“We are from different worlds, Your Grace. That is what I have come to realize. Yes, we have gotten along well these past weeks. And yes, I have coveted every moment. But in the end, our worlds cannot coexist, because they are far too different. I…” Her chin began to wobble and she looked away. “I had hoped they might. I dared to believe that there was a reality where…” She laughed and shook her head. “It does not matter now. I know that nothing that I hoped matters, and that which does matter is the truth.” She forced herself to look at him again. “The truth is, we are not meant for one another, and rather than live with that, I am doing the cowardly thing. Running.”
The Duke did not seem to understand what she had said.
His brow furrowed tight and confusion washed across his face. Yvette’s heart broke that little bit further to see it, because in her eyes, it meant that he had never even considered her feelings for him… or his for her. She was but a servant, he was the master, and that’s all they could ever be.
“You don’t have to say anything,” she assured him gently. “Nor do I hold it against you. I was wrong for thinking that…” Her chest tightened. “I was wrong. This is my mistake, not yours.”
“No,” he said.
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Miss Norleigh…” Most unexpectedly, a smile touched his lips. “Is that what this is about? That you think… that you and I… that anything I have said and done…” A shake of the head, and his smile grew. “I feel like a fool. I am a fool.”
Her heart started to race. “What do you mean?”
“I have been in denial for some time…” He started towards her again. And with each step taken, he held his stare on her, refusing to look away for even a second. “I refused to believe it. I refused to acknowledge it. I refused…” He laughed and shook his head again. “I refused to admit that I wanted it. For so long, I have buried my feelings because I thought I must. Hiding from the truth, terrified of what it might mean, as if it is something I should be ashamed of.”
“What are you…” Her stomach began to flutter, and it became even worse when she met his eyes and recognized the look in them.No… he cannot possibly mean… There is no way.
“You know of my past,” he said. “My father and what he did to me. Just as you know, because of this, I never wanted what everyone told me I must have. A wife. A family…” He scoffed. “I rejected it all, convinced it would make me happy. But I wasn’t happy. I haven’t been happy in a long, long time.”
“Your Grace…” She thought to take a step back, as if she needed to, to defend herself against the pain she knew was coming.
“That was until I met you,” he said, his voice dropping. “Hugh was a part of it, yes. But it was thanks to you that I came to realize…” His smile shone. “That it is not so wrong to want these things. And by denying that I do, I was only hurting myself. Ironic that this was the exact opposite of what I was trying to do.”
“What are you saying?”
“You’re right…” He reached Yvette and took her hand without asking. She thought to pull it back, but his touch sent a pulse of energy through her body, making her feel more alive than she had in days. “We are from different worlds. We cannot possibly work. And when people hear about us, they will judge, they will deride, they might even refuse to believe it.”
“Us?” Her voice cracked, and he took her other hand.
“I care for you, Miss Norleigh…” He stepped into her, holding both her hands, and looking into her eyes. “I have for some time. Dammit, it is beyond caring. I think…” He laughed at himself and squeezed her hands. “I think I am falling in love with you.”
She gasped. “No… do not say what you do not mean…”
“I don’t care that it is wrong,” he continued. “I do not care what anyone thinks – I might have once. But you and Hugh have made me realize that what other people think does not matter. Nor does perception or expectation or any of that nonsense. What matters is what makes me happy, and you are what makes me happy.”
Yvette’s heart soared through her chest. The room brightened so that it blinded her. Her hands burned where he held them, and if he not holding her in place, she might have lifted from the ground and started to float.
“You… you do?” she asked, hope shining through her words. “You are not just saying that?”
“Would I lie to you?”
She laughed. “Is that a real question?”
“I want you in my life,” he continued. “Today. Tomorrow. Forever. And my only regret is that it took me this long to realize it.”
Yvette’s heart broke through her chest, and she nearly wept because she was feeling that happy. Her first thought was to tell the Duke how much she loved him. Her second thought was to kiss him, because now seemed like the right choice. But her third thought… that was what won the day.
She leaned back, her stomach sinking just a little, because there was one more thing she had to ask.
“What about Hugh?” she asked.
The Duke frowned. “Hugh? What of him?”
“He is your brother, I know. But you plan to raise him as your son?”
“I do…” The Duke looked confused. “It is for the best. That way, he will be able to inherit my titles. His future will be protected.”
