Helena felt her face go hot. And now she wasn’t sure what to say.
The duke continued, “Knightly told me about the stable boy. Aren’tyoua little minx?”
“I—” began Helena. She was wholly unprepared to defend herself and Declan.
She began again. “Mr. Shaw and I sort of... fell into one another. He was hired to guard me, we were thrown together, and... we found love. Please believe me, Bradley, I hope the same will happen for you. Truly. I’m thrilled that you get on so well with Miss Snow.”
The duke snorted. “I’d not double down, if I were you.” He was looking over her shoulder into the dining room.
“I’mnotdoubling down.” She stepped right, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Youshouldhave a wife who shares your interests and has your heart.Andyou should challenge your uncle. Girdleston takes every advantage. He serves only his own ambition, and I believe he takes a strange sort of pleasure in telling you what to do. You can throw him over and be the duke you were born to be.”
Lusk laughed bitterly. “What do I know of being duke?”
“You’ve had the best tutors and studied at Oxford, for God’s sake. Surely you learned something. Your friends have titles and somehow manage. You can hire a trustworthy steward. Or you may invoke the advice of Miss Snow. I have it on good authority that she is very clever.”
Lusk snapped his attention back to Helena. “Do you think she would fancy managing the dukedom? Alongside me?”
“Ah,” Helena scrambled. “I believe she is very ambitious. And she prefers to keep busy. With an estate and holdings as vast as yours, surely there will be some stimulating task to keep her occupied.Askher. But do you...” Helena swallowed hard, “...intend to marry Miss Snow?”
“If she will have me,” said Lusk.
“And I am truly free?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I was an arse to allow them to bind you to me for so long.” He stepped around her for a better view of the dining room.
“And will you tell Girdleston to drop his agreement with my father about the barges on theRiver Brue? If he doesn’t, your limestone shipments will destroy Castle Wood. Can you tell them to leave it as it is?”
“What?” He snapped his head back, his expression impatient.
Helena took a deep breath. As quickly and succinctly as possible, she told him about her tiny corner of their shared wood and her orchard. She implored him not to destroy it.
“Yes, yes,” he said. “What care have I for Somerset?”
Helena closed her eyes, terrified she could not trust his word. Without thinking, she reached to take the duke’s face in both hands, holding his cheeks in her palms.
Staring him in the eye, she said, “Promise me, Bradley. No matter what happens. I have given you Knightly Snow. Life as a sentient man is within your reach. After five years of terrorizing me, will you promisenotto intrude on my river or forest or orchard?”
Lusk scrunched up his face, clearly unaccustomed to being confined or pleaded with or both. Finally, he jerked away and said, “You have my word. Enjoy your strapping stable groom and your wretched forest and apricots.”
“Apples,” she breathed.
“Right.Apples.”
“This is all I ask,” said Helena. Her voice broke. She took a step back.
“What do we do now?” she asked in a whisper.
“I don’t care what you do. I’m going back to Knightly.”
“You’ll have to deal with my father, I’m afraid. There . . . there may be some necessary payment—for jilting me.”
The duke smoothed his coat and tugged at his cuffs, flashing a dismissive expression. “I don’t care about the money. I only care about Knightly.” He paused and looked up. “But should I tell your parents about the stable groom?”
Helena’s heart stopped. “I’d rather you not? I had hoped to tell them some weeks after our betrothal had dissolved.”
The duke snorted and turned toward the dining room. “I’m only joking. I won’t reveal what a naughty little blossom you’ve been... enjoying moonlit assignations with servants—”
“Oneservant,” she corrected.
