It irked her to no end. And now he had pledged to let no other man touch her!
What did that even mean?
“Are you excited, Miss? It is a wonderful day for a garden party.” Her maid, Annabelle, stated softly as she fussed with Nora’s hair.
“I suppose,” was all Nora could say because her feelings for the gathering had changed.
After hearing about the garden party she had been invited to and intended to attend, the Duke took it upon himself to offer his company as her escort. Nora had not refused for once, because she knew that, like most of her public appearances, Tobias was likely to turn up there as well.
“I am sure you are very excited! You’ll have another chance to meet with potential suitors!” Annabelle smiled cheerfully, slipping a hairpin with a bow to the back of the intricate braid she had done with Nora’s hair.
Strange, Nora thought.I had barely spared the idea of potential suitors any thought.
And it was all because of the duke. Because he had told her that —
“As long as I am here, no man will touch you.”
Ever since that day, she had been unable to think of anything or anyone other than those words. That was one of the reasons why she had dismissed the remaining suitors, because she found it difficult to focus on much else other than the Duke.
And now, she had doomed herself to spend an afternoon with him by her side.
Whatever will she do?
“You look splendid, Miss. A true vision of youth and beauty.” Annabelle clapped her hands with unbridled glee.
Nora stared at her reflection, her heart feeling reluctant to hope. Still, she mustered up a smile and said,
“Here’s to what I hope will be a good day.”
“Right this way, Your Grace. Miss Nora sends her apologies. She will be right with you shortly.”
Godric nodded, and the maid scurried away quickly, giving him time to look around his current environment.
Lord Gramfield’s house was just as void of warmth as he remembered it being when he visited as a child, the walls and hallways dreary and almost cold. It was obvious that the house had not received any attention from one who bore the title of the lady of the house, but despite that, it looked well-organized.
Godric knew what lay ahead of him would entail an afternoon of mindless conversations and marriage proposals, but the idea of letting Nora go on her own filled him with contempt.
After the taste he had gotten… it would be a disservice to himself and his sanity to have her out of his sight.
He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, despising the idea of being late for anything, before he glanced around to find a maid who would find out what exactly was causing the delay with Nora.
As he turned to walk towards the staircase, he nearly ran into the master of the house, the baron’s face overtaken by surprise.
“Your Grace! I – what are you doing in… in my home? I was not informed of your arrival.” Gregory Wightman, baron of Gramfield, sputtered, glancing around in confusion.
Godric narrowed his gaze and stated, “Likely because I am not here for you, Lord Gramfield. I am here to see Miss Nora.”
“My daughter? Are you, perhaps, one of her suitors?”
There was a glimmer of hope in the older man’s eyes, greed reflected in his expression as he clapped his hands together, already assuming his dreams had come true.
“Why, she did not inform me! After all, given your closeness to my son, you are practically family –”
“You would be so lucky,” Godric cut in with a derisive snort. “That is a far-fetched aspiration, even for you, Lord Gramfield. But I suppose that is who you are, is it not? Ever wanting, never satisfied. Not until you have taken and taken and left those you have robbed to deal with the aftermath.”
The baron’s eyes filled with nervousness, and he stepped back, practically shaking under the duke’s dark stare.
“I-I apologize if I spoke out of turn, Your Grace. It was not my intention. I only thought –”
