He did not let go.
“We need not quarrel every time we speak.”
“That depends on what you say,” her gaze stayed on his face.
Despite himself, he almost smiled.
“Fair.”
They stayed like that longer than was wise, and Duncan could feel exactly how easy it would be to remain there and let the distance of the morning disappear entirely. That knowledgeshould have pushed him back, but instead, it pushed him into a different kind of resolve.
He was not going to keep avoiding her like a boy who could not manage himself.
This was still a marriage of convenience that had not changed. It still had a purpose, and the purpose was practical, and he could keep it that way if he kept his head.
Wanting her near did not mean he had to lose control.
He could have her close and remain sensible.
At least that was what he told himself while he stood beside her chair holding her hand longer than a practical man should.
Charity searched his face as if she knew he was thinking something he had no intention of saying aloud.
“We should finish the guest list,” Charity said at last, and though her voice was steady, he could hear the effort in it.
Duncan released her hand slowly and stepped back before he changed his mind. “Yes,” he said, returning to the desk as if nothing at all had happened. “We should.”
Charity looked down at the papers in her lap and took a breath before continuing, and when she began naming guests again, hervoice was calm, but Duncan heard the slight change in it and knew she felt it too.
He forced himself to listen to the names and the practical details, and for the rest of the conversation, he kept his tone even and his questions sensible, while another part of his mind stayed fixed on the simple fact that he was done pretending distance was the answer.
He would keep her close.
And he would not, under any circumstances, let himself fall in love with her.
CHAPTER 16
“Do you think the Duke has a lot of work to do today?”
The question was posed by Matilda in an innocent manner over breakfast. Charity paused for a moment, setting down her fork.
“I’m not sure. Why do you ask?” one of her eyebrows shot up.
“Um, well, you know…” Matilda tried to backtrack, suddenly focusing on the food on her plate. “I was just wondering…”
Augusta snorted out laughing from the other end of the table.
“Oh, Matilda, you’re so terrible at this,” she laughed and then turned to Charity, who was looking between her sisters with a look of mild confusion and amusement. “She wants to know if His Grace can spare the time out of his day to spend with her. As you know, she’s rather taken by him.”
“No, I’m not!” Matilda shouted, reddening at her cheeks.
“It’s okay,” Augusta was smirking now. “I have to say, I feel somewhat the same way. He has… Well…”
“Grown on you?” Charity suggested, a smile forming on her face.
“I suppose that you can frame in that way,” Augusta nodded. She was trying to seem very nonchalant about the entire thing. “I have to say that your choice of a husband is not as bad as I thought, earlier.”
“You had judged him very quickly,” Charity nodded. “Has this experience taught you a lesson not to do that anymore?”
