed.
It was not a pleasant laugh. It was harsh and incredulous, tinged with disbelief.
Nora felt her temper flare again, hotter than before. “What is so amusing?”
“You,” Godric said, still shaking his head. “I knew you were naive, Miss Nora, but I did not realize it was to this extent.”
“Naive?” she repeated, her voice dangerously quiet.
“Yes, naive,” he confirmed, his laughter fading into something more severe.
“Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? You could have been followed by someone with ill intent. You just admitted that you were carrying goods of necessity through an impoverished area. If anyone had realized that you had appointed yourself as a martyr of that orphanage, they could have plotted to accost you. All it would take is a few months to watch your movements to take note of when you usually visit, and then all that would be left would be to strike. It would not take much to rob you, or worse. You could have ruined yourself completely, and for what? To play nursemaid to a handful of orphans?”
“They are children,” Nora said fiercely. “Children who have been abandoned by everyone else. The caretaker came to our house years ago, begging for help. My father turned her away without a second thought. What was I supposed to do, simply let them starve?”
“You were supposed to exercise some bloody common sense!” Godric snapped. “You are a young, unmarried woman of an upstanding background. Your reputation is everything, and you have been risking it all for – ”
“For what?” Nora challenged, taking a step toward him. “For children who have no one else? For people who need help that no one else will provide? You speak as though my reputation is more valuable than their lives!”
“Your reputation is your future!” Godric countered, matching her step. They were close now, close enough that Nora could see the muscle ticking in his jaw. “Without it, you will never make the match you are so desperate for. All your hopes of marrying by the end of the season will be for naught!”
“Then perhaps my hopes are misplaced,” Nora said hotly. “Perhaps there are more important things than securing a husband!”
“Are there?” Godric's voice was softer now, but no less intense. “Then why have you spent the last few weeks frantically desperate to court every eligible man in London? Why have you been so bothered by the possibility of my presence ruining your chances of securing a good match?”
Nora opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. He had her there, and they both knew it.
“This is exactly what I mean,” Godric continued, his frustration so clear, she could practically see it rippling across his face.
“You have always been like this. Stubborn, so stuck in your ways, refusing to see reason or acknowledge when you are wrong. You act without thinking, without considering the consequences, and then you are surprised when things fall apart around you.”
“I am not wrong about this,” Nora insisted, even as doubt began to creep into her mind.
“You do not even realize your own mistakes,” Godric said, shaking his head. “That is what makes you so impossible to deal with. You are incredibly frustrating sometimes.”
“I will be the judge of whether my decisions are mistakes,” Nora shot back, drawing herself up to her full height. “I am not a child, Your Grace, and I will not be talked to as if I am one.”
The words hung in the air between them, charged with a heavy spark that Nora could not quite name. Something shifted in Godric's expression, something dark and hungry that made her heart skip a beat.
“No,” he said slowly, his eyes raking over her in a way that made her skin prickle with awareness. “You are not a child, are you?”