“Which should be enough to suggest the foolishness of this endeavor. I admire that you are trying to protect your sister, and I am sorry that you think of me as some sort of a monster,” he scoffed, to which she winced, because she did not think that at all. “But I, not your father, made the decision, and I am not going to change my mind because you decided to put on a pair of breeches.”
Rose had expected his rejection, which was why she did not cower back. Rather, she stood tall and firm, bracing herself for what she had come here to propose.
“I know why you wish to marry my sister.”
“Is that not what we have been discussing?”
“No.” Rose made sure to be looking right at the Duke, refusing to break from his piercing stare. She felt like he could see right through her and, in this instance, she wanted him to. “You are marrying Marianne not because of some contract, but because you think that you must. You are a businessman, Your Grace, and from what I have heard, you are a very able one at that.”
He laughed mockingly. “I am so happy that my reputation pleases you.”
“What you are after is a wife who will add credence and further respect to your name,” she pressed on. “A dutiful wife to stand by your side, to be seen, and to remind your peers that you are a man to be trusted, because what kind of man refuses to marry? You don’t care about love or family or any of that nonsense. You care about appearances only. Admit it.”
The Duke did not speak right away.
Still sitting on the edge of his desk, arms folded, he studied Rose with an intense gaze that she felt in her soul. He held her in it. He bore its pressure on her, and she started to sweat under the intensity. What she had said was right, but she did not know how well it would be received.
Rose’s confidence began to wane.
“You are smart,” he said finally, even allowing a smile to touch his lips. Again, he smothered it quickly. “Smarter than I thought.”
“So, you agree?”
“If I do or do not agree makes no difference,” he said with a shrug. “The fact remains that in this instance, your sister is still a far more viable wife than you are.”
“You’re wrong!” she cried. “Marianne might be pretty and subservient, but she will not aid you in these goals. She is…” She sighed with frustration. “She is innocent and without guile. She does not understand how the world of business works.”
“And you do?”
“I do,” Rose said with conviction. “I have been helping my father with his businesses since I was a little girl. I have met his associates, just as I have met their wives.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “They know me. They like me, Your Grace. Yes, if you marry my sister, she will stand silently; she will not make a fuss. But she won’t be able to help you.”
“And that’s what I need, is it? Your help?”
“You need a wife who knows what you want and will do whatever it takes to help you get it.” She took another step into the room, confidence growing. “What is more, you need a wife who knows what this marriage is. I will not try to make you fall in love with me. I certainly won’t waste your time trying to start a family. I am the natural choice, Your Grace, you know it to be true.”
Again, the Duke said nothing.
This time, Rose could see her argument taking effect. He studied her, she did not look away, and there was a fire burning behind her eyes that she needed him to see. He held her, but she did not balk. While her legs trembled and her chest tightened, she refused to yield.
“You are right,” he said finally, looking away. “Regarding my intent.”
“I know I am.” She breathed a sigh of relief.
He frowned and pushed himself to stand. “You aren’t told no, often, are you?”
“I am,” she said. “I just don’t pay it attention.”
He laughed, and the sound was softer than Rose had expected. It was warmer. It touched her skin, seeped through her body, and made her heart flutter. For how serious he was, how dark and dispassionate, that laugh alone told her there was another side to the Duke.
But he cut the laughter short, strangling it like a babe in the crib. His expression turned serious once again, and he fixed it on Rose as he walked toward her.
Each step shook the floorboards, and the room shrank as his gait spread from wall to wall. He was so tall. So broad and powerful. And what was more, he knew it well, just as he must have known the effect.
He reached Rose and stood over her. She tried to meet his gaze but became undone by the way her body trembled and how hard it suddenly was to breathe.
It was unlike anything that Rose had experienced before, not counting the first time it had happened. A confusion to be sure, so she tried her best to ignore it.
“I will make you a deal,” he said, his voice low so that he almost whispered. “And should you meet the terms of this deal, I will consider what you have said.”
