Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

A few days had passed since they returned home, and Nora still hadn't heard anything from the Duke.

Has he changed his mind? Did I seem too desperate? Too accepting of his offer?

Her mind was constantly plagued with thoughts of him as she struggled to find the answers to her questions, and with so many unanswered questions, her mood slowly plunged, sinking deeper into the desperation she thought she had finally begun to crawl out of now that she had found a solution to her problems.

Nora sighed as the carriage rolled to a stop at the entrance of the garden party they had been invited to. She wished she could stay home and mourn what seemed to be the loss of another way out of her oddly depressing life. However, she couldn't stay home.

Her stepfather had raged at the idea of her staying home when she could be out salvaging what was left of the tiny shred of reputation she held onto by finding a husband.

She had quickly gotten dressed, choosing instead to face the loud and pretentious crowd instead of remaining at home.

She alighted from the carriage, her eyes scanning the crowd for the only people she could count on to make all of this worthwhile.

"I certainly hope you can do better at finding a husband here than you did at the masquerade ball and the days that followed. Heavens know I can no longer stand to see you come back to the house like you do not care that soon you will be on the shelf, an old maid, forever alone," her stepfather grumbled, his eyes burning into hers as he grumbled.

Nora sighed, paying him no mind. She wouldn't lose hope in the Duke just yet if only to assure herself that very soon she wouldn't be there to listen to him moan and grumble about how much of a disappointment she was to him.

"I will try my best, Lord Worlington," she said calmly.

Timothy scoffed, eyeing her with disgust. "Perhaps it is time you do much more than your best. It doesn't seem to be good enough."

"I do recall telling you that the ball was your last chance to find a husband. Seeing as you have failed to do so despite the numerous opportunities given to you, I have sent a letter to my sister. She will be the one to deal with you from now on. Prepare to join her the moment she sends a response."

"Perhaps we do not have to do that, Timothy. She might meet someone today and not have to be sent off to live with your sister," her mother said.

Timothy let out a short bark of laughter. "Look at her, Julia. Do you truly believe that she is searching for a husband? We are more worried about her future than she is."

Nora held back a snort. The last thing he could be described as was worried about her future. The only thing he cared about was getting rid of her and possibly using her for financial gain.

The man had made it clear that he cared nothing for her. There was no point in him acting like he cared, and yet he constantly put on a charade as though he could not stomach being thought of as exactly the kind of man he was.

He walked off before she could say anything to him in return—not that she had anything to say. If there was anything that she had learned in the time that she'd come to know him, it was that responding only ever fueled his anger. It was better to wait him out until he had talked as much as he wished to and then went off.

She was glad that they were in a public gathering, as he spoke shorter than he normally would if they had been at home.

Soon, they would be out of here, and she and her mother would never have to deal with him again. Her mother took her hand in hers, smiling guiltily at her.

"It is quite all right, Mother," Nora said, although she did not know whether she meant that. Still, the last thing she wanted was for her mother to feel terrible about what was happening.

She hadn't told her mother about her plans yet, but soon, when she was ready, she would take her away from all of this.

Nora stood to the side with her friends. For the past hour, they had walked along the lake, enjoying the serenity of it. Nora tried to remain in the moment. She would miss her friends when she left.

Leaving was certain. The only thing that wasn't was how she would be leaving—under her terms or Timothy's.

"Nora, have you been listening to what we were saying?" Selina asked, her eyes boring into Nora's.

SheNora shook her head, clearing the gloomy thoughts. "I do apologize, my dear friends. It appears I am not the best company today. There seems to be a lot on my mind, and I do not know how best to fix all of it."

"Is anything bothering you?" Thalia asked.

"Lord Worlington plans to send me away to live with his sister, since I have not been able to find a husband," Nora said. "He has already sent a letter to her but is yet to receive a response."

Selina gasped. "Oh, no, Nora. We have been so insensitive, carrying on with such nonsense when you are in such a dilemma."

"No…" Nora murmured. "I am glad to hear it. I admit I have been lost in thought, but I truly would rather listen to you speak, no matter how inconsequential it is."

Thalia sniffled. "Oh, Nora. We will miss you if he sends you away."

"Yes, very much so," Selina added. "Is there nothing to be done about this? What do you plan to do?"

Nora looked around her. She had been thinking about how best to tell the girls without them worrying too much about her decision or what that would mean for her.

"There is a second option," she said, not as confident as she was mere days ago.

"A second option? What is it?" Selina asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up.

Nora sighed, exhaling deeply. "Well, I made a deal with the Duke of Bancroft. He's going to save me."

She watched as the girls stared at each other worriedly. She had known that they wouldn't be as enthused by the idea as she was. However, she had no other option, and she did not want to be dragged off to live with Timothy's sister while he did whatever he pleased with her mother.

