“How many rooms is it that you’ve inspected? My count was at least fifteen.”
“Have you…” She reared back and furrowed her brow. “Have you been spying on me?”
The duke’s eyes widened, realizing that he’d be caught out. “No,” he hurried to say. “Not spying.”
“You have been,” she accused him, sharing now a smile of her own. “You’ve been watching me…” She then cocked an eyebrow at him. “Very creepy of you, if I do say so myself.”
“Merely checking that you didn’t become lost,” he shot back. “You said yourself this house is larger than you expected. I would hate for you to have wandered down a hallway, never to return.”
“What’s the matter? Worried for me?”
He rolled his eyes. “I am sorry that I bothered.”
It was no big thing, and even though he tried to dismiss her accusations, Margot could sense that she had hit the mark.Atthe very least, he was curious about me. His efforts to avoid me as if he did not care suddenly seem far more forced and purposeful.
“What is this place?” she asked, indicating the room.
“I believe the layman's term is a storage room.”
She looked at him flatly. “Thank you so much for explaining that to me.” He laughed, and she shook her head, smiling as she did. “My meaning is,whythis room? And why this…” She gestured to the vase still clutched to her chest. “There are some rather nice pieces of artwork here. It seems a shame to hide them away.”
“Oh…” He bit his lip, appearing suddenly nervous. “Yes, well, this room…” He grimaced then, still standing by the doorway as if afraid to enter. “Most of the things you’ll find in here belonged to my mother.”
“Your mother?”
“Yes, she who birthed me.”
Again, her face fell. “I was not asking what a mother was. Why are her things in storage? This vase…” She held the vase out. “It is beautiful, no? Surely she would have preferred it to be on display somewhere, rather than locked away in a random storage room.”
It was subtle, but Margot could tell that she’d touched upon a prickly topic. The duke’s brow furrowed, and he winced as if with guilt. Then he looked down at his feet, his confidence vanishing in a way she had never seen before.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, taking a step toward him. “I did not mean to –”
“It is fine,” he cut her off and stepped back. “I just…” He shrugged and forced a smile, feigning confidence now because he clearly did not wish to appear weak. “I just never had much of an eye for art. So, rather than wasting time pretending, I figured it would be easier to stuff it all in here. Save me embarrassing myself,” he added with a hollow chuckle.
There it is… the other side to him. He works so hard to portray an air of arrogance and confidence, but there is another side to him. Not that he looks willing to talk about it.
“Do you mind if I…” she gestured to the vase again. “This vase, it would look lovely with flowers in it. Perhaps in my room.”
His expression hardened, and she thought he was going to say no. But it vanished quickly, and the smile he offered instead was genuine. “Of course. I told you, this house is now your home, so feel free to do with it what you wish.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded once. “Don’t mention it.”
The duke did not turn and leave right away. He stayed leaning against the doorway, watching her with a curious expression that she could not discern. What she could tell, however, was that it wasn’t his usual visage of charm and arrogant confidence, used when he was trying to seduce and destroy. Rather, there was an honesty behind his eyes, as if he was seeing her in a different light.
It made Margot fidget nervously, feeling exposed in a way she hadn’t expected. For that reason, she turned back, thinking to put the vase down, only for it to suddenly slip from her hand and crash onto the floor.
“No!” she cried as the porcelain smashed against the wood. “Oh! What have I—” Not thinking, she dropped to her knees to try and clean the mess.
“Wait!” Sebastian cried out, but it was too late.
Margot, feeling as embarrassed as she ever had, was not paying attention as she snatched at a sharp piece of porcelain. Her fingers grazed the edges, the sharp shard sliced along her finger, a bolt of pain ripped across her hand, and blood was quick to gush from the wound.
“Ow!” she yelped and fell back.
“Margot!” The duke acted quickly, dashing into the room and dropping to his knees beside her. Then, without question or hesitation, he took her hand and cupped it gently. “Easy now…”
