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Walking home barefoot — with one turned ankle – took quite a while. Dawn had been well broken before she arrived at Anderlin, soaked to the skin and furious with the sanctimonious Duke of Kerstone. At least she had retained her dignity by refusing to allow him to sweep her up into his arms again. She wished she could have persuaded him that she required no escort on her walk. Instead, she satisfied herself by refusing to speak to him.
At the edge of the wood, she stopped and made her position clear one final time. "I must insist you accept that I will not be your wife." She looked up into his rain-slick face and said quietly, "I am honored that you think my reputation worth the protection of your name, but I assure you that I am no Rapunzel trapped in a tower of shame, in need of rescue."
"You do not understand these matters, Miss Fenster." He moved as if toward Anderlin, and Miranda let out a cry of sheer panic that stopped him. Impatiently, he explained, "I must discuss this with your brother."
"My brother? The very man whose elopement you prevented just two days ago? Do you think he will greet you with open arms when you tell him you have spent the night with his sister?" She tried to put scorn and disbelief in her voice, but truthfully, she did not know if Valentine would even acknowledge the duke's words — perhaps not even the duke himself.
Her brother, the last time she'd seen him, had been dead of heart, dead of soul, and beyond communicating even rage or heartbreak.
"You are so certain your brother is honorable, yet you doubt that he would do the right thing if he were to know the circumstances of our evening together?" He reached out and brought her to him, surrounding her with his unyielding arms.
"Do you love me, then?" She barely dared believe she had uttered the world, but she could not breathe in the space between the question and his answer.
He appeared as startled as she, and then pressed his lips together as he shook his head.
"Do you trust me enough to let me see what you have in that leather pouch?" Again, she knew she dared much. He did not love her, though. Could he trust her?
"Don't be foolish," he said brusquely. "It is business, not meant for a woman's eyes." And then, to her surprise, he whispered, "We will suit, Miranda. I am sure of it. Marry me."
She bristled. "What does that mean? Suit? Do you think to order me to do what you wish me to do? Think what you wish me to think? Share nothing of yourself with me?"
He smiled and nuzzled her ear briefly, then pulled away to look into her eyes. "Think of it, Miss Fenster – wed, we could do as we please without cost to your reputation."
She searched his gaze as her pulse beat in her temples. Marriage … no. The price was too high. "The thought is tempting," she answered him honestly. If only she knew she could be a duchess he might trust, he might one day come to love. But that was unlikely. Her talents lay in creating mayhem out of order rather than the reverse.
His arms tightened around her.
She pushed at his chest. "I'm sorry. I know I would regret it within the year."
His arms dropped away, leaving her exposed to the cold dawn. His entire expression shuttered closed, as did his eyes. "Within six months is more accurate, I fear." He gave a small harsh laugh. "You are right. If we can avoid this, it would be best for both of us."
Miranda smiled, though she was not truly inclined to do so. "There, you see, we can just pretend that this never happened. Grimthorpe may have my boots, but he does not have my name, nor my description."
He opened his eyes and his gaze lingered on her face until she felt herself flush with heat, despite the morning chill. She wondered if he was beginning to realize just how unsuitable she was as a candidate for his duchess. With a shake of his head, he said, "Should Grimthorpe tease out the truth, we will marry."
Miranda shook her head. "You will see. He will never discover that I own those boots." She grinned. "Prince Charming had to scour the land for his Cinder Ella. I doubt Grimthorpe has the interest to search quite so long and hard for a woman he does not love. And you must admit he is as far from charming as one can be."
Simon did not manage a smile, only a solemn nod. "On that we can agree."
He seemed to want to say something else, but she sensed the danger that he might take her in his arms again. She did not think she could withstand the temptation a second time. She ignored the pain in her ankle and hobbled away as quickly as she could toward Anderlin and the safety of her family.
Not even her injury could drive away the thoughts of him, of last night when he had kissed her, when his fingers had gently traced the scars on her back. Perhaps she should have agreed to marry him. Surely then he would have had to help Valentine and Emily. But no, perhaps on the physical level they suited very well, but he was too eager to take control of her life for her own peace of mind. As her father and mother – as Grimthorpe himself had learned once upon a time – she was not willing to be forced into being or doing something against her will.
She let herself silently into the kitchen at Anderlin and made her way down the darkened hallways to the study. The door was locked; faint flickers of fading firelight showed infrequently under the door jamb. She knocked softly but received no response. She pressed her ear against the door, suddenly afraid that Valentine had taken his own life. But then she heard the sound of shattering glass and a muttered round of unintelligible curses.
She decided to take it for a good sign. After all, he had not spoken two words together since he came home in disgrace, his elopement forestalled. Perhaps tomorrow he would be able to deal with the problem of their dwindling finances.
Not really believing that possible, Miranda decided she would settle for his taking breakfast and shaving as a sign that he might soon return to a semblance of his normal personality. If not, she would have to do something about their finances herself — again. She closed her eyes, leaning fully against the door as she remembered warm lips covering her own. But, despite that memory and the problems of her family's finances, marrying the Duke of Kerstone was not in her plans.
***