That was why she was here so early. Mostly, it was because she needed to get this over with, while also wishing to get ahead of the rumor before it had a chance to spread. Further to that point, she needed to cut out any chance that the duke might change his mind…and that I don’t change my mind also.
No. There would be no changing her mind. Not now. And so determined was Margot in this decision that she decided on the journey over that no matter what the duke said, she would not take no for an answer.
Desperation is a funny thing. This time yesterday, I might have laughed to think that I would want to marry the duke with such certainty. Now, I will do whatever I must to see it done.
It was only a few minutes later when the door opened again, this time all the way. “His Grace will see you,” the butler said, indicating for her to enter.
Margot nodded once and stepped inside the manor.
The foyer was a spacious affair, almost the size of her townhouse. She looked about, her eyes widening to see how high the ceilings ran and how far back the walls stretched. It was opulent too, the paintings on the walls, the crystal of the chandelier, the marble of the floor. Margot had been inside many a manor before, but this was unlike anything she had seen.
“This way…” The butler was already walking across the foyer.
Margot hurried after him, the nerves inside of her growing. She followed the stout man through the foyer and down a winding hall until he brought her to an open doorway through which she spied the breakfast room. And in that breakfast room, eating alone at the long table, was the duke.
He looked pleased to see her… or rather, smug. He had a plate of food before him, a glass of juice in one hand, and his smile was all teeth as he bade her to approach him.
“The Honorable Margot Harcourt. As I live and breathe.”
“Your Grace…” She made it halfway down the table before coming to a stop. “I hope I am not disturbing you.”
“Not at all,” he said with that same smile. “Please…” He gestured to a seat beside him. “Are you hungry?”
“I am fine, thank you.”
“Would you like to sit?”
“I would prefer to stand.”
He chuckled. “And from the little I know of you, changing your mind is akin to trying to change the seasons. The question is, have you brought winter with you? Or spring?”
It was little consolation to Margot that the duke appeared no different in the fresh light of a new day. He was dressed in a simple shirt, oversized on his frame and creased. His dark hair was uncombed, wavy, and tangled. His chin is prickly and in need of a close shave. None of this took away from his confident swagger and arrogant cadence, and the way he looked at her was as if she had stumbled into his bedroom unannounced, but her reason for it was clear to both.
The point was, he had all the power, and he knew it. He enjoyed it. And where Margot wished to loathe him for such a thing, she could not help but be…I do not want to say that I am attracted to him. More curious. Yes, that sounds better. She could not help but remember the way he had held her the previous evening, the feel of his warm breath, and how her heart had raced as he’d looked into her eyes.
She gave her head a shake, forcing those thoughts away, for they would only cause trouble. And besides, that was not why she was here.
“I have considered further on what you said to me the previous evening and…” She swallowed. “And I would like to accept your offer.”
“My offer?” He frowned as if confused.
“Yes…” She hesitated, unsure now if she had misremembered. “What you… What you suggested that we… that we do. I have decided that you are correct, and it is for the best.”
“What we do?” Still, he frowned as if he had no idea what she meant. “Miss Harcourt, I am afraid I have no idea to what you speak.”
She blinked. “You? No – I mean, yes. You know too well to what I am referring.”
He clicked his tongue and stood quickly, then stepped around the table to approach her. She took a quick step back, careful not to let him get too close again. “You may have to remind me,” he said with a cocky grin. “I have a tragic memory, and last night is a blur to me, I am afraid.”
She could not tell if he was being serious. “A blur? How is that possible?”
He shrugged. “I am trying to remember. I found you in the library. You were rather rude –”
“You were the rude one!”
“And then…” He pushed his lips together as he glanced over her body. “You purposefully caught your dress on the table, forcing me to unravel it.”
“I did no such thing!”
