The Duke twitched slightly, and she thought she saw something dark and angry pass through his eyes, but then it was gone.
“If you must know, I am atoning for something,” he said finally, his voice rough. “Helping you will help me to make amends.”
Vanessa waited for him to elaborate, but when he did not, she swallowed. So, he was atoning for something, but he did not want her to know for what. She wanted to ask, but something in his expression told her it would be pointless.
“And will marrying you really save me?” she asked. “I do not know you—you could be as cruel and violent as Lord Langdon.”
“You do not know me,” he agreed, “but you know of me.”
Vanessa nodded. “Of course, I know of you.”
He looked amused. “And tell me, what is it that you know?”
“Not much,” she admitted. “Nothing definite. You do not attend social events and are rarely seen in Society. Instead, you prefer to be locked away in Thornfield Castle.” She looked him over. “What you do there… I know not, but I have heard whispers about you, mostly from gentlemen who think they are not being overheard, that you are not to be crossed. That those who cross you and your moral code pay the price.”
To her surprise, the Duke smiled. It was his first real smile, and it made his otherworldly beauty seem less dark and unapproachable and more warm and friendly. Her lips parted slightly in her surprise, and she felt her cheeks flush.
“All of that is correct,” the Duke said. “And I am glad to know that this reputation precedes me. However, you have nothing to fear from me.”
“What if I cross you?” she asked quickly.
“That is not…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he repeated. “No woman has anything to fear from me.”
Vanessa frowned. She had so many questions. The Duke’s answers were only making him seem more mysterious, not less. But if what he was saying was true, and he would not harm her… Well, she could not deny that was a better fate than marriage to Lord Langdon.
“You will have freedom in our marriage,” the Duke continued. “Far more than you would have with any other man. You would have money, a title, respectability, and the freedom to do whatever you like. If you want to travel, you can. If you want to live in a castle in the Scottish Highlands and see no one, you can. It will be up to you.”
Freedom.It was a concept Vanessa had never considered before. Most women of her ilk did not get freedom. They got husbands and children. But what was freedom without love and affection?
I never wanted to be free of marriage. What I wanted was a happy one.
But the chance for a happy marriage had disappeared a long time ago. She had to be smart now. Practical. This was the best offer she was going to get. A life of freedom, safe from Lord Langdon.And free of my parents.
The thought brought a shocking amount of relief to her chest.
“All right,” she said at last, looking up into the Duke’s dark, wild eyes. “I will marry you.”
A flicker of relief passed over the Duke’s face. He almost smiled, but then it passed. Instead, he gave her his arm, and she shook it. The touch of his arm again brought her the same prickling feeling that she’d felt when his eyes had bored into her earlier.
“Good,” he said. “Then let us go break the happy news.”
Chapter Four
“Ialways thought that you were a respectable lady, a matron of theton!”The Marchioness was screaming at Lady Forthwell as Vanessa pushed open the door to the dining room and was met by the chaos within. “But now I see that you have brought up your daughter to be a wayward, defiant, and loose…wagtail!”
Vanessa gasped, just at the same time that her mother let out a howl of anger.
“How dare you!” she roared. “That is my daughter you are speaking of! Mydaughter!”
“Yes, a daughter that is clearly a strumpet who has been running around with other gentlemen behind my Samuel’s back!”
Vanessa covered her mouth. She could not believe the scene in front of her. While her and Langdon’s mothers yelled at each other, Lord Forthwell and the Marquess were whisperingtogether in a corner, looks of stark fear on their faces. Lord Langdon, meanwhile, was storming around the dining room, making the candelabras shake every time his feet hit the marble floor.
As Vanessa and the Duke of Thornfield entered, however, the commotion died away, and everyone turned to look at them. Shyness—as it so often did—seized Vanessa, and she looked up at the Duke. He seemed to take the queue from her because he gave her a small nod and then stepped forward, releasing her arm.
“I have wonderful news,” he said, in a cold, emotionless voice that belied his words. “Lady Vanessa has agreed to marry me.”
“I will challenge you!” Lord Langdon shouted at once, leaping forward. “I demand satisfaction! You will meet me at dawn with pistol, Your Grace, or I will?—”
