“For one thing, I know that you are a kind man. Far kinder than anyone else I have ever met. I was not sure what I was walking into when I agreed to this marriage, but you have proven to me consistently that you are a man of both your word and your principles,” Sophia noted. “To me, that makes you remarkable.”
Duncan was rendered speechless for a moment, and then, a smile spread across his lips.
“That is quite the high praise, Madam.”
“The stars are my witness; I am only telling the truth,” she said pointing to the sky. “You should not worry about turning into your father. It is clear to me that the two of you are different people entirely.”
Duncan had never really cared for external validation. Compliments did not flatter him the same way that they might other people.
But hearing Sophia say those words meant the world to him. He was touched, and that’s when the realization occurred to him…
What she says means something to me only because she means something to me.
Somehow, Lady Sophia had clawed inside of his heart even though he had thought of it as out of order years priors to her appearance.
He had developed feelings for her, and to deny it further would be foolish, but he was not ready to admit them to her just yet. He had to wait for the right moment.
“I might just believe you, Madam,” he replied, giving her a bright smile.
“I hope that you do. Denying yourself of a happiness like that would be disservice to yourself.”
As Sophia reassured Duncan, her words resonated deeply within him. The weight of his father’s expectations seemed to lift, and for the first time, Duncan felt a sense of freedom.
A freedom that told him that as long as he had Sophia by his side, he did not have to worry about becoming like this father.
“Have you ever thought of having children, Madam?” he asked her.
He was imagining now what a child they created together would look like. Would he have her eyes? Or her smile? He had fallen for Sophia, and the idea of having children with her filled him up with a sense of excitement and surprise at the same time.
He had been so cautious about having a child, and yet here he was, fantasizing about it in the middle of a ball.
“You have asked me a difficult question, Your Grace,” Sophia replied. “I am a woman, so of course, I have thought about it, but…”
“But what?” he inquired, concern filling his voice immediately.
“Let us just say that I worry about things, just as you do.” She cracked a sad smile. “We may not have the same demons, but we both know what it is like to be weighed down by them.”
Duncan took her hand in his and caressed the scar on top of her skin. He did not want to push her into telling him everything, so instead, he just waited.
But her explanation never came. Instead, she just slipped her hands out of his and turned back to the ballroom.
“Do you think we should be heading back now, Your Grace?” she asked.
“I do not know why we must,” the Duke replied, not wanting their moment to end. “All that waits inside is the likes of Barbara, waiting for the perfect moment to cause trouble.”
Sophia bit down on her lip.
“I just believe that Duchess Anna would be happy if I made more of an effort to speak to more people. I do not wish to disappoint her.”
“Very well. You may go, and I shall join you shortly.”
He watched her disappear inside, and he confronted his feelings once again.
Does she even feel the same way?She was shy about her feelings, so it was almost impossible for him to gauge what was going through her head.
Duncan felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to find a pair of brown eyes staring him down. He nearly jumped as he had not noticed anyone sneaking up behind him.
“My Lady, you should really refrain from sneaking up on people like this,” he scolded.
