Chapter 5 #3
“That is not…” She took a deep breath. “Is that the reason you have been so insistent on repeatedly reminding me that I must obey you at all costs? That you have…” She narrowed her eyes at him. “That you have a child, one whom it seems you want me to raise. That was not part of the deal.”
“I was not aware we had made a deal.”
“Nor will we. Not until you are honest with me.” She folded her arms and held her glare on him.
“Again, we return to the same point where we started. You, acting as if you have a choice. I suppose you do,” he scoffed. “Marry me or return to your father so that he may do as he wishes with you. Although, from what I saw of the man, that is not much of a choice at all.”
“So, it is threats now that you make.”
“Not a threat, just a statement of fact.”
Arabella held her glare, needing to appear as if she was not only angry, but seriously considering her position.
However, as frustrating as it was to admit, the Duke was right. If she did not agree to this marriage, it would fall to her father to decide her fate. And that, she was sure, was a destiny not worth pursuing.
But then what is? How will this marriage be any different?
“I just want to know what is expected of me,” she said, almost pleading. “That is all I have ever wanted. Is the child yours? Do you expect me to raise him? Is this whole thing…” She threw up her arms. “Is it all just so you might find a wife to look after your son?”
The Duke said nothing at first.
He studied her. No emotion on his face. No indication that he cared about her plight. He simply watched, curious in his stare, no doubt deciding what to say… and how much he was willing to give away.
“He is not my son,” he said finally. “Timothy is my sister’s child, but she and her husband passed away a year ago.”
“Oh…” Arabella blinked in surprise, and she felt a stab of guilt. “That is… I am… I did not know.”
“I have taken him in him as my own,” the Duke continued.
“I have set out to raise him, promising him and my sister’s memory that I will do everything I can to give him the life he deserves.
Unfortunately, Timothy is…” He smiled and shook his head.
“He is rebellious, a bit rambunctious, and he has yet to fully come to terms with his parents’ death. ”
“That is awful,” Arabella said, knowing a thing or two about losing a parent. “I cannot even imagine…”
“He is a good child,” Caspian said next, firmly.
“And I believe that what he needs is that which I cannot give him.” His look was knowing.
“A mother. Someone to help guide him, to provide warmth and love and…” He sighed.
“Essentially, those things that I struggle with. I did not intend to trap you, Miss Witherington. Nor was this some trick.”
“Then why not tell me?”
“Because I wished to see how you would react.” He started toward her, taking slow, purposeful steps. And not once did he look away. “As I wished to see how he would react to you.”
“I know little about children.”
“That makes two of us.”
“A mother…” She laughed awkwardly, and she leaned back as the Duke reached her. “I doubt I will be any better at it than you.”
“Your main duty, if this marriage goes ahead, will be to act as a duchess should, as it will be to look after Timothy where I cannot.” Standing just a foot before her, the Duke’s expression was no longer hard, as it was no longer combative.
For the first time, she saw him for who he was and realized what he wanted.
She met his gray eyes. She did not balk. She did not look away. And as their gazes held, she felt that same sense of safety and confidence she experienced several times when around this man she hardly knew. It was as if he gave her the power to feel secure.
Yes, he was a little cold. Yes, he was a little commanding. But he cared for his nephew, and despite everything else, he was just trying to do the right thing.
She needed to believe that.
“Does that mean…” She swallowed as her pulse quickened under his stare. “Does that mean I still have a choice?”
“You do,” he said. “But I suggest you make it quickly.”
It was a small gesture, but his willingness to give her a choice spoke volumes. She had never been offered one before. She had never been told her opinion mattered. That alone was enough to push back her doubts and fears… even if only a little.
It was the illusion of a choice that she was given, one that sounded as if she could do what she wanted, while the truth was far from that reality.
She did not know the Duke, or anything about him, and words were one thing, but at the end of the day, this situation was one forced on her, and it was not nearly as freeing as she liked to believe.
She looked up at the Duke. Those eyes. The handsome face was both commanding and comforting. Her pulse kept racing. Her mind spun. It was crazy… It was absurd… And no matter how right it felt, it was intertwined with a sinister motive she could not shake.
“I will marry you,” she said. “I will help you to raise your nephew.”
“Good,” the Duke said, not smiling. “Then let us begin.”