Chapter 17

Duncan’s jaw tightened imperceptibly, a subtle sign of the annoyance that stirred within him. Sophia glanced at him with concern.

“I did expect to run into you here,” Duncan replied flatly.

Or rather I did not wish to,but he kept that part to himself for the sake of politeness.

“Your Grace, of course, I was going to be in attendance,” Barbara scoffed. “I am a socialite; I would never sit out a ball, let alone the last one of the season.”

Without meaning to, Duncan found himself drawing mental comparisons between the two women in front of him. Sophia was the exact opposite of Barbara. She was not eager to attend events like this as most socialites of the day were. It made her quite unique in his eyes.

“Of course,” the Duke replied dryly.

Barbara’s gaze shifted to Sophia, and a sly smile played on her lips. “Your Grace, dear, I must say, the choice of your gown is… interesting. I suppose some scars can’t be hidden no matter how exquisite the fabric.”

“Thank you, Lady Barbara,” Sophia replied politely, but she seemed visibly uncomfortable.

“And those gloves… were they custom made for you?” Barbara continued. “I mean, you must tell me where you got them from. Not everyone can cater to demands like that.”

Sophia remained calm, and Duncan found himself admiring just how mature she was being. It was clear that Barbara was just trying to get a rise out of Sophia, but she refused to let Barbara get to her.

“It is so brave of you,” Barbara started again, dissatisfied by the answers that she had received so far. “I really think it is brave that you have decided to come to public events like this. It must take a lot of courage to do so, especially with the curse that you carry.”

Sophia’s expression changed, and she shrunk back. Duncan felt anger flare up inside of him, and he cut Barbara off with a dismissive wave.

“Only children believe in such superstitions, Lady Barbara,” Duncan interjected with a firm tone, his eyes narrowing at her.

Barbara was offended by his words, but Duncan was not letting her ruin the evening further.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, I believe Her Grace and I have a dance to enjoy,” Duncan declared, his gesture leaving no room for argument.

As they glided onto the dance floor, Duncan whispered to Sophia, “Let’s not let the nonsense of others taint this evening. Now, shall we dance?”

“Oh, I was not planning on it.” Sophia’s voice held a hint of sadness. “But Lady Barbara was quite persistent.”

“She wants to be you,” Duncan replied in a matter of fact tone, “but she is not, and she is resentful of that. I hope you see through her tactics; they are as clear as day.”

Sophia’s face searched the Duke’s for any signs of insincerity. When she did not find any, she gave him a small nod.

“Well, I suppose that you know how to read people better than I do, so you must be right in your assumption,” she noted.

“Of course, I do. Lady Barbara just wants to stir up trouble and make you feel bad.”

Sophia shrugged her shoulders and let out a small sigh. Duncan could feel that Lady Barbara’s eyes were still on them. Perhaps she could not fathom that her speech had been cut short.

“What do you say we give her a show?” Duncan suggested, his eyes flickering back to Lady Barbara for a fraction of a second. “The jealousy is blatant on her face, and it might be a fun idea to make her even more so.”

Sophia laughed out loud.

“I am not sure if my dance skills are particularly worthy of envy, Your Grace…”

“And why not? You did a fine enough job when we danced together at our wedding reception.”

“Well, you are the first and only dance partner I have ever had,” she admitted softly, “thus any experience that I have is severely limited only to you.”

“The honor is mine, Lady Sophia. It seems the gentlemen of the ton are quite foolish for not having had the privilege of dancing with you.”

Sophia blushed at the compliment.

“You are already aware of my aversion for attending balls of any kind,” she replied. “I suppose it is a blessing that I did not have go through that process.”

“Indeed. You have saved me from dancing with the other ladies of the ton, too — especially the likes of Lady Barbara.” Duncan’s brow furrowed as he said her name. “Who, by the way, is still looking at us.”

Duncan gave Sophia a twirl, and she landed back into his arms. Now with her so close, the atmosphere between them became charged with a subtle intensity.

The desire to kiss her tugged at the Duke’s restraint, and his fingers wrapped themselves around her hand, holding her gently.

“Do you think we put on enough of a show?” Sophia asked, amused. Duncan had been so preoccupied with trying to keep himself from kissing her that he had not even noticed that the dance had come to an end.

He stole a final look at Lady Barbara, who was fuming now.

“I would say so,” he replied and began leading her off of the dance floor.

“Well, then, I suppose my limited dance abilities came to use after all,” Sophia teased.

The two of them looked around the room and then back at each other. It seemed that both of them were thinking the same thing, and that was how badly they wanted to avoid engaging in small talk with the ball attendees.

