Sophia took a deep breath, “I have always gotten the idea that marriage is like a gamble if you can excuse my rather crass phrasing. If done right, it can lead to eternal bliss. But if donewrong, it can be an entirely torturous affair. Especially for a woman in our society.”
The Duke nodded at her to continue.
“The idea of being a man’s property, something to be displayed a trophy and always agreeing to everything he says has always seemed…” she scrambled to find the right word.
“Demeaning?” he offered, and she nodded furiously as though he had just read her mind.
“Exactly that. I value how you do not seem to impose your opinions on me as it was a long-held fear of mine that I would have to give up my personality when I got married.”
“You do not have to worry about any of that nonsense with me,” the Duke assured her. “A true gentleman elevates his woman and does not bog her down with his own wishes. I want you to complement me, not mold yourself in my image.”
“That opinion of yours is a rarity,” Sophia noted, once again realizing how lucky she had gotten with him.
“It should be the norm,” Duncan shrugged. “I always saw my father try and impose his wishes on my mother when I was young. I vowed to never become like that.”
Sophia turned to look at him as they walked. The setting sun was shining on his raven-colored hair. It gave him a strikinglyangelic appearance. She felt for a moment caught in admiring his appearance, but then a question appeared in her mind.
“Now, would you mind me asking the same question that you just did to me?” she said carefully. “What anxieties did you have when it came to marriage? I am certain you had many women fawning over you, trying to get a morsel of your attention on them.”
“The answer is right there in your question, my dear,” he smiled. “When you have many people who wish to be with you, you begin to question why they want to be with you in the first place.”
“Ah, so the woman you were looking for was someone who played hard to attain,” she replied. “That must explain your interest in me. I am slow to show my feelings.”
“Precisely. You have arrived at the answer quite easily, my dear,” he chuckled.
My dear.
She realized how much shelovedwhen he called her that.
Suddenly, the Duke’s expression changed, and he clutched his stomach, stopping midway in their walk.
“You must excuse me,” he said, still holding onto his stomach. “I feel rather ill all of a sudden.”
“Oh, shall we turn back?” Sophia asked, immediately worried by his change of demeanor.
“I suppose it is for the best that we do,” he replied. “It must be something that I have eaten. No need to worry in any case.”
“You know that I will worry either way,” she replied.
The two of them made the walk back inside, albeit this time it was filled with silence.
“I shall see you for dinner,” Duncan told her as he bid her goodbye in the hallway.
“Of course,” she turned to him with a smile. “Are you sure that you are feeling all right?”
“I am positive,” he assured her. “The feeling came and went, just like a flash.”
Sophia decided to take him for his word and returned to her chambers.
CHAPTER 22
Duncan’s relationship with Sophia had progressed favorably in the last few days, but now it was time to take the next step.
“I shall ask her to come stay in my room tonight,” he repeated to himself as he made his way up the stairs towards her room.
All of the nights that Sophia had spent here, she had slept in her own room. Duncan knew that had to change. After all, what sense did it make for them to sleep in separate beds now that they had admitted their feelings for one another?
However, before he could broach the subject, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over him. His vision blurred, and he felt the room spin.
