Chapter 7

Victor coughed once more and assumed his position on the chair. "It did seem far-fetched."

"Of course it is. How could they assume you love me? Talking about letters you wrote to me and how you must have pined for me. Can you imagine such nonsense?"

"Ah. Nonsense, yes."

Daphne returned to the couch and placed the book on her lap. When Amelia and Melanie had started their loud discussion, she lost track of the page she had been reading.

Amelia had said that she had seen the letters herself and that the duke had been hiding his feelings for so long that he did not know how to express them.

She knew it had been a mistake to tell Amelia about her encounter with the duke. The result was devastating. Neither of them had no idea what she had heard that night. Victor did not have any feelings for her. He was used to having his way with women and probably could not help himself around her. She was nothing more than a conquest.

She stayed in the library, knowing that soon, they would bring him in. She had not expected that they would repeat the same nonsense to him. It was mortifying, and clearly, Victor was in agreement.

"My sister must be concerned that we would ruin her wedding."

Victor harrumphed, "How is that possible?"

"You are infuriating. Chances are, we will make a scene at the wedding because of a snarky remark from you."

"I will take that as a compliment."

Daphne was in a state of fluster. She ran her fingers along the edges of the book. All of her energy went into concealing her unsettled feelings. "Of course you will. Nothing ever disturbs you."

"I wish that were true, my lady."

Daphne paused, thinking she must have imagined the sadness in his voice. She shot a sharp glance at him. His smile told her that it was definitely her imagination. Her family said her head was taken by the books she read.

"What is it about? You never told me," he asked again, pointing with two fingers at her book.

Daphne looked down to find that her finger was red from running it around the book rims.

Daphne stuffed her fingers under the book, "This? A monster. No, that is wrong. An unfortunate monster, abandoned by his creator and left to fend for himself. He did not ask to be born but ended up being the victim of circumstance."

"Frankenstein," Victor said, with the ghost of a smile. "Mary Shelley."

Daphne's eyebrows shut up in disbelief, "You know of it?"

The book was well-read. The letters on the back had faded otherwise, she would have assumed he had read off the cover. Somebody in the house must have loved it very much.

"It is a popular book, but I do not agree with the use of violence, under any circumstance. Yet, I can concede to the fact that it is unavoidable in some ways." A darkness crossed his face before he smiled, "However, I understand his hunt for a mate."

She refused to respond and sidestepped that last sentence. How could he understand something he did not want? In fact, she had trouble reconciling the cold voice that had rejected her that night, with this man in front of her. He confused her. She wondered what that darkness in his eyes meant. He was a duke, overflowing with a swaggering confidence. What could have happened? She did not want to delve deeper, in case that sadness returned to his eyes. This time, she was certain. His nonchalant attitude was a front for something deeper and painful.

"I should go, it will be time for afternoon tea soon and my mother might worry."

"Why does it feel as though you are running from me?"

Daphne gave a light laugh, "If it is just a feeling, then I might have been more subtle than I intended."

His chuckle was deep and rich, doing things to Daphne's insides. She wondered what would have been if she had not overheard him that night. He did not stop her from leaving nor did he say anything. She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she exited the room.

Daphne found her family in another corner of the garden. Her mother was loath to spend tea time inside the house when the weather was perfectly agreeable. Spring had most of the plants in bloom, bathing the garden in colorful, fragrant light.

Melanie and Amelia could hardly contain themselves in their seats. Melanie had long since forgotten her encounter with that family. Her ability to move forward was admirable. Daphne needed to take lessons from her. However, they should not have meddled so much in her life.

"Where have you been?" Amelia started the second her legs touched the chair.

"The library," Daphne replied as if this guilt-faced sister did not already know that.

"Oh," Melanie joined in, almost jiggling in her seat, "Did anything interesting happen?"

"Only in my book. The monster is fully conscious and ready to explore the city."

"Daphne!" her mother chided. "Mind what you say at the table."

Daphne blinked innocently at her mother. "She asked. Or was that not what you wanted?"

"It…it does sound engaging."

"Yes…"

Her father finished chomping on a sandwich and reached for a paper. "Have you seen Percy? I hear he has been looking for you."

