Chapter 19

The carriage came to a stop in front of the carriage just as Dominic spotted Marie leaving. His heart skittered when he realized that it didn't seem as if she were waiting. The wheels had barely stopped turning when he opened the door and stepped onto the street.

Marie stopped fixing her gloves and looked up at him, her eyes widening in question. "Good evening, Your Grace. Did you not get my note? I sent it two hours ago. I have an appointment this evening, so I will not be requiring the carriage to take me home." The hurt in her voice was palpable despite the veil that had fallen over her face.

Does she think that I do not want to marry her?

He searched her face and took note of the expression in her eyes as he wondered if she wanted a family. He hadn't thought of ever asking her since she had made it clear that marriage wasn't something she had planned for.

"I am afraid that I must have missed your note. Were you planning on walking to your appointment?" He glanced down the street to where a young man had begun to light the lamps. The street was all but deserted as the last stragglers made their way to taverns for the night.

"I was. The house I am visiting isn't too far, and I thought the walk would do me good." Her response was curt and cool.

Dominic felt himself taking a step toward her without thinking. How could he tell her that he hadn't meant to hurt her? He wanted to marry her, yet he still couldn't allow himself to sire an heir. The idea of marriage seemed far less of a sentence if she was at his side.

"I mustn't be late for my appointment," she gasped softly and met his gaze when he reached out to hold her wrist.

"Marie, please do not dismiss me like this. We need to talk." His thumb ran over her wrist, feeling the tiny square of flesh that was visible below the button on her glove.

She swallowed hard and ran her tongue over her lips before responding. "I do not think that a conversation is necessary, Your Grace. I never accepted your proposal, despite what may have taken place between us." She withdrew her hand and averted her gaze.

Feeling the desire course through his veins when a light breeze picked up the scent of vanilla, Dominic gripped her wrists and backed her against her shop window. "Do not avoid me, Marie. I never said that I didn't want to marry you," he growled close to her lips, allowing the sweet scent to fill his senses.

Marie's eyes darkened as she did little to resist his advances, her lips parting as her breathing deepened. "Why do you want to marry me, Your Grace?"

The continued use of his title felt like a challenge as his gaze dropped to her chest. Those perfect breasts had tasted like heaven to him when he'd sucked on her nipples. He gently leaned into her body, causing her to gasp.

"I don't think I misunderstood you, Your Grace; you still cannot provide me with an acceptable reason for marriage." Her eyes drifted down to his lips as her chest began to rise and fall with every breath.

"Is wanting you not enough?" His voice deepened even further as he whispered inches away from her lips.

Her eyelids fluttered shut, causing her long lashes to kiss the top of her cheeks before opening again. "A successful match needs to consist of more than just attraction, Your G…" Her words trailed off when he pushed his body even closer to hers.

"When will you stop calling me Your Grace?" he demanded hungrily, allowing his fingers to leave her wrists and grip her hips.

Placing her palms on his chest, she lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes as she hesitated for a moment. "When you provide me with an adequate reason for wanting my hand in marriage." Her eyes darkened again when she gently applied pressure to his chest and slipped under his arm.

Breaking the spell that had formed between them, Dominic quickly reached for her wrist again and held her back. "Why do you need a reason?"

Marie sighed heavily as she turned back to him. "Our time together has made me realize that I may want more than what I thought. If I am to marry, then I want it to be for love and family."

Her words shocked him as he let go of her wrist. "Do you think it impossible to love me?" He hardly recognized his own voice as he uttered the question.

"I don't know, Your Grace. Do you find the thought of having children with me to be an appalling one?" The hurt look in her eyes made him let go of her hand.

"I don't think we should be discussing this here. My grandmother has invited you and your grandmother to dinner tomorrow evening. I'm sure we will be able to see things more clearly then, so please attend. Take the carriage to your appointment; you shouldn't be walking alone at this hour." His request unintentionally came out as a command.

Lifting her head high, Marie let out a breath before searching his face. "If I attend, it does not mean that I am in any way accepting your proposal. We have far too many differences for me to even consider a courtship with you."

Her words stung his chest as he watched her climb into his carriage and leave with a simple snap of the whip from the driver. What was he going to do now that she had admitted to wanting a family?

The thought of not pursuing her anymore made him uncomfortable as he watched the horses and carriage disappear around the corner.

Marie pushed the thoughts of Dominic aside as the carriage came to a stop in front of the Arrindell mansion. The house was far bigger than the rest of the homes on the quiet street.

The building itself spoke of affluence and wealth, with high buttresses and many windows. The neat little row of rose bushes leading up to the steps added an elegant touch.

The door to the mansion opened almost as soon as Marie reached the top step.

"Good evening, Miss Webster. Lady Arrindell is awaiting your presence in the parlor." A stout man in black tails with a balding head stood aside with a pudgy nose thrust in the air.

"Thank you," Marie faltered, wondering if he was the butler or a member of the household. It was so hard to tell when dealing with families of the ton. Even the servants looked down their noses at ordinary people.

The large oak doors shut behind her as the warmth of the home engulfed her.

"May I take your coat and gloves, Miss Webster?" The man came forward, keeping his head in the same position with his nose thrust up.

He must be the butler, Marie reasoned with herself as the man helped her slip the coat from her shoulders. His overall appearance gave him the air of someone rather important, yet the fact that he had answered the door gave his position away.

"Lady Arrindell is right this way, Miss Webster." He bowed a fraction of an inch after accepting her coat and turned on his heel.

