Page 22 of Unbound Duchess

Figuring she owed him a story at the very least for ensuring that Benedict did not take her, she told him. As she did so, all those feelings she’d felt in those moments rose again. Hope. Happiness. Fear. Betrayal. And pain. She was surprised to see all of those emotions reflected in Laurence’s gaze as well.

“I told you she did not seem like a very good friend,” Laurence said with annoyance once she had finished her story.

Ellen’s brows furrowed in confusion as she cocked her head.

“You and I have spoken about Judith before?” she asked.

She could have sworn alarm flickered in Laurence’s eyes, but then she blinked, and it was gone.

“Of course not. I only meant that it does not seem as if she is a true friend,” he answered as he glanced away from her.

She parted her lips, ready to ask him if he was sure that was what he meant, but then he began to speak again.

“We must marry.”

Her parted lips dropped into an open O. She’d just escaped one loveless marriage, and now she was to take on another.

“Your Grace,” she said with panicked urgency. “Please, I do not wish to⁠—”

“It is the only way I can protect you.” He cut her off with a calm tone.

She shook her head, her hand already searching for the handle on the carriage door. She’d fling herself to the street and run if she had to. She thought that there was good in this man, but maybe she had been wrong. Maybe there was no good in any man.

“Think about it,” he urged. “Auction or not, Benedict remains your legal guardian. Your tidbit of knowledge about how the auction works might have saved you tonight. But tomorrow? In the light of day and in society? In the law’s eyes, you are still his ward. He can legally take you.”

“Can you help me escape!” she pleaded.

“…And he will find you again,” Laurence quickly retorted. “Maybe not as quickly as tonight, but he will find you, Ellen. I know that look in his eyes. That sense of ownership. He will not stop looking for you if you run. But, if you are married? If you become the charge of another man through matrimony? That supersedes his rights as your guardian in the eyes of man and God. It is the only way you will be truly safe.”

His tone was firm and insistent as he spoke the words, yet still, there was a trace of gentleness there that Ellen could not ignore. She looked up at him, her tired eyes welling with fresh tears as her bruised chin wobbled.

“I do not want to be hurt anymore,” she rasped. “I do not want to be owned.”

Laurence’s massive shoulders raised and lowered as he took in a long, measured breath.

“I cannot change what our society dictates in terms of women,” he replied after a moment, “But I can promise you this. I will not hurt you, Ellen. I will not force you into anything you do not want. This can simply be a marriage of convenience.”

Comfort, if only slight, had Ellen’s stature relaxing a bit. Still, she said nothing as Laurence’s sharp gaze stayed locked on her eyes. The way he looked at her made her heart hammer in her chest. It was as if he was staring beyond her features, beyond the mole that she was so self-conscious of, and into the deepest parts of herself she kept hidden from the world.

Then he reached up, his fingertips brushing gently across the bruises on her cheek and jaw. Such a light touch, so very different from the way he’d grabbed Benedict, sent sparks shooting along her skin.

“Did he give these to you?” His tone was quiet, yet there was an edge to it. A rage. As if he already knew the answer.

Ellen swallowed. A tremor that she was sure had nothing to do with the fear from earlier ran from where his fingertips connected to his face to the very tips of her toes.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Laurence’s green eyes darkened as his jaw ticked and his nostrils flared.

“Never again,” he swore. “From him or anyone else.”

Ellen shook her head.

“Maybe not. But I would still be entrusting you, a stranger—a man—not to take advantage of our situation. Surely you can understand why that would be difficult for me?”

Something like hurt passed through his eyes. He dropped his hand and his gaze, and when he looked up at her again, that hurt was gone; replaced with a calm, measured expression on his handsome face.

“I do understand your reticence,” Laurence went on, leaning back into his seat. “In truth, I do not want to be married either. But this is the only permanent protection I can afford you.”