Chapter 13

Marie sighed heavily and rubbed the back of her neck as she locked the shop door. The day had dragged on after the instance in the café. She had sent Janey to the market, but the girl had come back with a crestfallen look on her face.

There had to be something she could do that would make things better instead of waiting it out.

"Bad day?" Dominic spoke up from the street.

Turning, Marie spotted the grand carriage and black horses that stood in front of her shop. The Duke was leaning against the side with his boots crossed at the ankles.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," she answered him tiredly and ensured that the door was properly locked before heading toward him. The light smile that tugged on his lips made her heart flutter.

"I might just surprise you if you give me a chance." He opened the door for her, bowing low as if he were a footman.

"What are you doing?" Marie froze and looked at him with a frown when she realized what he was trying to do.

"I've come to take you home. What does it look like?" Dominic frowned at her, his smile fading a little.

There was something familiar in his glare that almost comforted her; the world somehow felt right again when he wasn't trying to win her over. "I think I would rather walk, Your Grace. I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself," she half-joked with him, wanting to avoid another near kiss. Her life was complicated enough at the moment without having to deal with situations that confused her feelings.

"Ah, well I can't say that I blame you for that. It is almost impossible for women not to try their luck with me." He smiled gallantly and shut the door.

Marie couldn't help but laugh at his confident speech that came across as only slightly arrogant.

He seemed to enjoy her laughter as he stopped and smiled at her. It was more genuine and honest than she had thought him capable. Walking to the side of the horses, Dominic called up to the driver. "You may go on ahead; we will meet you at the address I gave you earlier." He nodded to the man who picked up the reins and urged the horses forward.

"How do you know where I live?" Marie tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.

Dominic shrugged and pursed his lips. "It isn't hard to find an address in London when you know somebody's name. You did tell me that you live in Covent Garden. Now, would you like me to walk you home or not?" He raised his eyebrows and waited for a response.

Marie bit her lip anxiously and glanced down the street that was very quickly growing dark. The streets had been getting increasingly dangerous every night as she sprinted home; most days she had tried to close the shop before the sun went down.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have some company," she accepted the offer without telling him that she secretly relished the protection.

"After you, my lady." He bowed gallantly and allowed her to lead the way before falling into step beside her with his arms behind his back.

"Thank you, and I am not a lady. You know this." She shook her head and crossed the street, glancing over her shoulder to ensure that all was well with the shop one last time.

Dominic smirked. "I do; I also know that the remedy to that is marrying me. You can become a lady; you just prefer being stubborn."

"As stubborn as repeatedly asking a woman to marry you when she's already said no?" she shot back.

"Yet you say we have nothing in common?" he retorted quickly, grinning wolfishly when she blushed.

The banter was quick and easy as they weaved their way down an alley and crossed over the street to where a few lively pubs were spilling music from the open windows.

"Do you often come this way at night on your own?" Dominic asked with a frown, coming closer to her as a patron stumbled from a pub with a bottle of wine in one hand.

Marie shivered slightly when they passed a group of three men leaning against a wall. One of the men, in particular, looked her over, his lips spreading into a nasty snarl as he leaned over and whispered something to one of his friends. The light from the oil lamps did little to cast light on the men's faces as Marie and Dominic passed.

"I do try to leave before the sun sets, but I stayed open a little later today for a few clients that didn't show up." She pulled her coat a little tighter around her shoulders and picked up the pace as they turned down another alley.

Dominic reached for her arm, pulling her closer to his side without asking. The unexpected gesture caught her off guard as she looked at the determined expression on his face.

"I shall send a carriage to fetch you every afternoon; that way you may stay as late as you choose without having to walk these dangerous streets." He glanced over his shoulder and frowned as he pulled her a little closer to his side.

"Your Grace, I don't expect you to do that." Her breath became visible as darkness took over the world in full. The final remnants of dusk had faded, making her grateful for Dominic's protective presence at her side. His body was warm against hers as they walked along.

"I won't hear of it; you do not have to repay me in any way. Think of it as a landlord ensuring the safety of one of his tenants." His voice deepened as he glanced to the side, meeting her gaze.

"No payment except marrying you?" Her heart skittered at the veiled look on his face. What was he thinking when he looked at her with those deep blue eyes? She felt herself gripping his arm a little tighter when he chuckled from deep within his chest.

Dominic gave her a rare smile as his eyes brightened. "No, but I'm glad to see you are still thinking about it.

Marie jumped and held his arm tightly as a bucket behind them in the alley toppled over. Looking back, they saw the three men from earlier approaching quite quickly.

"Just look ahead and keep up with me." Dominic leaned over and whispered hurriedly in her ear as they picked up the pace.

Her heart pounded furiously with fear as the hurried footsteps behind them drew closer.

"Oi now, don't walk so fast; all we want is a little chat," one of the men laughed in a drunken slur, almost running to catch up with them.

"We do not have time for any conversations, thank you, gentlemen," the Duke spoke gruffly as he clenched his jaw and gently urged Marie ahead of him as they walked.

"Don't you dare speak to us in such a condescending tone, you toff," the voice snarled bitterly, sounding less intoxicated than the first.

Dominic whipped around just as the largest of the men gripped his arm, causing them both to spin around. Everything happened so quickly that Marie could have sworn it happened in the blink of an eye.

