Celestine gaped in surprise at the Duke’s reaction.
And it wasn’t just that he appeared angry at her. Rather, if she did not miss her guess, it looked as if her words had struck at something personal. She had hurt the Duke deeply.
I did not know that such a thing was possible.
All this time, Celestine had wondered if there was a line that she might cross in her antagonism. She had tried to cross it several times already, always rebuffed and dismissed with humor. This was the first time that she had managed to pierce through the Duke’s shell.
This was not a game. This was not just for fun. Finally, Celestine saw the Duke for who he really was and not who he pretended to be. And she felt untold amounts of guilt because of it.
For that reason, Celestine hurried through the ball room and after the Duke. She found him on the balcony, hidden in the darkness.
When she stepped outside, he looked coldly at her before turning his back on her.
“Do not tell me that you are worried,” he asked her. “I assure you, I am not worth such a feeling as that.”
“Ought I be?”
“I needed some fresh air,” he sighed. “That is all. And while I do so enjoy our banter, it had taken on a rather unappealing taste. Forgive me for not wishing to stick about while you forced it further down my throat.”
Celestine hesitated, seeing through his apathetic dismissal of her as his words touched on something far more personal.
“I did not mean to,” she said as she started towards him. “I… I was only making a joke.”
“Is that what it was?” he said. “Is it a joke if you believe what you say, just as you believe what people say of me.”
“Can you blame me?” she said, still approaching him slowly. “We might be engaged but I know nothing about you. And every time we speak it is filled with falsities so that every word you speak comes across as a lie or an exaggeration.”
“Is that not the point,” he sighed. “You said yourself that you did not wish to get to know me. Or have you changed your mind?”
She reached where he stood, less than a foot away, and paused.
The Duke was right in what he said. Celestine had made it clear that she did not want to get to know the Duke better, just as she did not want him to know her. Once that happened, this false engagement would become real, and that brought with it dangers that she did not wish to comprehend.
But can we go on like this? How can I pretend to love this man if I know nothing about him?
“Perhaps there is a middle ground,” she offered softly as she stepped in beside him. He stood at the railing, overlooking the back garden. It was too dark to see clearly, and the blackness of the night made it stretch endlessly. “Lord Grundon just now… you and he do not like one another.”
He scoffed. “Was it that obvious?”
“Might you tell me why? Clearly, I have found myself in the middle of whatever this is, and I have a right to know.”
She stood facing the garden, but she caught him glancing down at her. They stood so close that their elbows touched, while their hands on the railing were mere inches apart…
“Lord Grundon is not a good man,” the Duke began, his voice low. “He has a habit of preying after young ladies who he knows he will be able to take advantage of. The way he is perceived inthe ton, the perfect gentlemen…” He scoffed. “It is an act so he can do as he pleases without raising alarm or questions.”
“You know this for a fact?”
“He has my niece, Millicent, in his sights,” the Duke growled. “Just as he knows that I am aware of it. But to him, it is a game, one he intends to win. And tonight, by dancing with you, he tried to prove to me that there is nothing I can do to stop him from taking what he wants.”
“I… I had no idea.”
“I know our engagement in not real, Celestine. I know that I often exaggerate myself and say things I might never usually say. But know that despite the falsities, I will never let any harm come to you. Just as I will do everything I must to protect you from those like Lord Grundon.” He turned to look at her. “To ask that you trust me might be hopeful, but please know that you can trust me.”
She turned and looked at him, and Celestine realized with a start that this man was the true Duke Blackthorne. Gone were the theatrics. Gone was the pandering. And gone were the lies.
His dark eyes met her own. They bore through her defenses. They forced her to admit finally that the Duke was not a monster, that he was not wicked, and that he meant every word that he said.
“I believe you,” she found herself saying. “Just as I trust you.”