Daphne's heart took a massive dive into her stomach and she lost her appetite. "I have not, Papa. I guess I will see him at the ball tonight."

"Yes, you better had. You are quite close to losing him. I saw him speaking with some other woman. They appeared comfortable with each other."

Daphne knew they would probably be too comfortable, considering what she knew about Percy.

"A fine man, that one," her mother added. "Mingle at the ball. I will not have you arguing with that rake."

"A duke," Amelia was quick to correct. "A respectable one. And Daphne would not dare cause trouble again," her sister warned with steel in her voice.

Her mother harrumphed, looking displeased. "If he will hurt my child then he is nothing but a rake. Unlike Percy. I have never seen a more responsible gentleman."

Daphne was conflicted. Lady Wallace showed her love in one sentence and ruined it with another. She itched to tell them the truth. But she kept holding back. She knew revealing his secret would not stop with just setting her free of marriage to him. Her mother would ensure that other mamas kept their innocent daughters away from him. God knows she didn't want that on her conscience even though she wasn't the cause of his poor decisions. And besides, who would even believe her?

"He will not," Amelia said fervently. "He is Harry's friend and you know he is quite cautious with his circle."

"And when did you join the duke's bandwagon?" Lady Wallace questioned.

Amelia evaded the question, "I just think we should not generalize. You never know, he might surprise us all. Daphne, do you agree?"

"I agree," the excitable Melanie quipped.

Daphne shrugged and took a sip out of the cup in front of her.

"Harry is another fine man," her father grunted. He was already in his sixties, ten years older than his wife. But he acted as if the marriage of his daughters would cement his entire life's achievement.

Daphne had tried twice and managed to pick unruly rakes in the Society. She was just scared that another trial would land her in a worse situation. Otherwise, she would have quickly granted his wish.

She was disturbed after tea and spent the time strolling in the gardens with her maid a few steps behind. Her sister's warning stayed with her. They had gone to such extent to keep them from causing trouble. Daphne could not ignore it. Nor could she ignore Victor. Several failed trials had convinced her of this fact.

Distracted by her thoughts, Daphne stubbed her shoe on a stone. She cried out and stooped to inspect it. The pain was inside but there was no injury. She rose and decided to do something about her current situation.

It would help her sister and certainly maintain her peace. Today, she stubbed her toe, tomorrow she might kilt over into a well because her mind was in disarray. So, Daphne set off in search of Victor in the company of Melanie.

They found him in Harry's drawing room. Quietly and with a mischievous expression, Melanie excused them. Daphne drew the duke into Harry's study for the sake of privacy.

"This had better be good," Victor grunted when they entered and Daphne almost changed her mind.

What in the world convinced her he would be willing to go along with it? Never mind, she had already begun the process, there was no backing down. Especially when those blue eyes burned down at her, expecting an answer.

"I want you to court me," she blurted.

* * *

Victor blinked at her, "What?"

He thought he must have gone deaf or his hearing had become skewered.

"I am serious. Our courtship is the only solution. Remember how they tried to deceive us? We should give that back to them."

Victor was almost afraid to believe the words coming out of her mouth. Out of sight, his hands were clenched. "A courtship," he repeated.

She nodded, "We would only pretend of course, but to them, it will be real."

Victor unclenched his hands from behind his back. "You should have started with that last part."

"Were you shocked?" she grinned. "It had to be the most unbearable thing you have ever heard."

"Unbearable, you say."

This woman would be the death of him. People should control how they smile around others and make their hearts leap with hope.

"You should have seen your face," her gown drifted on the carpet as she moved toward a couch. "Looked as if Frankenstein haunted your dreams."

"You want to fake a courtship?" Victor prompted.

"Yes, and a truce. No more bickering. We pretend to be a loving couple, at least for the duration of this wedding."

"What happens after that?" Victor asked, his voice gruff.

She bit the inside of her lips and stared down at her hands, "I suppose the bans would not be read, because we would declare that our union failed its courtship period."

This was exactly what he wanted. She would be free to marry whoever she wanted. And her association with a duke would cause the other men to find her alluring. Why did the idea cause him to picture his own eyes getting scraped out by large eagle claws?

