Nora balked, shocked and appalled by the thought.
“Absolutely not. The man was as appealing as a wall made of ice. He is so… bland and unfeeling. It is rather disturbing how little emotion he shows.” She complained.
“All the more reason to give it a shot. You are familiar with his personality, so it should not take too much to get him to open up to you. If he is going to be around you all the time, you will have ample chances to try to attract him. Are you not at all curious as to what sort of man he would be when he’s smitten with you? He is such a mystery. I feel as though it would be quite an experience to witness him as a suitor. And he fell right into your lap! You should consider it.” Penelope said, looking rather pleased with herself.
Penelope’s idea was as wild as her tongue was, but Nora understood where her friend had gotten her wild ideas from. Godric had not appeared so publicly in years, and he was widely known as a man who did not care much for the requirements of society. He lived his life privately and conducted his business discreetly.
The most anyone knew about him was his name and title, in most cases. Attempts that had been made to foster some sort of connection to him failed, as he coldly dismissed whoever showed him any sort of interest. And as much as Nora did not wish to admit it, he intrigued her, and clearly, her friends as well.
Almost immediately, she recalled how he had cornered her against that wall, how he had towered over effortlessly in all his imposing glory. She remembered how his touch had left a burn in her mind, the warmth that lingered afterwards following her into her dreams.
That interaction left an odd sensation within her, one she had refused to name – out of stubbornness or reluctance, she would not admit to herself.
Nora continued to glare at her, wondering what on earth her friend could be thinking. She felt a tug on her hand and looked to the side to see Jane smiling softly at her.
“I am sorry that you are so upset, Nora. I imagine that you are quite frustrated at the fact that your plans were thwarted before you could even put them into motion. There must be a way for you to convince the duke that his efforts – though appreciated – are wholly unnecessary.” She said in a gentle, imploring tone.
“How?” Nora questioned helplessly. “I tried my best yesterday, but he is so stubborn – ugh! It makes me so angry thinking about it.”
“Well, firstly, you must calm down. He will not think you can be trusted to be relied on if you seem to be hotheaded and liable to turn every conversation into a fight. You must prove that you have the bandwidth of an adult. Secondly, you can try to reason with him. Cecil is overprotective – which is to be expected because he is your only older brother and you are his precious younger sister. It is in his nature to want to shield and protect you from any harm that might come your way. However, the duke has no reason to be. He bears no relation to you, and therefore, he might not understand Cecil’s reasoning behind his request. If you told him as much – gently, with emphasis, I beg of you, Nora, do not start a fight with the duke – he will seethat you do not need that kind of protection. And he might feel inclined to give you some space, at least.”
Jane’s words bore a lot of wisdom. It would be best to implore him to give her some breathing room. He is an educated man, and perhaps if she laid out her points clearly, he would listen to reason.
“All right then. I’ll do it.” Nora nodded with conviction.
“You’ll seduce him?” Penelope piqued with a grin.
“Yes – what? No! I meant – I’ll talk to him again. And try to reason with him to perish this whole ploy to follow me about as though he is my lost shadow.” Nora said resolutely.
“And remember, be calm and clear. He is less likely to give you the time of day if you are gearing up to start a fight with him. Additionally, any form of reproach will only reinforce the idea that you are too childish to be left alone. Be firm.” Jane advised, holding up a fist in encouragement.
Nora was touched by the support of her friends – even if Penelope’s advice was as ludicrous as it was unhelpful – and she pulled them into a hug.
“You do act a little like a child sometimes,” Penelope teased, stroking Nora’s hair gently. “But we would always trust you to do what is best for yourself regardless.”
“Thank you,” Nora whispered, holding them both a little tighter. “Both of you. I do not know what I would have done without either of you.”
“I can think of a few things, but you likely would not want to hear me speak about any of them right now.” Penelope hummed.
Jane giggled, and Nora could not help but laugh as well, thankful to have eased some of her concerns, even just by sharing her problem.
She had a plan of sorts on how she would proceed, and as such, she would no longer wallow in despair.
Later that afternoon, Nora found herself walking the familiar route from her father’s home to her brother’s estate.
It was strange how the path led to a place she had been countless times, but now, her reasoning for visiting had changed. When the house came into view, she inhaled deeply, reminding herself of the importance of her actions and the reasons why her plan needed to be successful at all costs.
She had encouraged herself for over ten minutes to get herself out of the house – not because she was scared of the duke, but rather because she feared she would lose her temper again. That would not help, especially if she were to appeal to his better nature, and certainly not with so much at stake.
Usually, she walked into her brother’s home as though she owned the place – Cecil insisted that she did, seeing as she had a room there as well for the nights she had spent at his house. But this time, she knocked at the door and waited.
Minutes later, the butler, Mr. Frederic, opened it, surprised to find her on the other side.
“Miss Nora? Was – was the door locked? My apologies –”
“Oh, no. It was not locked. I merely wanted to… come in properly. Is the duke in?”
The butler regarded her with confusion etched on his aged features, and he nodded.