The tallest of the three men pulled out a knife, slicing it through the air as the Duke quickly stepped in front of her, raising his arm for protection. His body tensed with a sharp intake of breath as the blade sliced through the fabric of his coat.

Marie gasped and placed her hands against the firm muscles of his back, wanting desperately to do something yet feeling rooted to the spot out of fear.

"Not so tough against a blade, now, are you, my lord?" The man wheedling the knife laughed, stepping to the side as he stumbled.

The smell of stale rum filled her nose, making her sick to the pit of her stomach, along with the heavy scent of sweet iron.

He's bleeding.

Her heart stopped as a wave of cold ran over her body. She suddenly realized that the knife must have gone deeper than just a simple scratch if she was able to smell the blood without seeing it.

The three men closed in on them, backing them against the wall as Dominic reached back and ensured that Marie was safely behind him.

"I think you men should leave now," Dominic growled as his voice lost all trace of respect that had been there before.

"Did you hear that, men? We are no longer gentlemen. What do you think we did to get demoted?" The tallest of the men took a large swig from his flask as the others laughed.

A shiver ran down Marie's spine as she noted the way he was looking at her. He seemed far less intoxicated than his friends as one corner of his chapped lips lifted into a nasty grin.

"You two can have the man; I think I may just fancy a little time alone with the lady." His voice tapered off into a dark insinuation that had Marie pressing her back into the wall.

"I will say this again, and I suggest that all three of you take heed this time." Dominic raised his voice now and stepped forward, reaching into his pockets as he withdrew two pistols and pointed them directly at the men.

All color seemed to drain from their faces as they took a step back.

"There's no need to be so serious, my lord. We were just having a bit of fun." The man who had wielded the knife swallowed hard as he lifted his hands in surrender, eyeing the barrel of the pistol closest to him wearily.

"I hardly think fun should ever involve compromising a lady's honor." Dominic continued to advance on the men as they backed away even further.

Realizing that he meant business, the men stumbled back, trying to get away from him. The man who had been silent during the entire altercation fell over a stack of empty crates, scrambling away as the others began to run.

Dominic watched them leave before lowering his pistols and placing them back in his pockets.

Her body almost collapsed under the weight of stress as Marie leaned against the wall with her head, shutting her eyes as her heart galloped. She had thought that both their lives were in danger.

The gentle brush of his fingers against her cheek made her open her eyes to see that the Duke was towering above with a worried expression.

"Are you hurt?" he asked softly, allowing his gaze to quickly wander over her body.

Marie shook her head and placed her hand over his, lowering his arm so that she could take a look at his wound. "I am not, but never mind me. How deep is your wound?"

Dominic winced when she gently parted the fabric along the gash. The tips of her fingers instantly turned scarlet as she realized that his coat had soaked in a great deal of blood.

"We need to get this bandaged. My home isn't too far now. Do you think you could make it there, or do we need to stop the bleeding now?" Her voice dripped with concern as she gently lowered his arm to his side.

His gaze stayed locked on her face. "I don't care about my arm as long as you aren't hurt. When that man said he wanted to…" his voice cut off sharply when he shut his eyes in anger and clenched his jaw.

Marie felt herself melting in his presence at the look of concern in his eyes. Standing on her toes, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, lingering for just a moment as she took in the scent of his cologne. "Thank you, Your Grace. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here this evening." She felt herself being unable to pull away.

Placing his fingers beneath her chin, he gently tilted her face up to look at him. "Will you accept my offer of a carriage being at your disposal? I would never be able to live with myself if anything happens to you, Marie," his voice was deep and commanding as he looked into her eyes.

"Yes," she heard herself uttering the response in a breathy tone as her breasts rose and fell with every breath.

Why does he keep saying my name like that?

She felt the pit of her stomach fluttering at the use of her name in his deep voice.

The corner of his mouth hooked into a smile again as he drew slightly closer. "Good girl. Now, I just need you to say yes to my proposal."

She felt her breathing quicken as a response lingered on the tip of her tongue.

"Your Grace…" She sucked in a sharp breath when his fingers moved up the side of her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"When will you say my name?" His eyes searched hers as they darkened, boring into her soul until she felt as if she weren't in control of her body anymore.

The sound of a stack of crates toppling over made her jump as she sucked in a sharp breath and blinked.

Dominic looked over his shoulder and scanned the alley. "It was just a cat, but we had better get moving; it isn't safe here, even with my pistols." He turned back to her and lowered his hand, nodding his head toward the end of the alley.

"I agree; you had better come in and allow me to dress your wound. My grandmother isn't here this evening. She went to visit a friend who is ill. She would have done a much better job than me, but I can promise that your arm won't fall off." She attempted a light-hearted joke to ease the beating of her heart.

"Thank you, I would appreciate that." He searched her face one last time before offering her his arm.

Swallowing hard, Marie regained control of her breathing as she accepted the arm that wasn't injured and allowed herself to be led into the next street.

What was I going to say?

Panic filled her mind as she realized that she had been on the cusp of giving him an answer before interruption. She wasn't even sure what her answer would have been; it seemed so natural in the moment to just give a reply.

A light breeze made her shift closer to his side as they walked down the deserted street.

What was I going to say?

The question repeated itself in her mind on a loop as she began to see Dominic Harding in a new light. There was more to the Duke than even she had realized.