“I know that you are going to say that there is no such thing as a curse,” she replied. “I have heard it before, and in the past, I have deluded myself into believing you, too. But this entire incident has been a wakeup call for me. It is far too dangerous for me to be in your life, Your Grace. I attract bad luck like a magnet.”
The Duke pursed his lips.
“What makes you think I was going to convince you that there is no curse?”
“You were not?” Sophia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Not at all,” The Duke shook his head and leaned back in the chair. “I was only going to relay something I discovered which might be of some interest to you.”
He was purposefully trying to bait her attention now, and unfortunately, Sophia was falling right into his trap.
“What is this… discovery that you speak of? I was only gone two days, and you were out cold for most of them.”
“Perhaps it was revealed to me while I was out cold.” A hint of playfulness tinged his tone. “A divine revelation, of sorts.”
“Be serious,” Sophia urged him, growing more and more curious to know what exactly this discovery was.
“Before I tell you, I must apologize for one thing. I did a breach of your privacy and went through the little black diary that you keep. I admit that I did not go looking for it myself, for I did not even know of its existence. It found itself on the table in my room of its own accord. Or…” he paused, licking his lips, “divine intervention perhaps.”
Sophia’s cheeks reddened. Of all the awful things that had transpired recently, him reading her diary was surely not the worst of it, but the idea that he peeked through her recollections of her dreams filled her up with embarrassment.
“Duncan Blackmoore, I have been through enough in the last few hours and cannot bear to handle more complications,” sheaddressed him, using his full name for the first time in order to convey her seriousness. “I demand that you reveal what you discovered to me now.”
Duncan raised an eyebrow at her, amused by her sudden feisty burst.
“I pieced together that the reason your nightmares had subsided was not miracle tea as we know now that it was nothing but poison, but instead, it was because we had grown to love one another,” he explained.
Sophia sucked in a deep breath and waited for him to continue.
“It is the only thing that makes sense. You see, with love comes a sense of safety and comfort. For the first time in your life since the accident, you began to truly feel safe. And that was when the nightmares ceased.”
Sophia was struck by his discovery, but she did not want to give him false hope about their future together. She kept a neutral expression, taking a moment to collect her thoughts.
“I am not challenging what you are saying, but what does that have to do with the curse that I am doomed to carry?” she asked softly.
“It has everything to do with the curse,” he pressed. “Curses can be broken, and love has the power to do that. Let us presumethat you are cursed. The only way for you to rid yourself of it is to be with me because that is where you are safe.”
Impressed by his line of argument, Sophia found herself at a loss for words. What he had just conveyed to her was profound. All the romance novels talked about the happiness associated with love, but none of them ever talked of how it was powerful enough to break curses.
“And if you are still unsure,” the Duke continued, “then the alternative can also be sought. A life where we both lived together, cursed but happy.”
“You do not know what you are saying.”
“Of course, I do. What is a curse but a plethora of accumulated bad luck? Perhaps it will end with us being struck by lightning one night or a rain cloud will follow us wherever we go. Alone, that is a difficult journey to take. But together…” His mouth twisted into a smile, and he squeezed her hand gently. “I believe we can weather the storm with grace and make an adventure out of it.”
“You are a crazy man! Has anyone ever told you that?” Sophia replied, mirroring his smile now. He had managed, once again, to effortlessly break through her walls and remove the barriers that she had imposed upon herself.
“Crazy only in love, my dear,” he replied, kissing the top of her knuckles softly. “And crazy only for you. What am I to do without you? How am I meant to spend my days?”
“It has been intensely lonely without you,” she admitted, leaning into him.
“Now imagine a lifetime of that. It would not be worth living. I would rather that the curse kills me rather than dying a slow death without you.”
Sophia looked up at him, her eyes full to the brim with a love that only he could bring out in her.
“Have anyone ever told you that are remarkably adept at saying all the right things?”
He flashed her a bright smile.
