Chapter 4
Four
“Good morning,” Margot addressed the butler who answered the front door. “I am here to speak with His Grace.”
The butler frowned from behind the half-open door, keeping it nearly closed as if worried that this was some type of trick. “And who might I say is calling on His Grace?”
“The Honorable Margot Harcourt,” she said. “I expect he will be surprised to hear of my arrival, but wishes to speak with me nonetheless.”
The butler considered her a moment before nodding his understanding. “I ask that you wait here. I will inform him of your visit.” The butler then closed the front door and left Margot waiting there on the front step.
The time of day was early, far too early to be calling on someone unannounced.
And considering that the previous evening had been a late one, with the ball and the events that happened afterwards, Margot wondered if perhaps the duke was still in bed.
Should I have given it a few more hours?
Should I have sent word of my coming? And what if the duke denies me outright?
Then all of this will be for naught, and I will have ruined everything…
She gave her head a shake and dismissed such notions, needing to believe that the duke would still make good on his offer. He had to.
That was why she was here so early. Mostly, it was because she needed to get this over with, while also wishing to get ahead of the rumor before it had a chance to spread.
Further to that point, she needed to cut out any chance that the duke might change his mind… and that I don’t change my mind also.
No. There would be no changing her mind. Not now. And so determined was Margot in this decision that she decided on the journey over that no matter what the duke said, she would not take no for an answer.
Desperation is a funny thing. This time yesterday, I might have laughed to think that I would want to marry the duke with such certainty. Now, I will do whatever I must to see it done.
It was only a few minutes later when the door opened again, this time all the way. “His Grace will see you,” the butler said, indicating for her to enter.
Margot nodded once and stepped inside the manor.
The foyer was a spacious affair, almost the size of her townhouse.
She looked about, her eyes widening to see how high the ceilings ran and how far back the walls stretched.
It was opulent too, the paintings on the walls, the crystal of the chandelier, the marble of the floor.
Margot had been inside many a manor before, but this was unlike anything she had seen.
“This way…” The butler was already walking across the foyer.
Margot hurried after him, the nerves inside of her growing. She followed the stout man through the foyer and down a winding hall until he brought her to an open doorway through which she spied the breakfast room. And in that breakfast room, eating alone at the long table, was the duke.
He looked pleased to see her… or rather, smug. He had a plate of food before him, a glass of juice in one hand, and his smile was all teeth as he bade her to approach him.
“The Honorable Margot Harcourt. As I live and breathe.”
“Your Grace…” She made it halfway down the table before coming to a stop. “I hope I am not disturbing you.”
“Not at all,” he said with that same smile. “Please…” He gestured to a seat beside him. “Are you hungry?”
“I am fine, thank you.”
“Would you like to sit?”
“I would prefer to stand.”
He chuckled. “And from the little I know of you, changing your mind is akin to trying to change the seasons. The question is, have you brought winter with you? Or spring?”
It was little consolation to Margot that the duke appeared no different in the fresh light of a new day.
He was dressed in a simple shirt, oversized on his frame and creased.
His dark hair was uncombed, wavy, and tangled.
His chin is prickly and in need of a close shave.
None of this took away from his confident swagger and arrogant cadence, and the way he looked at her was as if she had stumbled into his bedroom unannounced, but her reason for it was clear to both.
The point was, he had all the power, and he knew it.
He enjoyed it. And where Margot wished to loathe him for such a thing, she could not help but be…
I do not want to say that I am attracted to him.
More curious. Yes, that sounds better. She could not help but remember the way he had held her the previous evening, the feel of his warm breath, and how her heart had raced as he’d looked into her eyes.
She gave her head a shake, forcing those thoughts away, for they would only cause trouble. And besides, that was not why she was here.
“I have considered further on what you said to me the previous evening and…” She swallowed. “And I would like to accept your offer.”
“My offer?” He frowned as if confused.
“Yes…” She hesitated, unsure now if she had misremembered. “What you… What you suggested that we… that we do. I have decided that you are correct, and it is for the best.”
“What we do?” Still, he frowned as if he had no idea what she meant. “Miss Harcourt, I am afraid I have no idea to what you speak.”
She blinked. “You? No – I mean, yes. You know too well to what I am referring.”
He clicked his tongue and stood quickly, then stepped around the table to approach her. She took a quick step back, careful not to let him get too close again. “You may have to remind me,” he said with a cocky grin. “I have a tragic memory, and last night is a blur to me, I am afraid.”
She could not tell if he was being serious. “A blur? How is that possible?”
He shrugged. “I am trying to remember. I found you in the library. You were rather rude –”
“You were the rude one!”
“And then…” He pushed his lips together as he glanced over her body. “You purposefully caught your dress on the table, forcing me to unravel it.”
“I did no such thing!”
“At which point you threw yourself at me – yes, that’s right,” he laughed as he approached her. “It caught me off guard, I’ll admit, but who am I to stop a beautiful woman from doing such a thing?”
Her eyes blazed with fury. Whether he was joking or not, she did not care. Now she remembered why she loathed him – why she was right to. He really is as arrogant as I remember! “You know what,” she spat. “Forget that I said anything.”
“Easy to do, as you have not said much.”
