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“I do,” her father said calmly. Too calm a manner for her liking. Her defenses rose. “And I’m here to tell you that it has not worked. You will marry the Marquess.”
Belle gritted her teeth. “He hasn’t heard from me in weeks. Does he not know that I ran off in order to escape being married to him?”
“Lord Winchfield has been on a business trip for some time. Had you wanted to get his attention, Belle, you should have chosen a more suitable time. He will be back in London within a few days and you will be here to greet him.”
“I will only leave again.”
The Duke sneered. “You can try.” Then he stalked over to her. “I have long forgiven your rude ways, Belle, but I will not stand for it this time. Your defiance will ruin this very important opportunity for me.”
“Ah, yes. How could I forget? Your important business opportunity that will lead to the merging of your two companies. I had nearly forgotten that I was being used as pawn in your game.”’
His hand lifted sharply. Belle froze, her eyes shooting to his raised hand and then back to his face. Unbridled rage shone in his eyes and she waited for the sting of the slap that would come.
But then, he lowered his hand and released a low breath. “Let us hope that the Marquess of Winchfield is fond of your sharp tongue. Or that he has as much self-control as I do.”
With that said, he made his leave. Belle didn’t let go of the breath she’d been holding until he was gone entirely. Then she sagged, her pounding heart painfully against her chest.
She didn’t even hear when her mother slipped back inside. This time, she was the one who gathered Belle into her arms. Belle hadn’t even noticed that she was crying.
“It’ll be all right,” said the Duchess, stroking her hair. Belle buried her face into her shoulder, letting the sadness flow through her. There were so many more emotions laying under the surface, one of which was longing to see Stephen, but for now, she let the anguish consume her.
She didn’t know how much time she spent crying into her mother’s arms. “So many things happened, Mother,” she sobbed, lifting her head. She knew her face would be puffy and red the next morning, but she didn’t care.
“I can only imagine, my dear,” the Duchess said tenderly.
“That man I mentioned...he isn't just a normal man. He is so kind and caring and he treats me so well. He made sure that I as well taken care of and even then, he didn’t leave my side.”
The Duchess’ gaze grew soft. “I suppose that made it easy for you to fall for him, did it?”
There were so many other things, so much about Stephen that she couldn’t say right now. So, she only nodded. “I cannot marry the Marquess, Mother. I simply cannot. I don’t think my heart will be able to manage.”
The Duchess said nothing. Belle wondered if she was at a loss of words, if she was searching for the right thing to say to her and was falling short. Belle couldn't blame her. She too didn’t know what to do in this situation. Her father wouldn't dare let her out of his sight and, before long, she would truly be married to another gentleman.
Finally, her mother spoke again. “I know how horrible you must feel right now, Belle. I wish I could do something to help you. I truly do.”
“So do I, Mother,” Belle said honestly. She rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Do you know what makes me feel even more terrible?”
“What is that, my dear?”
“I had the chance to tell him who I truly was. My real identity. I’d lied to him from the very start, telling him that my name was Hannah Brown and only this morning I wanted to reveal the truth. But...I grew too scared. I was afraid of what he might think of me. And now, I am afraid I will never have that chance again.”
The tears came again, and she let them flow freely, sobbing into her mother’s shoulder. The Duchess rubbed her back, holding her gently. “It will all be fine, Belle,” her mother said tenderly. “You have to believe that.”’
That was the only thing she could tell herself at this point, Belle knew. She pictured his smile, the joy on his face when she’d accepted his proposal. She could cling to that perfect image as her world seemed to fall apart around her.
