Chapter 27

Sorting the Lies from The Truth

"What?" Bridget gasped. "My father tried to punch you!"

"He did. He swung at me after I spoke to him at the chapel, and it felt as if he moved in slow motion, though I think that was probably the huge amount of alcohol in his system. I ducked under his arm, and I came back up to ready myself for the next attack, but I needn't have bothered. He spun around and collapsed to the ground."

Bridget laughed but suddenly stopped. "Oh, what sadness that brings. You talk of him as if he is a clown, and I laugh at him."

"I don't mean to."

"No, I know. And I know I should not laugh at his and my own misfortune, but what else is there I can do? If I didn't laugh, I might have to cry instead."

"He snored as I took him home on my horse," the Duke added.

"Oh, don't!" Bridget begged as she snorted. "You are awful."

"I am only glad his drink made him early and not late. I can't imagine the chaos he would have created if he came to the wedding later and entered the chapel."

"It does not bear thinking about," Bridget admitted. "I hope he is not causing any trouble in there. I don't know if I even want to go back inside for fear of seeing him causing Margaret any pain."

"We can stay out here for as long as you like," the Duke assured her.

"You really do have a beautiful estate," Bridget told him.

They walked side by side along a small bubbling creek. Tall oak trees separated them from the house, leaves fluttering in the slight breeze. Blackbirds floated high above in the pale blue sky, and a songbird serenaded them in a nearby tree. The grass was as green as the Duke's eyes.

"Why did you leave so suddenly?" Bridget asked abruptly.

"I was scared," the Duke replied.

Bridget had not expected as swift and forthcoming an answer. She left some space in the conversation for the Duke to expand on what he meant.

"Everything I said to you back in Cornwall was the truth. At least the truth as I knew it at the time," he continued. "I do not want to end up like my father. I can think of nothing worse in the world."

"So, where does that leave us?" Bridget asked.

There was a hole in her stomach that was getting bigger and bigger.

"I spoke with my mother this morning, and she echoed sentiments I have been feeling for a while. I told myself that I would never marry anyone, and I made my peace with that. I was fully prepared to be alone for the rest of my life, and I shall tell no lies—I was happy with my life as a rake. That was until you came along, Lady Bridget."

The hole in Bridget's stomach was suddenly filled with bright butterflies with enormous flapping wings.

"You were the most infuriating woman I had ever met in my life when I first encountered you properly, but I came to see that was because you challenged me. I was so used to women doing as I wished with no complaint that it was refreshing to have a woman who could stand up to me. And the more I got to know you, the more I appreciated that in you. After we kissed, I went home and lay awake most of the night."

"I could not sleep that night either," Bridget admitted. "I could not stop thinking about the kiss, and I will not lie to you—I wished for it to happen again."

The Duke stopped walking and turned to her with a smile. His eyes twinkled in the afternoon sun. The water continued to gurgle, but the songbird had fallen silent. The wind caressed Bridget's face, and then the Duke did. He ran his fingertips over her cheek and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Her skin tingled, and the tingle ran down to her core.

"I knew that night I had developed feelings for you, and I also knew it would be selfish of me to pursue you further, as I could not give you marriage, and I would not dare to ask any more of you without that commitment. I could not stand to be around you if I could not have a relationship with you, so I left."

"You hurt me when you left so suddenly," Bridget told him.

"I know," the Duke sighed. "I hurt myself, too. I spent time in my London residence, and I barely left. The world was a little darker, a little more sour without you in my life. Yet, I had vowed never to marry, and I thought that vow unbreakable. It was not."

"What does that mean?" Bridget asked. "Are you asking me to?—"

"No," the Duke stated. "Not yet. We barely know each other, and we deserve to have some time to get to know each other better. I shall not rush you into anything. What it means is that I am open to marrying, but only to one woman. You are the only woman who has ever made me think that. Marriage still scares me because of what my father became, but I would be open to marrying you if you can still tolerate me after getting to know me better."

Bridget took deep breaths through her nose, trying to maintain her composure.

"I would like to get to know you better," she admitted. "I can't imagine my life without you in it. I thought I would never get married because I have never met a man who could show me what marriage could be. That changed when I got to know you, Your Grace. Of course, when I first met you, you were the most infuriating man I had ever met, and I am sure you were far more infuriating to me than I was to you."

The Duke laughed.

"When I got to know you, I knew you were a man who could respect me and give me what I needed in life. I would like to spend some time getting to know you better."

"It warms my heart to hear you say that," the Duke told her. "We should get back to the wedding so we can celebrate with our siblings, but before we do that, there is something I must ask you."

"What?" Bridget held her breath.

"May I kiss you?"

"I would love nothing more," she said.

The Duke wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer to him. She saw his left eyebrow rise slightly as his face came closer to hers. Then she felt what she had been longing to feel for the past three weeks: his lips.

They were as soft and supple as she remembered, and a light moan escaped her mouth as they kissed. She draped her arms over his shoulders, and her body relaxed. She let him hold her against him, and she knew she was claimed by him. She would be his, and he would be hers. They were bound together, and not only by their families.

The Duke moved his head to the side, and his free hand came up to her cheek to guide her in the kiss. A soft breeze chilled her flaming cheeks. Warmth erupted in her stomach as she heard the Duke breathing a little harder through the kiss. The emotion swirled in her stomach, all the feelings of the past weeks joining together to become something new, something different.

Bridget panted as they came apart and stared into his eyes. She looked into the bright green eyes of the man who had almost passed her by. Her father had driven a wedge between them, and she would not be feeling the effects of the kiss if the Duke had not fought for her. He was willing to do what it took to be with her and to safeguard her family.

She had found the man she was meant to be with.

A rush of excitement swept through her, and her giddiness made her laugh.

"We need to get back," she urged through the laughter. "The dancing will begin soon, and I can't let your dance lesson go to waste. Will you please dance with me?"

"I would love to," the Duke replied.