The room went quiet, then. Only the sound of the fire crackling and a lone crow cawing outside took over. Daniel looked completely in shock as he studied his sister’s face, then the Duke’s. Then, he shifted his gaze toward the glowering Briarwood. Finally, he looked back at his sister.
She pleaded with him using only her eyes, hoping that he’d read the message there.
Trust me, Daniel. Please.
He blinked. It was enough. She could tell that he understood and that he was willing to play along while Briarwood was still present.
“If my sister wishes to marry you, she has my blessing. That’s my only concern. Daphne gets to choose her destiny and not be forced into something she does not want. So, if you have both reached an agreement with one another, I would be happy to discuss terms once we’ve returned to town.”
Daniel’s words held a warning only Daphne was fully aware of. He was sending a message to both Briarwood and the Duke of Wolfcrest.
“How romantic!” Mrs. Nicholson gasped, her hands on her chest, looking positively delighted.
Daphne was astonished by how quietly Sarah had caught on to the ruse. She could have gaped at them, and no one would have blamed her. But instead, the reverend’s wife played her part well, acting as if she was enthralled by the announcement rather than shocked.
“Congratulations, Your Grace and my lady,” the Reverend murmured, even though he looked slightly unsettled at the turn of events.
Daphne felt nervous about the deception, but she did not have a choice when Briarwood all but wanted to pull her into a carriage against her wishes.
“This is quite sudden,” Briarwood gritted out between clenched teeth.
“Yes,” the Duke agreed. “You are right. It’s a whirlwind. But when you find the person—the one you know you’d love for a lifetime, it does not matter how short the period of courtship is.”
“Love?” The Earl seemed unfamiliar with the concept.
“Indeed,” the Duke of Wolfcrest continued in his low but clear voice. “We got acquainted through the Reverend, and well, it was very difficult for me not to be completely taken by Lady Daphne. Of course, all our interactions were in a public space, Lord Grisham, and chaperoned. I wouldn’t want you to think I was untoward with your sister.”
The Duke then turned to Daphne, who still had to keep her breathing in check. His gaze, defiant when on Briarwood, softened as he turned it to her.
“Wouldn’t you agree, my lady?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes. Well, it was certainly sudden. Lord Briarwood, this is partly the reason why I would not accept your proposal and couldn’t tell you why earlier. I wished my brother to know about my courtship with the Duke first,” she said. “Now that he knows, I must confess that I have fallen in love with the Duke.”
“Oh, have you now?” Briarwood demanded, his tone balancing precariously between disbelief and indignation.
Daphne spied the subtle motions of the men in the room. The Reverend stepped closer to his wife, as if he was ready to protect her if a brawl began. Daniel’s hands were clenched into fists. Briarwood tapped his cane twice on the floor, while the Duke looked dangerously calm. It was hard to tell from his relaxed posture if he was willing to fight the older lord.
“A gentleman like you wouldn’t protest against true romance, would you, my lord?” the Duke asked, still smiling, yet this time, the smile barely reached his eyes.
The air was practically humming between Daphne’s would-be suitors. The two men stared at each other, seemingly daring each other to back down.
The Duke of Wolfcrest’s eyes seemed to say, “She is mine.”
That could not possibly be Daphne’s imagination alone. She could see, plain as day, that the Duke meant business and his entire demeanor was bent on showing Briarwood to the door.
A flicker of uncertainty passed across Briarwood’s face.
It was not fear that flitted there. It was too much to hope for that reaction when it came to him. It looked like he was calculating the situation, thinking over how he could not do anything about the arrangements now, but in the future, he might just try…
The determination that Daphne detected told her he would return. He had proven himself to be resilient.
Daphne wondered how two men who both knew how to intimidate could go against each other.
“You have wasted no time, Your Grace,” the Earl sneered. “It seems you are eager to take what another man desires with little regard for the claimant.”
The Duke’s expression chilled. “Desire, my lord, is not license. Lady Daphne has made her wishes plain. You simply refuse to hear them.”
“You misunderstand what I am trying to say.”
