She turned her attention back to him, hope blooming in her breast. “Then you plan to beg off?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I plan to woo you as I should have all those years ago.”
Her optimism crumbled like ash in the hearth. The devil had no intention of setting her free. Anger erased all of her prior unease, and she stiffened, her gaze boring into his. “All of the wooing in the world will not change my mind.”
“You are angry, and you have every right to be, but we will be wed. Why not allow me the opportunity to win your heart?”
Because I shall never have yours.The words drifted through Olivia’s mind but did not roll off her tongue. Instead, she said, “Because I have no wish to marry.”
“If you are so confident in your conviction, then I see no harm in your allowing me the opportunity to change your mind.” He reached for her hand, wrapped his long fingers around her palm. “We are betrothed. Your parents expect us to spend time together. Let us not do so as enemies.”
Olivia nibbled at her lower lip, turning his words over in her mind. Perhaps she could bargain with him? At the least, she could use their time to her advantage. Take every opportunity to change his stance. She swallowed, her eyes drifting closed for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “Friends then?”
He smiled as he rubbed his fingers over her hand. “For the time being.”
Olivia’s skin tingled and warmed beneath his. “And what if I still have no wish to marry when the day arrives?”
“Let us face that challenge when and if it comes to pass.”
She nearly groaned in frustration as she pulled her hand free of his. The man was impossible, and he seemed just as determined as her.
A shiver of foreboding trickled through her as she realized that she was coming to enjoy his attention and determination. A small part of her was looking forward to being wooed by him. Enjoyed verbally sparring with him and longed for his attention.
What the devil was wrong with her?
She needed to return to her bedchamber. Had to clear her mind. “It’s rather late. I’ll bid you goodnight now.”
He captured her hand, bent over it, and dropped a kiss to her bare knuckles. “Until tomorrow.”
Chapter 7
Olivia folded her hands in her lap and turned to Juliet. “His Grace is determined to court me and putting on a rather good show of it.”
“That is splendid news.” Juliet waved her fan. “Perhaps he has developed a tender for you?”
Olivia shook her head. “It is nothing more than a way for him to assuage his guilt.”
“How so?” Emma asked.
Olivia turned her attention to the cream and pale yellow wallpaper, trailing her gaze along a sunny yellow swirl as she gathered her thoughts. “He told me that he owes me for all the years that he ignored our betrothal.”
The corner of Emma’s mouth tilted upward. “That is fantastic. He’s taking responsibility and demonstrating the type of husband he intends to be.”
Olivia arched a brow. “And what kind would that be? The type to stash his wife away on some distant estate and forget about her?”
“Nonsense.” Emma swirled her wrist, her fingers waving in a dismissive arch. “He’d be the type to care about your feelings.”
“How wonderful.” Juliet stopped fanning herself, a wide grin lighting her face. “Don’t you see what this means? He cares for you.”
“He most certainly does not,” Olivia said.
Juliet lowered her fan to her lap, her grin remaining firmly in place. “Tell us what he has been doing to woo you? Then we shall decide.”
Olivia sighed, her shoulders slumping a fraction. As if her friends could determine the duke’s true nature. All the same, she would humor them. “Very well. He slips letters beneath my door. Invitations to join him for walks, picnics, and such. New letters appear beneath my door on a regular bases, sometimes twice in the same day, and each note contained one sentence followed by his initial. Sometimes he leaves a small trinket or flower in the hall just beyond my door.”
“How romantic,” Juliet said, excitement in her voice.
Olivia shook her head, a rogue curl tickled her cheek, and she pushed it back. “Not at all. I assure you that his actions are merely self-serving.” Her mind traveled back to the picnic they had shared two days prior and the words he’d spoken.