"You heard the rumors about him, didn't you?" Thalia asked her. "His father was not a good man, and his wife suffered at his hands."

"Yes, Nora. Everyone is scared of the Duke because they believe that he has too much of his father in him. I do not think it is a good idea to risk that. It might be too dangerous."

Nora's steps faltered when she heard that.

"Yes, I had heard that, but surely it is only rumors. Perhaps he is not as they say he is."

A silent look passed between her friends. "It's true that he's never done anything characteristic of his father's actions. However, we cannot be certain of anything."

"Yes. There aren't many who would ever dare to utter it for fear of the Duke finding out. No one wants to find how hot his temper truly burns."

"Oh, dear. Perhaps I have made a terrible decision, after all," Nora said regrettably, her heart beating fast in her chest.

"Maybe it isn't too late to end this. Whatever deal you might have made with the Duke, I'm certain he will forget all about it in mere moments if you do not try to speak with him first. There must be so many people trying to make deals with him anyway." Selina looked to Thalia for confirmation, and Thalia nodded.

Nora hoped they were right. Perhaps that was why he hadn't reached out to her yet. He had forgotten. She bit her lip, shaking off the disappointment that filled her at the thought.

It's for the best.

She had learned so much about the Duke in the days since she saw him and his mistress. However, everything she learned seemed to warn her of the dangers of getting close to him. She couldn't stand the idea of getting hurt and leaving her mother all alone with Timothy. Perhaps she should have been thinking about herself. However, her life was nothing if she couldn't protect the person she loved most.

She was caught between two terrible ends and needed to choose the most preferable one.

As though she had summoned him with her thoughts—not that it had worked in all the other times she wished that she would see him already — Nora felt him before she saw him.

Her shoulders dropped, and she looked in his direction. The Duke stood with a group of gentlemen, his eyes fixed on her as they spoke. Her eyes widened as he began walking towards her. She willed her legs to move. However, much like the first time she saw him, her feet remained planted on the floor. Her breath caught in her throat as dark blue eyes raked the length of her form. It was both intrusive and exhilarating, neither of which she cared to understand at the moment.

Nora was shocked. She hadn't expected that he would approach her out in the open.

Shouldn't you be keeping yourself clean in public so no one can have anything to say about your reputation?

She wished she could scream at him to go elsewhere, far away from her, but she resigned herself as he reached her, planting his feet in front of her.

"Lady Nora," he greeted.

Nora gasped silently. It was the first time he had said her name since she revealed it to him. She loved the way it rolled off his tongue.

She blushed at the direction her thoughts had taken. .

"Your Grace," she greeted, curtseying slightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She sharpened her gaze, hoping he would understand and leave her alone, but he remained in front of her, that half-smile still on his face.

"Dance with me," he said, his tone demanding and leaving no room for argument.refusal.

Nora looked behind her at the girls. Their eyes were wide with fear and surprise as they watched their interaction.

She kept her hands at her sides, refusing to offer him her dance card. He could not order her around as he saw fit. They had a deal, and he would be paying her for it. However, she was not his servant to carry out his every bid.

"I cannot do so, Your Grace. The next dance has been reserved for someone else, and I don't believe he will be pleased to see me dancing with another."

She looked at the dancers, hoping he would take the hint and leave her alone, but his domineering form continued to tower over her.

Wordlessly, the Duke plucked her dance card off her wrist and hummed as he went through the names on it. He crossed off the name already written for the next dance and wrote his name in the suddenly blank space. Nora glared at him, but he did not seem to mind.

"There." He lifted the card to her face. "You are available now."

He took her hand in his and led her to the dancefloor before she could disagree with him, although she doubted there was anything she could say to change things.

Nora had never been afraid of a person before as much as she was afraid of the Duke. If only she had done more research before she thought it a good idea to blackmail him.

Beneath her fear lay excitement. Despite herself, a part of her was attracted to him. She hadn't been able to get him out of her mind from the very first moment she saw him until then.

"I believe you wouldn't trip over my legs if you focused on the dance," he teased, his eyes filling with humor.

Nora stared at him sheepishly. She had thought she was doing a good job of keeping her nervousness at bay, but she was already tripping over him.

"I apologize, Your Grace," she muttered softly.

For the rest of the dance, she remained painfully aware of every part of him that brushed against her.

Are people staring at us? Do they fear for my safety?

His breath on her neck jolted her back to the present. "Be at my estate at midnight for our first night."

Nora stared at him dumbfounded. "What? How am I going to make it?"

"You are a resourceful lady. You found yourself in my room to blackmail me, so I'm certain you can find a way to meet me for our first night together," he said with a smile once again.

Nora narrowed her eyes at him. He was enjoying seeing her like that. He escorted her to her friends, leaving immediately after.

As she watched him leave, only one thought raced through her mind.

How am I going to do this?