“How can I trust you when you clearly do not trust me? What secrets are you keeping, Iris? Are you planning your escape or ensuring you get the better end of our bargain?”
Iris’s cheeks burned brighter.
“How can I trust a man I barely know?”
The accusation struck deeper than he expected. Blaise’s jaw tightened.
“You trusted me enough with your body.” His voice dropped dangerously low. “That is rather an intimate way to trust someone, is it not, Little Blossom?”
Iris looked stung, her features flickering with genuine shame. She turned her face away. The sight of her made him uncomfortable.
I pushed her too hard, too fast.
“I simply just needed reassurance,” she admitted softly, her voice trembling slightly. “Despite everything, I am still a widow, Blaise. And being alone with a man who is not my husband, unmarried and under the same roof, is new and terrifying for me. Society is probably already whispering about us. I will definitely receive no respectable new proposals now because of the scandal attached to our names. So, I had to make certain that things would work out in my favor. That I would not be left with nothing once our month ends.”
Blaise studied her in silence for a long moment. The woman before him had merely survived for years without any help. Her strength was magnificent, even when it frustrated him endlessly.
“I apologize,” he said quietly.
“You do not even—” Iris’s eyes widened in realization. “You… what?”
“I apologize for making you feel cornered,” he clarified gently. “You possess remarkable strength and pride, Iris. It is one of the things I admire most about you, even when it drives me mad.”
She blinked, clearly taken aback by the sincerity. Before she could think of a response, her gaze dropped to the small travel bag resting at his feet.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
Blaise noted the look of disappointment on her face, and an unexpected pang pierced through his own chest.
“Surrey,” Blaise replied. “One of my stallions is unwell. I do not wish to lose him, so I will monitor his condition personally for a few days.”
Iris’s expression faltered, and Blaise felt the same reluctant feeling to leave echoing in his own gut.
What is this feeling?It both frightened and exhilarated him.
The country house in Surrey would feel strangely empty without her constant, subtle rebellions and fiery glances.
“In the meantime,” he continued, steering the conversation back to safer territory, “I expect a proper line of suitable candidates for Marcus when I return. You need to keep to your side of our promise.”
“You do not trust me to fulfill it?”
Blaise considered the question honestly as she did, and the answer came surprisingly easily.
“I trust you.” The words felt warm and almost foreign as they left his mouth.
Iris’s expression softened. “Then you have my word.”
Blaise turned towards the door but stopped at the threshold.
Two weeks had passed too quickly.
He glanced back at Iris one final time, taking in the graceful line of her neck and the way her hands twisted nervously at her skirts. He longed to read her thoughts just then.
“The month is almost over, Iris.” It was more of a warning than a reminder, and he noticed the slight shiver that ran through her body.
“I know,” she replied softly.
* * *
