Page 14 of When the Duke Met His Match

He could easily tell her he wanted to serve his country and give off the impression of a hero, but deep down, he knew that wasn’t the case. It was bigger than that, even if anyone else would tell him it was a ridiculous response.

“I joined because I was tired of living in my brother’s shadow,” he murmured, meeting her calm yet reserved gaze. “I wanted to make a name for myself.”

Odette chewed the inside of her lip carefully. “And did you?”

Chuckling to himself, he gave her a mischievous smile. “One question at a time, remember? It’s my turn.”

She rolled her pretty blue eyes and sat back in her chair at last. While she seemed more willing to participate in his attempt to get her to open up, she still appeared to be on edge. Surely, she was afraid of the questions to come.

She was careful and calculated. He knew that made his situation trickier to navigate.

“Where did you grow up?” he asked, careful in how he asked the question.

Odette’s brows came together immediately, seemingly taken aback by it. Confusion stitched into her features. “Is that really what you want to ask me?” The sarcasm laced in her voice seemed truer to her character.

“Humor me.”

Rather than fight it, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her features softened as she appeared to drift off in thought. Theophilus couldn’t help but wonder what was happening inside her mind as a small smile appeared.

“I was raised in a small town in the countryside of France. There wasn’t much to occupy oneself, unlike London,” she murmured, eyes gently closed with a veil of peace over her expression. “I would spend most of my days in the lavender fields or riding with my father, eating caramelized apples.”

While she seemed to finish recounting her brief tale, her eyes remained closed. It was like she wanted to remain in that place of tranquility, hoping to forget about her current situation.

“It sounds beautiful,” he hummed, hoping to ease the rest of her hesitation from her body.

Truthfully, it did sound like a pleasant way to grow up. He could see why she didn’t want those fond memories tainted by war and death.

Odette’s eyes opened slowly, and she seemed somewhat rumpled as if she had stirred from a pleasant dream. That carefree sentiment in her gaze hardened, and her arms crossed over her chest once more. She tore away from his stare. “It was a long time ago, and I hardly remember that life anymore. It’s foolish.”

She’s lying.

That momentary bliss on her face came from fond memories alone, and there was no denying it. She likely didn’t want to give him anything he could potentially hold against her.

Silence lingered between them, turning the air around them stale. Nerves prickled at the back of Theophilus’ neck, and he feared he lost her again.

He needed to maintain that sense of familiarity to keep her present, to loosen her resolve and work those names out of her. It had to work.

Abruptly, Odette turned away from him in her chair as if she couldn’t stand to face him any longer. “Did you then?”

He raised a brow in question. “Did what?”

“Did you make a name for yourself?”

That question was heavier than anticipated, loaded with all the shame he carried each day.

It had been a glory he chased after all his life, the wish to separate himself from his brother’s shadow and be the man he wanted to be. It had all been his—everything a man could ever want. Yet, he managed to squander it just as quickly.

Theophilus was lucky enough to still have his position even though his superiors could take it away from him at any moment. But securing those names and making the subsequent arrests would help clean his image. He needed it only because he couldn’t handle the fame and money.

He couldn’t handle the very thing he wanted most in life. That was nobody’s fault but his own.

His lips tugged upward in a small smile, not caring about how honest he was prepared to be in order to secure Odette’s trust.

“I did, but then I ruined it.”

Chapter Nine

ODETTE