"You hate the idea?" She pushed off from the seat while saying, "I understand. It was far-fetched and I have no clue why I imagined that you would…"

Victor covered the little space between them in seconds. He swept her into his arms and slid his cool lips between hers. He kissed her for a good while until her body became malleable to his.

Eyes twinkling, he looked down at her, "Is this how we pretend?"

"Ah…I think so."

He kissed her again, this time softly. His mouth moved over hers, while his hand crawled up her back. She leaned into him, with her hands around his neck. Her delicate figure fit right into his arms.

If only things were a little different, Victor thought, his heart giving a pained squeeze. He could have enjoyed being with her.

"I think I will enjoy this charade."

Daphne beat off his hands. "That will be the last time. There cannot be touching or…or such kisses. We cannot have these dalliances in secret."

Victor crossed his arms to prevent him from reaching out to her again. "That is tough."

"Well, those are the terms. I understand if you are uninterested now."

The woman was an enigma. Clearly, she enjoyed the dalliances. Was his touch that repulsing?

Victor smiled and turned away. He started toward the door. "The first performance is at dinner. I will see you there."

Victor strolled out of his friend's study and headed directly to the stables. His stallion snorted his welcome, leaning his great head out of the stall.

The stable master met up with Victor just as he began to arrange the saddle.

"Good day, Your Grace," the older man greeted. "Surely a fine day for a ride. But there might be something you are forgetting."

Victor looked down at his attire, "I am fine."

"Perhaps I can have your man deliver the change of clothes here. We have a smaller room where you can change."

Victor snagged the riding crop from the wall and glared at the man, "I said I am fine."

He led the horse from the stall. "If you must do something, get some apples for him."

"Yes, Your Grace." He scampered out of sight and Victor held back a sigh. It was not the man's fault that his life had become something out of a story book. Her eager face and conviction were the reasons he was willing to attempt this harebrained scheme.

Liar.

He was a tiny bit excited to show the peacock how a woman should be courted. This scheme also confirmed that she harbored no feelings for the man. He was an idiot for considering anything like this. Kissing her was an undeniable perk though. It was his intention to get more kisses before they had to part.

"Your Grace, do your lips itch? There might be a salve for it," the stable master asked. He was feeding one of the green apples to a loudly chomping horse.

Victor blinked back to the present, where he found that his hand had crawled to his lips, rubbing them back and forth. Victor slapped his own leg with the riding crop.

"No, that will not be necessary. Thank you."

He climbed up and with a gentle kick, urged the horse into the grounds before he was done chewing. At this rate, he would embarrass his ancestors out of their graves.

Victor leaned forward, about to urge his horse to go faster, when he spotted a bright purple coat. It emerged from behind a large oak tree. Farton stood in front of him, with a determined expression.

Good. This was a great place to pour out his frustration. Victor slowed, dangerously close to Farton's arrogant boyish face. He would have trampled the man too, if it weren't for the fact that Daphne would have his head on a pyre.

"What do you want, Farton?"

"Your Grace, I have heard about your ways, your exploits, so to speak. I have also seen how you prowl around Daphne. I have been her friend since childhood and I know what is best for her. It is not you. It will be in your best interest not to disturb her peace ever again."

Victor chuckled, even as he burned with anger inside. "Really?"

Percy Farton held himself straight as he glared up at Victor. "As a matter of fact, yes. She is a na?ve girl, who may not know her right from left. Or be able to tell a lamb from a wolf."

"This is disheartening."

"I am certain that you can find a fitting playmate. Just not her."

The barrage of insults only made Victor's smile wider. He could just imagine this idiot's face in a few hours, if not minutes.

Victor pulled back his horse and drawled, "My good man. You should prepare yourself for a pleasant surprise." He started to leave then turned his head.

"What surprise?"

Victor ignored his question. "While you are at it, I would advise you never to speak ill of Lady Daphne. Your wings have never been clipped; I will be glad to take that job should you repeat that disrespect."

Shaking his head, Victor urged his horse to go faster, putting a large distance between him and the flabbergasted man. He was whistling as the wind whipped past him. Everything around him seemed more vibrant, more alive.

Dinner would certainly be a beautiful experience.