Nora’s hopes rose, and she nodded in agreement. “Yes! Exactly!”
“Nonetheless, I gave my word that you would be cared for, and I intend to honor it completely.”
It took a moment for his words to sink into her mind. And when they did, her heart and hopes sank along with them.
It was a terrible idea for her brother to have entangled her with this man, because he was clearly just as stubborn as she was. Perhaps even more so. Still, Nora had no intention of relenting. She would make sure that she had her way, no matter what.
This was her only chance to live for herself, to focus on her goals and what was important for her future. She could not do so withthis difficult, overbearing being of a man breathing down her neck.
Oh, just what could her brother have been thinking?
“This is ridiculous. If my brother’s wish was to ensure I was being looked after sufficiently, why did he not enlist the help of our older sisters? Why did he ask you? They are perfectly capable of looking after me in any capacity.” She remarked.
Godric scoffed and gave her a look that spoke of how unimpressed he was by her ploy.
“That was a good attempt, Miss Nora. But I suppose you do not expect that I have heard about your sisters. I know that one of them lives far away from London — where you would find it difficult to attend activities of the season. And the other has a very large family and would not be able to handle your affairs. Seven children do take up quite a bit of time and effort. Surely you are smart enough to know that, so the only reason why you would rather be looked after by her is if you want to go unnoticed.” He stated simply.
It was incredibly frustrating how intent he was to stay and fulfill the duty that had been given to him. Nora could not fathom why, wondering how a Duke would willingly forgo his comfort for the sake of upholding the promise he had given to his friend.
The duke had been a close friend of Cecil’s since they were children. His family lived in an estate close to theirs, and he had later attended university with Cecil.
Nora had crossed paths with him several times, but they had barely spoken to each other then, willfully ignoring each other’s existence. She was under the impression he did not even know her name, because in her eyes, his relationship with Cecil was superficial and bland. He was nothing like her jovial, kind, and thoughtful brother, and she could never understand how they had remained friends for so long.
As such, it was hard to imagine why he was so committed to a role he claimed he had not wanted to partake in. All she could imagine was that he was doing this solely to get a rise out of her.
And by God, it was working.
“In any case, you do seem as though you require someone to watch over you closely. After your broken engagement and the nearly irreversible damage it has done to your reputation, you ought to tread lightly henceforth. I am curious as to how you managed to disrupt such a simple thing. All you needed to do was be on your best behaviour, at least until after the wedding. I cannot say that I am surprised that you could not hold the attention and affection of a singular gentleman who had already pledged to wed you.”
White hot fury filled Nora and she could not help but grit out, voice tense,
“I beg your pardon? Who do you think you are to make such outlandish remarks? You know nothing about me –”
“I know enough to determine the fault was likely yours. With all the –” he paused, his heated gaze sweeping over her slowly in a way that made her feel exposed and vulnerable. “Growth you seem to have attained over the years, you are still that reckless child who followed her older brother to places that did not concern her. You have no regard for where your place should be, and you expect things to happen according to your whims. Your brother has deemed you unreliable and you have not made any efforts to dissuade me from assuming that is truly the case. The dissolution of your previous engagement reflects as much.
“If you wish to move forward from that arrangement, you must keep your eyes forward and refuse to be distracted by little situations around you. Otherwise, you can bid your hopes of finding another suitor — one willing to overlook your past and marry you — goodbye.” Godric added simply, as though he was speaking about the weather and not about a dreaded topic he knew nothing about.
Nora felt her frustrations rise and boil into fury. He clearly believed her engagement had ended due to her faults. Did he really see her as a damsel who could not get over a man?
“How dare you?” she seethed angrily.
Infuriatingly, Godric remained calm and stoic, his eyes dark pools that had always hidden mysteries about him for as long as she had known him.
He had always been so well-mannered and poised, not like he desired to always portray respect, but more as though he couldnot be bothered to show that he had an unruly side. It made her scoff at how obviously fake his personality was, and she could never stand the blank stare he gave her whenever he was around her brother.
He never laughed, never gave any sort of reaction that portrayed that he was human. He was nothing more than a wall of ice to Nora.
Now she was meant to put up with this unfeeling man for weeks? Had she not endured enough in her life already?
“You know nothing about me or my previous engagement. Do not speak so casually about it,” she snapped, feeling rage pulse through her veins. “You stand there, privileged and polished, and you dare judge me? I do not know what my brother was thinking, entrusting me to such a being, but he was better off leaving me to the wolves. You are nothing more than a miserable man who derives joy in making others as miserable as he is.”
The words were scarcely out of her mouth before she found herself pinned against a wall. Her heartbeat increased rapidly until she could hear it echoing in her head.
This close, she was forced to look at him closely and notice the sharp line of his jaw, the tidy way his dark hair was combed back, and the broad span of his shoulders as he towered over her. The distance between them allowed her to discover the color of his eyes — blue, like a stormy sea — and his intent stare made her shiver.
He placed a hand against the wall on either side of her head, leaned in close until their faces were mere inches apart. Nora tried to inhale and she felt her lungs expand as it filled with his scent, her nerves thrumming with strange anticipation of whatever was to come.
The heat radiating off his body was melting her insides, lulling her forward with a dizzy spell that only grew with the heaviness of his gaze. There was a fire ignited within her, one that was spreading a yearning itch that she did not understand.
