They walked along, the conversation shifting back to the Duke’s—Norman’s—business investments, and Susan found herself genuinely moved by his insistence that he wanted to create opportunities for his tenants and his servants. In spite of her initial impressions, she understood now that he was a good man.
If I did want to marry, I could do worse than someone like him, she mused.
But her mind hadn’t changed. Marriage still seemed one of the worst fates that could befall her.
CHAPTER 10
“Tonight is going to be such fun,” Marina enthused. “My first ball since beginning to be courted by Gilbert! We’re going to dance all night!”
“Just remember to take some breaks and dance with other people,” Susan reminded her sister. “It’s not appropriate to dance with one man all night long.”
“Oh, I know, but he’s the only one I reallywantto dance with,” Marina said. “Just as I’m sure you only want to be in the arms of the Duke tonight. We’ll do what we must for the sake of propriety, but there’s only one person I’m yearning to dance with. You feel the same way, don’t you?”
Susan smiled vaguely, but didn’t answer. For the sake of the act she and Norman were putting on, of course, she had to behave as though what Marina was saying was the truth. She had to pretend she had no thought in mind but the sheer joy of being in the arms of the man she was falling in love with.
The truth, of course, was a great deal more complicated than that.
She could no longer claim that her interest in Norman was purely about fulfilling their agreement to one another. The fact was, she had begun to find his company engaging. She liked spending time with him, and she would enjoy tonight, if only for the fact that she knew there would be more interesting conversation. Talking to Norman was fascinating. He was one of the more stimulating conversation partners she’d ever had—he always seemed to keep her guessing.
The sisters walked up the stairs into Sutherland Manor, where they were presented to the Earl and the Countess. Once they’d made their greetings, they walked into the ballroom and looked around.
“It’s all so beautiful,” Marina said admiringly.
“It certainly is,” a voice spoke up.
Susan turned. There he was—Norman, dressed more fashionably than she had ever seen him. His shirt was starched and pressed, and his waistcoat fit him snugly, letting her take in the shape of his torso. She sucked in a breath as she realized just how attractive she found him.
This is going to be a very interesting night.
He held out his hand to her. “Lady Marina,” he said. “Do you mind if I borrow your sister for a turn?”
“Oh, not at all,” Marina agreed breathlessly. “You should keep her as long as you’d like, Your Grace.”
Susan wanted to toss a dirty look at her sister for giving her up so easily, but where would be the justification for such a thing?I’ve done this to myself, after all. I’m the one who made her believe I harbored affection for this man. Now she’s just trying to help me.
Norman took her arm and led her out onto the dance floor. As the musicians began to play, he took her in his arms, and she was reminded of what a good dancer he was. Her heart skipped a beat. He was handsome, well-dressed, holding her in his arms and leading her through the dance, and he was doing it extremely well. This was the perfect picture of what it would look like to fall in love.
But I’ll never fall in love. I know the dangers involved in something like that. I know what happened to my own parents because they were foolish enough to trust the idea of love. It’s real for Marina—I can believe that. But she’s the rare one. It’s not real most of the time, and it certainly isn’t real for me and Norman—especially since we’ve agreed that this isn’t going to be real.
She had to keep her wits about her. It wasn’t a good idea to allow herself to fall into romantic ideas about what this might mean.Even though dancing with a handsome man was a lovely fantasy, that was all it could ever be.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Norman commented.
Susan looked up at him. “You don’t need to do that,” she said. “Nobody can hear us now.”
He smirked. “I’m not saying it for show,” he said. “I can recognize beauty when I see it. It’s a lovely gown. Is it new?”
“It was my sister Leah’s,” Susan said. “But it was tailored to make it more fashionable, and to fit me better. Father had it done when our engagement was finalized—he said that if I was to marry a duke, I would need something appropriate to wear for my new life.”
“You know, it’s odd,” Norman said. “That sounds like he’s being kind, and yet I get the feeling it wasn’t kindness at all.”
“It wasn’t,” Susan agreed. “His point was that I would need to dress up in something fancy in order to be worthy of the title of duchess.”
Norman snorted. “It’s not for your father to say who’s worthy of the title,” he said. “The title goes to my wife, and it’s for me to choose.”
“But you agree with him,” Susan pointed out. “You don’t think I would make a good duchess.”
“I never said that,” Norman objected. “I think you would be a fine duchess. You and agreed together that we wouldn’t make a good husband and wife to one another—it’s nothing to do with your fitness as a duchess.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Unless you’re changing your mind now?”
