Page 60 of Courting the Wrong Duke

She smiled sadly. “I do not think they are.”

He studied her for a long moment. “You believe what they said.”

“I believe they were honest.” She drew a slow breath. “My father's disappearance has become a scandal. Whether he abandoned us or met with some terrible fate matters very little to society now. They only see disgrace.”

Her fingers tightened around one another.

“And scandal has a habit of spreading.”

Understanding dawned slowly across William's face. “You are telling me to stay away from you.”

“You should.”

A faint smile touched his mouth. “You are still thinking of everyone except yourself.”

“I am trying to be practical.”

“I have discovered practicality is rarely your greatest strength.”

Despite herself, the corner of her mouth twitched.

Then she looked away once more. “I am serious.”

“So am I.” The warmth vanished from his expression. “You are still accusing me of having some part in your father's disappearance.”

“I am.”

“And yet your first concern is whether I might suffer by helping you.”

She looked at him steadily. “I do not wish to ruin anyone else's future.”

William was quiet for several moments.

When he finally spoke, his voice had softened. “Then allow me to make my own decisions.”

She searched his face.

“I know I have given you little reason to trust me,” he continued. “Perhaps none at all.”

He rested both hands upon the stone balustrade.

“But I am asking you to let me prove myself.” He met her eyes. “I loved your father too.”

The simple honesty of the words caught her off guard.

“He was my friend long before either of us became adults.” A shadow crossed William's features. “I give you my word that I had no part in your father's disappearance.”

He paused only a moment.

“And if there is one thing of which I am equally certain, it is this: neither did Algernon.”

“Why are you so certain?”

William's expression softened. “Because I have known my brother my entire life.”

He glanced toward the ballroom where his mother had disappeared.

“And tonight I have learned he owed your father more than I ever realized.”