She sneered. “A good thing too…” Then she turned to leave, only to find a chair in her way. She did not see it, which made her stumble when it struck her knees, which had her crying out, spinning around to get her balance, and then inevitably falling. “Oh --!”
The duke moved quickly, darting forward, extending his arms, and catching her before she fell. Her feet came out from under her, but his arms were around her back so that soon her body was horizontal, and the duke looked down on her like a prince might before kissing the princess he had just saved.
“That makes twice now you have thrown yourself at me,” he grinned. “I’m almost starting to think you’re doing so on purpose.”
She stared at him wide-eyed. Her heart caught in her mouth.
Her body turned stiff and then melted into his arms. His hands around her were strong and powerful, but also protective.
And his eyes… they looked down on her, and she looked up at them, and she lost herself for a moment, the room fading, the world vanishing, just those eyes and the lips beneath them, which curved into a knowing smile.
“Yes, by the way,” he then said. “I accept.”
“Ex – excuse me?”
“Your reason for being here.” He spoke in a whisper, still holding her in his arms, still gazing down at her. “You wish to accept my offer of marriage, do you not?”
“I…” She found her mind turned blank.
“Although I must say, the manner of your proposal is most strange. From what I have heard, often it is the man who falls to one knee. But we do make a strange pair, don’t we?”
That was when she came back into herself.
“Let me go!” she cried out, squirming to her feet so he was forced to set her down. Then she stumbled back, her breathing heavy and forced, her body running so hot she thought she might catch fire. “How dare you!”
He looked at her with amusement. “Should I have let you fall?”
“Not that!”
“Then what?”
“You –” She caught her tongue, for she had no idea what she was about to say.
She felt that she should be angry, which seemed reasonable.
But now that she considered it, the duke had done nothing wrong.
It was merely her attitude that annoyed him.
Besides, she realized then what he had said. “You… you accept?”
“To be fair, you are the one who is accepting,” he said. “But yes, my offer from the previous evening still stands. And if you would like it, we will wed at once.”
“I would not like it,” she snapped, still hot-tempered. “I simply have no choice.”
“Has a more romantic phrase ever been uttered?” he laughed and shook his head. “Might I enquire as to what changed your mind? Last night, you looked as if you would rather have peeled the skin from your fingers than wed me.”
“Is that an option?”
“Perhaps save it for the honeymoon.”
Margot took a breath to calm herself. I am being entirely too hostile; the anger I am unleashing is more on account of how much I hate myself rather than anything the duke has done.
Still… it feels good, and if anyone deserves it, it is him.
“I realize that you were right,” she said calmly.
“As loath as I am to admit it, a marriage to you is the best I can hope for.”
He laughed. “You’re not exactly subtle, are you?”
“I need to restore my reputation,” she continued. “Or preserve the little of it that is left. And what is more…” She grimaced. “I take it you know of my father?”
“That he has crashed your family into hopeless amounts of debt? Yes, I am aware.”
She grimaced again. “Pick a reason then. They all amount to the same thing…” Her shoulders slumped.
Strangely, the duke did not continue in his jovial temperament. Rather, he turned serious, perhaps even caring if such a thing was possible. “I would remind you of what I offered last evening. That this marriage will be one of convenience only. It is not the death sentence you seem to think.”
She laughed bitterly. “I know that, just as I know that I should be grateful.”
“Careful now…” He clicked his tongue. “Compliments like that will go straight to my head.”
She scoffed. “Is there room up there with your ego taking up so much space?”
His eyes flashed. “You know, I usually save the pillow talk for the bedroom. But I suppose the breakfast room will suffice.”
She narrowed her eyes. “There will be no pillow talk – a marriage of convenience means that –”
“I am aware of the meaning,” he spoke over her, his tone turned sharp.
“Just as I am aware of how much you despise me – and do not deny it.” He held up a hand to silence her.
“Be warned, though, if you push me too hard, treating me as poorly as you have, when the day comes that you do finally try and seduce me, you might find me not interested.”
She laughed. “Is that what you think will happen?”
He winked. “I’m not sure. Like you, this is my first marriage.”
“I assure you, it will not.” She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow in warning. “This will be a marriage in name only. No affections. No complications. Just…” She clicked her tongue. “Circumstance.”
He considered, still smiling to himself, a look in his eyes that told her he would agree while secretly wondering how long such terms would last. He is arrogant… cocksure… so entitled that he likely thinks the sun moves around him. And dammit, I don’t hate it nearly as much as I should.
“Done,” he said finally. “Now, would you like to join me for breakfast? So we might further discuss terms?”
“No, thank you…” She took a step back and turned, crossing the room quickly. When she reached the door, she turned back and raised her eyebrow at him a final time. “As I see it, you ought to get used to eating alone. Once we are wed, I certainly won’t be joining you.” And then she left.
It wasn’t until she was outside and climbing back into her carriage that Margot breathed a sigh of relief for what had happened.
Yes, she was annoyed that things had come to this, and she wondered if she had not just made the biggest mistake of her life.
But it was for the best, needed, and she took some resolve from the good it would do.
Besides… as the carriage pulled out and she gazed out the window, she pictured the duke at the table, she imagined that smile, those eyes, and the feel of his hands around her body.
A tingle spread up her limbs and toward her thighs, and a part of her could not help but wonder if this marriage might not be nearly as bad as she thought.