Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

N ora was at a ball when things got rowdy. She looked from her friends to the sudden commotion in the room. She knew it was him even before she saw him. He'd always had that pull that made everyone want to please him and speak with him. She wasn't immune to his charms either.

Her breath caught in her throat, Selina's words fading away as she watched him, unable to look away. His dark blue eyes held her in a trance she could not break out of.away from.

"Are you listening to anything I'm saying, Nora?" Selina asked, eyeing her curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere else for a moment," Nora offered apologetically.

Selina's eyebrows rose, and her eyes twinkled. She clapped her hands together and leaned in with what appeared to be childlike excitement.

"Anything you would like to share? I've grown tired of the stale gossip around here," she said.

"Perhaps we should let Nora breathe for a moment, Sel," Thalia, who had watched their interaction quietly until that moment, interjected.

Nora stared at her with gratitude. Her neck itched from Samuel's gaze burning into her back. She could feel his stare. Her hands clenched into fists as she willed herself to stay still and not look his way. It was harder than she imagined it would be, but she managed it, nonetheless.

"Lady Nora."

Nora tensed as his deep voice washed over her. She turned around to glance at him, every step like rocks tied to her feet.

"Your Grace." Selina curtsied, jabbing her elbow into Thalia's side to follow suit.

Thalia winced, glaring at her sister before bobbing a curtsy.

"Perhaps we could share the next dance," he said, his face devoid of any emotion.

Nora nodded. "Certainly, Your Grace."

She placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her towards the dancefloor. His fingers tightened around hers as he led her onto the dancefloor, his eyes looking ahead.

"Meet me tonight," he said suddenly, his voice low so no one would hear them. "Come to the estate."

Nora grimaced as she stared fixedly at the couple behind him. Her voice was as neutral as his when she spoke finally.

"Certainly, Your Grace," she said. "There is not much time to lose, after all."

The music carried on as they danced in silence. Nora's heart clenched, as she wished to be away from him and among her friends once again. They wouldn't hurt her with their words or actions, and they certainly wouldn't act like nothing happened if they did.

She blinked away the hurt as the music began to reach an end.

I won't let this control me.

She bit her lip as she looked up at him for the first time since they began to dance. His eyes bored into hers, devoid of any emotion, confirming what she already knew.

He doesn't love me. I

You need to let go before I end up like Mother.mother, Nora.

She chided herself, frowning as she looked away from him once again. Samuel didn't love her, and he never would. She doubted he was capable of loving anyone—perhaps even himself.

I need to stop my feelings for you before it's too late, Samuel.

The music ended just as she came to a decision. She wouldn't pine for him, and she most definitely wouldn't end up like her mother. It pained her that no matter how violent her stepfather got, her mother never saw fit to leave him. So chained by love, she would rather endure his harsh treatment than walk away from him.

Nora stayed a distance from the Duke as he escorted her back to her friends. She watched as he bowed and then walked away, slowly disappearing into the crowd until she could no longer see him.

She turned to her friends, who were staring in the direction he had disappeared.

"Thalia, Selina, I need your help," she said, pulling their attention back to her.

"What do you need?" Thalia asked.

"I don't think I can do this any longer. I have to run away, and I need your help to do so," Nora said.

"Have you finally spoken with Lady Worlington?" Thalia asked.

Nora grimaced as she nodded. "I have. My mother will not be joining me. It appears I will have to do this on my own."

"I'm so sorry, Nora," Selina said, her eyes filled with concern. "I know you wished she would be with you."

"Ah… yes," Nora muttered under her breath. "I do wish things had turned out differently, but it appears there is nothing I can do to change her mind."

Thalia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What do you need us to do? We will help you however we can."

SheNora smiled, hoping that it conveyed her gratitude. "Thank you, ladies. I have thought about it. I will send a letter to my mother's cousin to notify her of my plans to live with her. I will stay there and be a governess to her children so I can earn my keep."

"That does seem well thought out," Thalia said. "Are you certain she will allow it?"

Nora sighed. "I can only hope that she will. I have to be prepared for whatever happens, but there is little doubt in my mind that she will turn me away."

"I suppose anything is better than living with your step-aunt." Selina shivered at the thought of Nora living with Lady Mathilda.

They hadn't met her yet. However, from what little Nora had told them and the actions of the Viscount, it was quite obvious the certain torture she was bound to endure if she lived with her step-aunt.

"I certainly hope that I can begin working as soon as I arrive there. It will help to keep my mind busy enough so I do not have to think of Lord Worlington or be consumed with fear for my mother," she said.

"Perhaps I would even be able to forget about the Duke when I am able to do as I please, with no one breathing down my neck."shoulder."

