“To feel cared for is important to you.” Duke Warren’s voice held an edge. “To feel like a choice.”
Emily’s breath caught. “Yes. And to trust. I want to trust my sisters and their care for me. To trust that they want to be there.”
“Trust is important.” The Duke nodded. “I hate that it feels like I cannot trust my brother.”
Emily frowned. “Why not?”
“I did not think he would be able to protect you, and he proved me right.” The Duke’s voice held notes of barely restrained emotions. “And that is not who I need him to be, who I know he can be. I must be able to rely on him. Yet he did not keep you safe.”
“What happened was not his fault.” Emily tried to explain, feeling something stir within her at Luke – no, Duke Warren’s – obvious upset. “I should have been paying better attention. If I had managed to keep my head a little better-”
“- he should have gone after you immediately. Should have acted.” He cut her off. “Yet he did not. He needed me to tell him what to do. To drive him to action. When the duchy is in his care, he will need to act. I will not be there to guide him.”
“When he is Duke?” Emily felt as though the air had gone from the room. “Are you unwell?”
Luke gave her a wry smile. “And what are you willing to offer for that information?”
“I hate reading.” Emily said without thinking, her cheeks colouring.It is at least a part of the truth.“Now, answer my question.”
“Very well.” Luke – the Duke – nodded and sighed. “I am not in any imminent danger of dying, but I do not intend on marrying.”
“Why not?”
“I must think of what would be best for the duchy. My marrying might produce an heir, but they would inherit my-” Luke shook his head, seeming to swallow something uncomfortable. “I do not need to explain myself to you. I have made my decision – it does not affect you.”
“But it does!” Emily pointed out. “You have made the decision not to marry because you think your brother or at the very least his children would make a better duke than you. Yet you do not trust him to make his own decision.”
“I do not trust him yet.” The Duke replied
Emily shook her head, anger coursing through her. “You will never trust him. How can you if you refuse to let him make mistakes, to be less than perfect?”
“We cannot afford mistakes.” He turned from her, his jaw set.
“We all make mistakes. No one is perfect. It is madness to try for perfection.” She glared at him, too exasperated to moderate her tone.How can he be so stubborn?
“It is madness not to.”
“We can strive for good, for true. But perfection? It does not exist.”
“That is your opinion. And you are entitled to it, but my brother must be the best. And he must have the best.”
“And you do not think I am the best.”
“I do not.”
“Why?”
“The Marquess of Snowden has been showing everyone the letters you sent. The tone, the content of the letters are prideful and vain. It is as if you thought you were a gift to him.” He turned back to face her.
Emily said nothing. Her heart was hammering in her chest.Those damn letters. I thought it would have faded by now. Curse that man.
The Duke gave her a searching look. “I know the Marquess rather well, I know his character. He is a spiteful and unpleasant little man. It is why I did not immediately refuse your sisters’ offer.”
“You thought there was more to the story.” Emily felt hope stir faintly in her chest.
“Yes. Though it confuses me.” Luke shook his head. “The letters and their tone, they do not match anything I have seen of you. You rarely use the kind of language I saw in those letters, and while one does tend to correspond differently than one speaks, it seems as if they were written by another person.”
“What do they say?” Emily asked without thinking.
