When Dylan arrived at the Duke of Clayton’s townhouse the next evening, the butler led him to an elegant reception room on the first floor. “His Grace will be with you shortly.”
Dylan sighed moodily, dreading his coming conversation with Natalia’s father. He’d hoped to talk to Natalia first. Not that he blamed the duke for putting him through the wringer. He supposed he should be grateful Clayton was considering the marriage at all.
Nearly half an hour passed before the duke finally entered the room. Dylan did his best to hide his annoyance. “Good evening, Your Grace.”
The duke frowned at Dylan with obvious distaste. “Captain Blake.”
Dylan felt like a recalcitrant schoolboy who had been called in to face the headmaster. He forced himself to remember he’d given the duke plenty of reason not to trust him.
“Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to try to change Lady Natalia’s mind. I appreciate it more than you could ever know.” When the duke continued to frown, Dylan swallowed and tried again. “I understand your misgivings, but I assure you, your daughter means a great deal to me. I would never hurt her.”
“You already hurt her. You broke her heart and destroyed her reputation. Those hardly seem like the actions of a man who cares about a woman.”
Dylan flushed and looked away, unable to hold the duke’s penetrating gaze. “I’ve made some grave mistakes. But I plan to spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to her… If you’ll let me.”
The duke sighed. “You give me little choice. My only other option is to send Natalia to Russia, to marry one of her Ivanovich cousins. And although that was my original plan, I find that I can’t bear the thought of having her so far away.”
“You’re making the right choice,” Dylan told the older man. “Nikolai Ivanovich is a cruel, heartless bastard. Eventually, he would hear about the scandal. I’m afraid he’d make Natalia’s life a living hell if he felt you’d deceived him.”
The duke looked startled. “I wasn’t aware you knew Ivanovich.”
“He nearly killed me at Balaclava. Might as well have. I certainly wasn’t any help to my men after he wounded me. Spent two months on a rat-infested hospital ship fighting the infection.”
The duke seemed a bit rattled as he folded his arms across his chest. Dylan wondered if Clayton had even considered the fact that eventually, the prince would learn about the scandal.
“Ivanovich could never care for her as I do. He doesn’t even know her.”
“And you do know her? What do you know of my daughter, Captain Blake? Other than she’s lovely to look upon, and her dowry will make you comfortable for the rest of your life?”
Dylan held out his hands in hopeless entreaty. “She’s sweet and honest and kind. She made me feel loved, Your Grace.”
“Well, I must admit you seem sincere.” The duke gave Dylan a long piercing look. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to be a hell of a lot more eloquent if you wish to convince my daughter.”
Relief washed over Dylan as he realized he’d passed the first test. “Thank you, Your Grace. All I’ve ever wanted is a chance.”
The duke smiled. “I’ll send her in.”
Chapter Fourteen
Natalia paced her bedchamber, her nerves frayed to the breaking point as she waited for her father to conclude his interview with Dylan. It seemed an eternity had passed since Dylan’s arrival, which she’d witnessed from her window.
On one hand, she hoped her father berated Dylan for all his many sins. But she also feared her father would be too harsh and ultimately send Dylan away. In truth, she didn’t know if she wanted him to stay or go. The mere thought of seeing him again created such conflicting emotions; she was afraid to examine them too closely.
A brisk knock interrupted her thoughts. She rushed to the door and found her father waiting on the other side. “Your young man is here.” The duke seemed in rare good humor. “Are you ready to speak to him?”
Natalia nodded, unsure what to think of her father’s smile. “Yes, Father. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
The duke took her hand and escorted her down the hall. “Don’t fret, my dear. I consider myself to be a fairly good judge of character, and I believe Captain Blake cares for you a great deal. You could do worse.”
Natalia’s eyes widened, but she held her tongue. She’d expected Dylan to charm Clarice, but never the duke.
“Did you know Prince Nikolai wounded Captain Blake in the Crimea?” The duke shook his head in amazement. “Forgive me for even thinking of marrying you to that Russian, Natalia. You’re far better off with Captain Blake.”
Ivanovich had wounded Dylan during the war?
Before she could even begin to process that information or steel herself against Dylan’s lethal appeal, her father opened the reception room door. Natalia followed the duke and found Dylan waiting inside. Despite her hurt and anger, Natalia couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. Though still breathtakingly handsome, he looked pale, and dark circles rimmed his clear gray eyes. Apparently, these last few days had been hard on him, too.
“Lady Natalia.” Dylan stepped forward, captured her hand, and brought it to his lips. “I’m so glad you agreed to see me.”