“Some fresh air?” Duncan suggested.

“Oh, the idea has never sounded more promising!”

They exchanged a laugh, and then Duncan led her out to the balcony. It was a welcome change from the stuffy atmosphere inside the ballroom.

Duncan observed Sophia looking at the starry night with fascination.

“Splendid, is it not?” the Duke said, standing beside her. He was close enough to hear her breathing and tried once again to distract himself from the thoughts of wanting to kiss her.

Even though a starry night like this would be the perfect backdrop.

“Indeed, it is,” Sophia replied, looking enchanted, “I have never seen so many stars in one night sky before. I cannot help but wonder just what sort of things they have witnessed, what stories they hold…”

“Do you think they hold gossip on the scandalous affairs of the ton?” Duncan joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sophia chuckled in return.

“Oh, they must have something on everyone. A wealth of scandalous tales…”

“Or witnessed a fair number of stolen kisses shared under their skies.” The words slipped out of the Duke’s mouth before he could help himself.

Sophia blushed, looking down.

“I’m sure they must have. Young lovers trying to sneak around.”

Duncan wanted to grab hold of Sophia tightly and kiss her right there, but he stopped himself. Instead, he leaned forward on the balcony.

“There is one thing that I have noticed whenever I am in your company,” he admitted earnestly. “It is that I feel that I can… tell you things. Things that I am never so easily willing to confess to.”

He could feel Sophia’s gaze on him as he spoke.

“Is it because my tragedy makes it easier for you to confess?” she asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, just that because I have gone through my fair share of awful events, I never pity anyone when they tell me about something bad that has happened in their own life. Instead, I try to understand.”

The Duke considered her words for a moment. Perhaps she had a point. He never did feel like she looked down on him, even when he told her about his father.

“It is a dangerous position, though,” he replied, his voice now gruff. “That means that you will come to possess all of my secrets.”

“A keeper of secrets,” Sophia replied, seeming pleased with the appellation. “It is not a bad title to hold. I promise to take them to the grave.”

Duncan felt a smile form on his lips. What a gamble he had taken marrying a woman he knew nothing about, but how life had surprised him by giving him someone who had such a clean heart.

“As I have already mentioned, it is easier for me to talk to you about things,” he noted, “like my father.”

Sophia’s expression was one of understanding and regard. Duncan really had been lucky with her.

“You have only mentioned him briefly.”

“You already know what was most important,” Duncan recounted bitterly. “He was not an ideal father, far from it.”

“It must have been difficult,” Sophia noted. “I cannot even imagine what it must have been like for you.”

Duncan shrugged his shoulders. “I worry that I will turn into him.”

“Your Grace, that is the most preposterous thing that you have uttered thus far,” Sophia reassured him. “What makes you think that you have anything in common with someone who was not good even to his children?”

Duncan shrugged his shoulders.

“I do not think that he was a bad person for all of his life. Quite the contrary, he had many friends, and people that spoke of him in a positive manner. It was only after he had children that things became bad,” Duncan explained. “Who’s to say that the same will not happen to me? That is the reason why I do not wish to produce an heir of my own.”

Sophia gasped at his confession.

“But that is an awfully big sacrifice to make. All for something that will not even happen…”

“And how can you guarantee that?” His tone was full of cynicism.

Sophia pursed her lips as though she was carefully measuring out what to say next.

“For one thing, I know that you are a kind man. Far kinder than anyone else I have ever met. I was not sure what I was walking into when I agreed to this marriage, but you have proven to me consistently that you are a man of both your word and your principles,” Sophia noted. “To me, that makes you remarkable.”

Duncan was rendered speechless for a moment, and then, a smile spread across his lips.

“That is quite the high praise, Madam.”

“The stars are my witness; I am only telling the truth,” she said pointing to the sky. “You should not worry about turning into your father. It is clear to me that the two of you are different people entirely.”

Duncan had never really cared for external validation. Compliments did not flatter him the same way that they might other people.

But hearing Sophia say those words meant the world to him. He was touched, and that’s when the realization occurred to him…

What she says means something to me only because she means something to me.

Somehow, Lady Sophia had clawed inside of his heart even though he had thought of it as out of order years priors to her appearance.

He had developed feelings for her, and to deny it further would be foolish, but he was not ready to admit them to her just yet. He had to wait for the right moment.

“I might just believe you, Madam,” he replied, giving her a bright smile.

“I hope that you do. Denying yourself of a happiness like that would be disservice to yourself.”