"Perhaps you would be able to secure a husband there. One who will love and respect you, and will fully be your choice." Selina giggled as Thalia shook her head at her.

Nora smiled at Selina's enthusiasm. It would take some time for her to forget about the Duke, but Selina was not wrong. She would not live with the memory of a man tying her down and stopping her from getting all that she wanted.

"Perhaps I could," she agreed with her friend.

From

Movement at the corner of her eye, she saw movement, distracting her from their conversation. Nora looked to the side just as a burly frame went out of sight. Her brow furrowed as she wrung her hands.

Did someone hear us?

She stared at the corner with worry. She could only hope that it had just been a person making rounds and they hadn't been paying mind to her conversation with her friends.

Nora's heart beat fast as she walked in the darkness of the night, her cloak wrapped around her in her usual fashion and her candle her only source of light to navigate through the unfamiliar estate. Sneaking around now reminded her much of the first night she had gone to the Duke to blackmail him. It seemed like such a long time ago.

She pushed the thoughts away. It would only make her question whether she wished to go through with any of this. She had gotten quite good at keeping her steps light and blending in with the shadows to ensure that no one would see her.

She placed a hand on her fast-beating heart. She had tried to convince herself that it was the fear of being caught that made her tremble so, but she knew it was a lie. Soon she would no longer be able to have any of these nights with Samuel.

They had come to mean so much to her, and yet she was about to rip it all away, not that she had much choice in the decision she had made.

She sighed sadly, the quiet sound fading into the still of the night. Her decisions had been entirely hers for a long time, but soon, all of this would be over, and she could do as she pleased.

She blew out her candle as she approached his door and knocked lightly. It would be a travesty if anyone saw her sneaking into the Duke's room after their host had graciously invited them to stay the night.

She slipped in as the door opened an inch and walked into the room, taking a seat on the lone chair close to the window. Samuel shut the door and regarded her with his back pressed against the wood. She ached to touch him, to tell him of her plans and see what could be done.

Nora cleared her throat to push away her thoughts.

No more of that silly nonsense.

Samuel stepped forward with a glass in hand, his face solemn as he watched her. "I must apologize, Lady Nora. I started without you."

He raised the glass in her direction before taking a long sip.

"It's quite all right, Your Grace. I do not wish to be intoxicated tonight."

"Why is that, if I may ask, Lady Nora?" He walked over to her and then stopped right in front of her.

Nora swallowed noisily. The Duke had always looked like a predator, but she had never felt much like a prey as she did at that moment. She had never met a man who had as much power as he did. Certainly not her stepfather, who was quick to anger. She believed Lord Worlington to be weak of mind, the reason for his constant desire to harm those weaker than him.

"I know it is only our fifth night together, and there are two more before our agreement ends. However, I'm afraid we cannot continue with this, Your Grace," she said, looking up at him as she gathered up her courage. "I wish to end our agreement tonight."

Samuel hummed, the sound low as he regarded her. "Have I broken any of the rules you value, Lady Nora?"

Nora shook her head, keeping her mouth shut..

"Then pray tell, why do you seek to end it?"

She sighed, the words she had rehearsed leaving her lips with ease. "I must apologize, Your Grace. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I have merely changed my mind. I cannot continue to sneak out to see you like this."

Samuel stared at her practiced indifference and the confident set of her shoulders. He had heard the slight tremor in her voice, although he pretended not to.

Would I have noticed if I hadn't heard her speak about her plans to her friends?

He hadn't been able to think about anything else since he left the ball, but now it was becoming clear that her mind was made up.

"Has something happened to cause you to change your mind, Lady Nora?" he asked gently.

"No, Your Grace. I merely do not wish to continue with this," she said in a monotone.

"Look at me, Lady Nora," he said.

"I'm afraid my mind is made up, and there is not much else to be said."

Samuel's jaw ticked. She spoke with such indifference that would have had him stumped had he not already overheard her. He took another gulp of his drink to stifle the hurt in his chest. Her words, her refusal to look at him, and the knowledge that she planned to run away and did not wish him to know were like an arrow to his heart.the chest.

He didn't want to stop seeing her. He frowned at the realization, looking into his empty glass. He wished it wasn't true, but it was. He wanted to see her every time, and knowing that he soon would not filled him with panic.

"I apologize for ruining the plan, Your Grace, but that is all I have to say. I must be on my way now before someone notices I am gone," she said, rising to her feet.

Samuel watched her go with his lips sealed shut, despite all the words he wished to scream at her. His brow furrowed at his reaction. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen.

The door clicked shut, leaving him standing all alone in the middle of the dimly lit room as trepidation filled him.

Her plan and her desperation to leave would put her in danger if she didn't think it through.