The Duke nodded in approval, and they left the drawing room.
The room fell silent, the weight of his words hanging over them like a storm cloud. Then, abruptly, Iris and Margaret burst into giggles, shattering the tension.
Camelia couldn’t help it; a reluctant smile tugged at her lips, and soon she was laughing with them, the sound bubbling up despite the chaos in her heart.
“Oh, Camelia!” Margaret gasped between giggles, clutching her sides. “Did youseehis face? He’s terrifying, but also so handsome! I wish his manners were a bit more… refined.”
“He’s insufferable, talking like I’m a… project!”
“He’s got his work cut out for him. You’re about as tame as a wildcat! I wager he’ll be the one begging for mercy by your wedding night,” Iris said nonchalantly.
Margaret snorted, leaning forward with a wicked grin. “‘Fulfill your duty,’ indeed!”
They’re relentless, but they’re not entirely wrong. That look in his eyes…
“He’s not like that! Or… I don’t know what he’s like! Stop making it worse!”
Iris covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. “He did have a certain… intensity. I swear, when he said he’d wait for you at the altar, I half-expected him to sweep you off your feet right thenand there. Do you think he has a romantic side, Camelia? Or is he just terrifying?”
“Terrifying,” Camelia muttered, though her heart raced at the memory of his dark gaze, the way he had almost unraveled her in the library and alley.
Why does he affect me so?
“He’s a tyrant, and you two are no help at all!”
“But Camelia, how did you win a duke over? You must teach me, so I never end up with a Montague again!” Margaret huffed.
“I didn’t win him over,” Camelia said with a chuckle, her cheeks burning. “He just… decided this. I don’t even know why!”
Iris tilted her head. “Oh, I think you do. He looks at you like you’re a puzzle he can’t wait to solve. I bet he’s smitten, even if he hides it behind all that talk of duty.”
Camelia scoffed, though her heart skipped a beat.
Smitten? No, it’s control he wants, not affection.
“You’ve been reading too many novels, Iris. He’s… he’s complicated. That’s all I’ll say.”
Her heart raced as she stared at the door where Raph had disappeared.
He’s saved us, but at what cost? And why does he look at me like that? Like he sees right through me?
The memory of his voice, his promise to wait for her at the altar, sent a shiver through her.
Tomorrow, I will become his wife. But what does that really mean?
Camelia suddenly sat up straight. She had to tell him.
CHAPTER 12
Camelia’s heart pounded as she bolted out of the drawing room and hurried to the front door, her skirts swishing against her legs.
He can’t leave yet, not without hearing me out!
Her sisters’ laughter still echoed in her ears, the sound a sharp contrast to the storm brewing in her chest. Their parting words had left her reeling.
He’s impossible, but I won’t let him walk away thinking I’m ungrateful.
She pushed through the door, expecting to find his carriage gone. But as she stepped into the cool evening air, she froze. There, in the gravel drive, stood her father and the Duke beside the carriage, shaking hands.
