“Oh, Your Grace…” Sophia looked up, surprised. “I did not see you coming. Do you need the library?”
Duncan shook his head at her.
“No, it is all right. You can stay.”
Sophia bit down on her lip and looked at him as though she had something to say to him.
“Your Grace….” she finally said, “actually, there was something that I was hoping to speak to you about.”
“Was there?” Duncan asked, wondering if she had something to say about the kiss. He could not deny that he was very interested in knowing whatever it was that she had to say.
“Yes,” she replied. “I was wondering… do we really have to keep up an act around your family, too? I mean, I do not know how we can convince them that we are a couple in love when in reality it is nothing like that.”
Duncan felt a sting of disappointment at her words. He composed himself and made sure his feelings did not show on his face.
“What are you trying to say, Madam?”
“I was just wondering if we would ever tell anyone in the family,” she explained, “that we might be married by law, but our relationship is nothing like that. I just feel that if we were honest, it would ease the expectations on us.”
“Did someone say anything to you?” Duncan inquired. “I cannot help but wonder why you are bringing it up now.”
Sophia shook her head.
“Of course, nothing happened. I just… I just believe that these things are best decided at the outset. Jacob, for instance, seems convinced that we are a happy couple.”
Duncan waved his hand in the air dismissively.
“Oh, you do not need to take anything that Jacob says to heart,” he assured her. “You should treat him like your little brother. I thought mother might have said something to you.”
Sophia shook her head. “Oh, no. I have not gotten the chance to speak to the Dowager properly. I suppose I was just… preemptively worried.”
Duncan wondered if it was because of the kiss. Had she not enjoyed herself? Did she want him to take the hint that it should not happen again?
The questions were swirling inside of his head, and he did not like them.
“Well, I do not think it is a wise idea to speak to my mother about this,” he decided. “She will not understand it.”
“But then what happens when she begins to expect things from our union?” Sophia’s tone was horrified. “Like an heir.”
Even though Duncan had assured her beforehand that he would not be demanding an heir from her, he could not help but feel a certain way about how horrified she sounded at the prospect of producing one together.
Duncan was used to women fawning over him with no effort from his side.
Whatwas it about this woman that she did not seem to act the same way? They were married now, and Duncan still had his doubts about whether she was even interested in him.
Duncan expected himself to get annoyed by this sort of behavior, but surprisingly, it only piqued his curiosity about her more. What would he have to do to get her to fall for him? Did he even want that to happen?
“Your Grace,” she pulled him out of his thoughts, and he realized that he had been keeping her waiting for an answer.
“Oh, well, as far an heir is concerned, I told you that you do not need to worry about it,” he assured her. “If mother says anything to you, then tell me, and I will resolve the matter. As far as appearances go, I do not think it is useful to tell my mother anything. She knows that our marriage was born out of duty already. She does not need to know any other details of our arrangement.”
Sophia looked at him expectantly.
“Are you sure, Your Grace?”
“Positive. There is no need to worry about things that are not problems…. yet.”
Something about her expression told Duncan that she was not convinced by his answer.
