Another condition? What more does he want?
Camelia’s heart pounded as the Duke said his goodbyes and moved towards the door. She couldn’t let him leave without answers.
Slipping away from her sisters, she followed him silently into the garden and waited until they were completely alone.
“Your Grace, why would you declare our engagement so suddenly? What could possibly compel such a decision?” she whispered, her voice soft yet tinged with urgency.
The Duke’s expression was unreadable, though his eyes gleamed with something dangerously tempting.
“It’s a done deal, Lady Camelia,” he said. “Make peace with it.”
“Oh, I am at peace with it, Your Grace, truly,” Camelia murmured softly. “I only wonder… why?”
“Why not?” the Duke countered, his tone light yet edged with challenge.
Camelia faltered, caught off guard by his retort.
He pressed on, his voice lowering. “You were prepared to surrender yourself to me in that alley. Isn’t marriage a far more honorable path?”
She nodded, her agreement unspoken but firm, though her thoughts lingered on the heated exchange between him and Lord Montague.
“Does Lord Montague have any bearing on your proposal?” she ventured cautiously.
The Duke’s jaw clenched, a flicker of tension betraying a deeper truth. Camelia’s breath caught, sensing a hidden story.
Abruptly, he halted, turning to face her and stepping close, his frame pinning her gently against the garden’s verdant hedge. The air fled her lungs as she braced for his touch, but his hands remained at his sides. His piercing, deep blue eyes held her captive.
“Lord Montague’s reputation is no secret to half of London,” he said, his voice low and resolute. “My proposal has spared you and your family from his machinations. I urge you to accept it without hesitation and consider yourself fortunate that it was I who found you in that alley, not another man.”
His warning lingered in the air as he turned and resumed his walk through the garden.
Heavens, what secrets does he guard so fiercely, and why does his nearness stir such reckless longing within me?
“Did you tell my father how we met?” she demanded as she followed after him. “Does he know what I… what I tried to do?”
He smirked, a rakish tilt of his lips that set her nerves on edge. “Not to worry, little flower. Your father doesn’t know that his delicate daughter isn’t so delicate after all.”
“You’re a rake!” she snapped, her cheeks burning.
How dare he mock me?
The Duke paused and turned back to her, his hand catching her chin gently but firmly, forcing her to meet his gaze. Camelia’s lips parted involuntarily.
“A rake? That’s bold, coming from you,” he murmured, his breath hot against her lips.
He grabbed her hand and placed something cold in it. Camelia was tempted to look at it, but his deep blue eyes held her still.
“Not long ago, you were ready to give yourself to me. Do you remember that, little flower?”
Camelia’s breath hitched as she pulled away from his grasp.
“It’s a mystery why you rejected me and then volunteered to marry me,” she said with defiance.
What game is he playing?
He leaned closer, his eyes darkening. “Did my rejection disappoint you, Camelia?” His voice was a low and seductive rumble. His fingers trailed lightly down her arm, sending a shiver through her. “Were you hoping for a different outcome?”
He’s toying with me.