The effort of humbling himself even slightly to show her respect seemed to cause the man a great deal of discomfort. Marie found herself growing annoyed with his behavior as they walked. She had gone through the proper channels and sent a note asking for an audience with Lady Arrindell; there was no need for the man to pull his nose up at her.

"Right this way, Miss Webster." The butler opened a door and stood to the side, keeping his posture straight as if he were fighting against the urge to bow once again.

The room was dimly lit as Marie squinted to get a better look at her surroundings.

"You may leave us, Benson." The strangled voice barely carried across the room before the door shut. Marie jumped at the sudden sound, causing her heart to leap into her throat.

"You may come and have a seat, Miss Webster, I must say that I was surprised to receive your note this afternoon." The voice came from a chair that faced the unlit fire.

Forcing herself forward, Marie picked her way around the elegant furnishings and took a seat opposite the chair facing the fireplace before she looked up. Her breath caught in her throat as she pursed her lips to stifle the gasp.

Lady Arrindell seemed like a shell of her former self. Her face was drawn and pale with deep circles beneath her eyes. Her hair had been braided and placed over her shoulder, yet tiny wisps of hair had escaped, making her seem unkempt in her evening robe.

Marie wondered if she had been getting ready for bed or if she hadn't bothered to change for the day at all.

"I would apologize for my appearance, but it seems like a frivolous gesture when my world is falling apart." Lady Arrindell's voice caught in her throat as she reached for a handkerchief and blew her nose.

"I didn't mean to intrude, my lady; I want to thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I know that you are experiencing a very difficult time at present." Marie placed her hands in her lap, regretting her decision to face the woman who was very possibly putting an end to her career.

Lady Arrindell squinted in the dim light of the candle. "A difficult time? You describe my daughter running away from her home as a difficult time as if it were nothing more than a cold. You do surprise me." Tears of anger welled up in the woman's eyes as she placed the handkerchief against her lips.

"Lady Arrindell, I understand that you are very upset, but I have come here to clear the air. I have heard it said that I was the one who told Lady Arabella to run away when, in fact, I told her to follow her heart. I thought she would discuss her feelings with you and try and come up with a possible solution. Had I known…"

Lady Arrindell snapped before she could finish her sentence. "Had you known what? That you would be tearing my family apart? You have singlehandedly caused the downfall of my family's name, and you dare come here to fight against the rumors that have been circulating? You have quite the nerve, Miss Webster. Perhaps your work with members of the ton has caused you to forget your true place among all of us."

The words stung as Marie sat forward on her seat. "I know how you must be feeling, Lady Arrindell. I cannot say that I have children of my own, but I am certain that the pain of one leaving is more than any mother could bear." She held her head high and met the woman's gaze, recalling the empty feeling in her arms when Violet had taken her daughter back.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Lady Arrindell placed the hand with her handkerchief against her chest.

"I am not here to deny that I could have handled the situation with your daughter better, Lady Arrindell. I simply want to ask your forgiveness for speaking without thinking and also ask that the rumors regarding my involvement in the matter cease.

You may be angry with me, but I am not the one who introduced your daughter to the man she fell in love with. All of that happened long before I even knew her. Arabella fell in love with a young man, regardless of how you or I feel about the matter." She felt a wave of pity at the look of pain that came over the woman's face.

Something she had learned from her years of making matches with imperfect people came to mind. Lady Arrindell was a woman watching her life crumble right in front of her eyes.

"Please do not speak of love in this house, Miss Webster. It may come as a shock to you, but my marriage suffered a great setback when Arabella decided to leave."

Shock ran through her body when Marie realized just how difficult things for Lady Arrindell must have been. "I am sorry, my lady. I didn't realize…"

Lady Arrindell shook her head. "Please, Miss Webster, I am not an unreasonable woman, I know why you have come. I have not ventured beyond the walls of this home since Arabella left, and I can assure you that none of my servants have uttered a word of gossip. Everyone who works in this house is held to an impossibly high standard, as some would say, and even the slightest hint of gossip can cost a maid or a footman their job. Therefore I suggest that you look somewhere else for an answer."

Marie was stunned as she listened to the woman speak.

Who could it be?

If she was telling the truth that all of her staff lived under the threat of losing their jobs, then it was highly unlikely that any of them had helped spread the rumors. Lady Arrindell herself wasn't in any state to entertain her friends.

"If I recall correctly, there were many members of the ton in front of your shop on that dreaded day. Any one of them could have spread the rumors; the question is who among them had a grudge strong enough to help them carry the gossip forward?" Lady Arrindell met Marie's gaze for a fraction of a second before looking away again and blinking back her tears.

James McFunnugh.

The thought caused her stomach to flip in uncomfortable knots.

"I know that I seem like a likely suspect, Miss Webster, but I have not had the energy to lift even a cup of tea to my lips, let alone try and destroy your reputation. I am also not a simpleton. I know that Arabella fell in love, and not even the king and queen could have stopped her if they offered to make her a princess. I was once in love myself, but I chose to do the wrong thing. That is perhaps why I tried to discourage Arabella from running away."

Marie's heart ached at the pain of the woman's words. She had been more than certain that Lady Arrindell had been the one spreading the rumors, yet she couldn't see how with the state the woman was in.

"I wish you luck with all your future endeavors, Miss Webster. Perhaps you too will understand when you have a daughter of your own one day."

The words hit the pit of her stomach like a punch in the gut.

I won't if I marry the Duke.