As Sophia reassured Duncan, her words resonated deeply within him. The weight of his father’s expectations seemed to lift, and for the first time, Duncan felt a sense of freedom.

A freedom that told him that as long as he had Sophia by his side, he did not have to worry about becoming like this father.

“Have you ever thought of having children, Madam?” he asked her.

He was imagining now what a child they created together would look like. Would he have her eyes? Or her smile? He had fallen for Sophia, and the idea of having children with her filled him up with a sense of excitement and surprise at the same time.

He had been so cautious about having a child, and yet here he was, fantasizing about it in the middle of a ball.

“You have asked me a difficult question, Your Grace,” Sophia replied. “I am a woman, so of course, I have thought about it, but…”

“But what?” he inquired, concern filling his voice immediately.

“Let us just say that I worry about things, just as you do.” She cracked a sad smile. “We may not have the same demons, but we both know what it is like to be weighed down by them.”

Duncan took her hand in his and caressed the scar on top of her skin. He did not want to push her into telling him everything, so instead, he just waited.

But her explanation never came. Instead, she just slipped her hands out of his and turned back to the ballroom.

“Do you think we should be heading back now, Your Grace?” she asked.

“I do not know why we must,” the Duke replied, not wanting their moment to end. “All that waits inside is the likes of Barbara, waiting for the perfect moment to cause trouble.”

Sophia bit down on her lip.

“I just believe that Duchess Anna would be happy if I made more of an effort to speak to more people. I do not wish to disappoint her.”

“Very well. You may go, and I shall join you shortly.”

He watched her disappear inside, and he confronted his feelings once again.

Does she even feel the same way? She was shy about her feelings, so it was almost impossible for him to gauge what was going through her head.

Duncan felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to find a pair of brown eyes staring him down. He nearly jumped as he had not noticed anyone sneaking up behind him.

“My Lady, you should really refrain from sneaking up on people like this,” he scolded.

It was Barbara, and she looked like she had been looking for him.

“Can you blame me, Your Grace? So much has changed since the last time we saw each other. While before I would always find you by yourself, now you are always in the company of that…” Barbara gritted her teeth. “Lady Sophia.”

Duncan rolled his eyes at her. Her bitterness was no surprise to him.

“Yes. She is my wife,” he reminded her.

“But why did you have to rush into it? It took you only a few weeks to make the wedding a reality. You did not need to do this. The scandal would have died out eventually when the ton would have found something new to discuss. You did not need to sign your life away in exchange for just making a rumor go away!”

The frustration in her voice was evident.

“I see that this your opinion,” Duncan replied, keeping a polite tone at all times.

Even though Barbara was irritating, he was still a gentleman.

“Why, some people were even trying to insinuate that your marriage was one based on love…”

Barbara scoffed.

The Duke raised an eyebrow in her direction, curious to know how far she would push her argument but growing more annoyed at the same time.

“Love? In our society that is heavily obsessed with appearances? Your Grace, forgive me, but I am at least a bit cynical.”

Duncan noticed how she was holding back from saying more. He was sure that she must have a rude comment prepared about Sophia’s scars, but she dared not make it in his presence.

“Your cynicism does nothing to change the situation. Duchess Sophia and I are very happy with each other,” Duncan told her firmly.

Barbara was unrelenting, so instead she leaned in closer.

“Does Duchess Sophia — does she fully comprehend the responsibilities that come with being a duchess?” she asked.

Duncan’s patience snapped, his tone firm and resolute. “Duchess Sophia is more than capable, and our marriage is none of your concern.

Barbara, satisfied with the tension she had stirred, smiled back at him.

“Oh, I should tell you that the ton will be watching your love story closely. I do hope it doesn’t unravel too quickly.”

“Once again, it is none of your concern,” the Duke snapped.

“Does it really have to be this way?” she inquired. “It is still quite early on. If you decide that something better can be done, then I am sure there are steps you can take…”

Duncan was appalled by her audacity. Was she implying that he should divorce Duchess Sophia?

“You are uttering nonsense now,” Duncan admonished her, “and frankly, I do not have any time for it. I wish you a good evening.”

“No, wait,” Lady Barbara pleaded. “There are things that even you do not know about her. I only worry for you as her being in your life will be bad for you. The curse…”

“Enough.” Duncan put his foot down, leaving no room for argument. “I will not listen to another word of you trying to defame Duchess Sophia like this.”

“But Your Grace —”

“Enough.”

He stormed away from there. Lady Barbara had not taken the news of his marriage well, and he knew that he was going to have to keep an eye out for her in the future.

That woman was not right in the head, and now, more than ever before, he needed to steer clear from her.