Page 9 of Raising the Duke’s Unexpected Twins

But she barely got to the door before she turned around to face him again. “In case you did not know, the children have been given to me, and as of tomorrow, once I fetch them, they will be under my protection.” She tapped a finger to her chest, and tears rose in her eyes.

No. Do not cry in front of this man. He will never let you forget it!

Nicholas stood and put his arms to his sides, appearing as though he was actually listening this time.

“I am penniless. No money has been given to me for the raising of these children, and my family has debts to pay.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she brushed it away as quickly as it had come. “I knew Helen wished to give me the children if anything happened to them, but I can’t help but feel that she, that they have made a mistake. Why me?”

She could feel the tears pressing behind her eyes, but she could not cry in front of him; she could not show weakness, or she could never regain any dignity with this man. He still said nothing.

“You are not serious about anything, but perhaps you can understand this,” she managed to say. “I must go.”

She turned away and lifted her skirts to hurry out of that library as fast as possible before a flood emerged, and she would become a sniveling mess. But just as she reached the door, he said her name softly.

The sound of that made her pause, and turning around, she held her breath as he approached her. Nothing could have moved her from where she stood, his hand coming to her cheek to brush away what was left of that tear.

His eyes bore into her own. “I know you think little of me and what honor I might or might not have and how serious I take things. But I think you will find I am serious enough in this matter. Serious enough to ask you to marry me.”

CHAPTER 4

It seemed like hours had passed by the time Cordelia turned back around. Nicholas’s jaw clenched. This time, he feared what her response would be, and the look on her shocked face did not bode well for him.

To his surprise, she burst into laughter. He blinked a few times, unsure how to reply.

“I say, woman, I have provoked many a reaction from you over the years, but none that have surprised me as much as this one.”

She covered her mouth with a gloved hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. He hoped that these tears were from mirth, rather than the sheer distress he’d seen in her eyes as she’d rushed to leave.

“You are not serious,” she told him once she had gained control of her laughter.

“Yes, you do keep telling me that,” he answered, needing to gain a bit of ground again after that. “But I assure you, I am quite serious.”

Her eyes met his and narrowed. Normally, she avoided eye contact with him if she could, especially when he made her blush, but now she seemed to be studying him.

When she said nothing, he added, “I have had a meeting with Mr. Wolsley.” At that, her brow quirked upward, and her smile dropped. “When David and Helen first had the children, he took me aside and spoke to me of his deep distrust of the children’s grandfather.”

She blinked, listening intently, keeping her gaze on him.

Realizing he was the one who was now unnerved, and not wishing to speak more about David than he had to, he turned away and began to pace in front of the fire instead.

“I already knew of their tense relationship and to what lengths his father would go to get what he wanted. There was never any love lost there.” He paused, staring into the flames, his mind filled with memories. The screaming matches, the beatings, even in front of Nicholas who would come for school holidays occasionally. His chest tightened at the thought of his dear friend, whose voice he would never hear again. Putting a hand on the mantle and grasping a fire poker, he began to stoke the fire, needing to fill the heavy silence with something.

“He told me then that if anything ever happened to him and Helen, then he did not want his father involved in any way. Instead, he preferred me to handle all matters, just as apparently Helen preferred you to have the children.” He nodded at Cordelia who moved away from the door and took a seat in front of him, rapt in attention.

“When the solicitor called upon me, I assumed he was there to ask questions about various matters with David’s estate. I had always assumed that David meant I should make decisions about things like the children’s education, where they should live, that sort of thing.” He took a breath and returned to poker to its place. “I confess I was surprised to learn that I was the one who had inherited David and Helen’s entire fortune, entire estate.”

Cordelia breathed in sharply. Something about the sound made a little something flutter in his belly.

Foolish man. It has only been ages since the last time you bedded a woman. Now anyone would do. Even this vicious minx. Especially if she goes about using phrases like ‘toying with my food’.

“Say something, please,” Nicholas said to Cordelia. “Twice in one evening, I find you at a loss for words. It is a rare occasion. A record, I think.”

A little look of her usual obstinance appeared on her face at his jibe, but then she sighed.

“You say this so casually, when this money would make all the difference in the world to these children. Have you come to gloat of your new wealth and make jokes about marriage?” She rose, looking furious but also tired. They had never spoken of their shared grief, but he could tell it weighed on her, no matter how lovely she had attempted to make herself that evening. “It seems that our friends made some rather strange calculations in their will.”

Nicholas frowned at her until he understood what she meant. He’d been curious at her odd response, but it seemed she did not fully understand.

Such an innocent young lady. She does not even realize.