Chapter 19

At first, Duncan thought that the reason he did not see Sophia very often was because of his own busy schedule. As the Duke, he had many duties that made him leave the house for long periods of time.

But then he had a small stretch of days when he was not occupied with work, and instead he had more time to spend at the estate. Meeting Sophia was a rare occurrence, even then.

Even his mother seemed to have taken a note.

“I trust that all is going well in your marriage,” Duchess Anna asked him over breakfast. She had been visiting them that morning as she did from time to time. “I hope you have not come to regret your decision marrying in such a rush.”

“Regret?” the Duke repeated. “I honor my decisions, mother. Not regret them.”

“Yes, I am aware, but I am worried that you are only honoring them in theory. How is it that I rarely see the two of you together? In fact, I am sure that the Duchess has spent more time with your brother than she has with you at this point.”

An odd emotion stirred inside of him at his mother’s words. He was sure that her intention was not to spark jealousy, but he could not help but feel a certain way over having learned this new fact.

“That does not matter, for she is married to me and not my brother.” Duncan’s words came out more sour than he had intended.

“Of course, I was not suggesting…” his mother begun to backtrack immediately.

“It is all right,” he said. “I just would tell that you should not keep such an eagle’s gaze on the trajectory of our relationship. We are fine, and there is nothing to worry about.”

Duncan cut his conversation with his mother short and exited the breakfast table. He was growing more and more frustrated now.

What was going on with Sophia? She was always polite to him whenever she saw him in person, but she did seem to go out of her way to avoid him.

Something had to be done.

The opportunity finally arose when Duncan ran into Sophia in the library. She sat there on the sofa, engrossed in her book.

“Madam, may I join you?” he asked softly as he approached her.

Sophia’s eyes darted between him and then the clock.

“Oh… Your Grace, I did not expect you to be home at this hour,” she replied, noticeably flushed.

She did not expect to run into me.

“I did not have work to do today,” he explained before plopping down on one of the sofas beside her. “Do you mind me asking you what you are reading?”

Sophia replied, “Oh, um, I’m reading…”

“Is that a romance novel?” Duncan asked, his curiosity piqued immensely.

Sophia tried to hide the title with her hands, but it was clear that the Duke had already read it. She nodded in an embarrassed manner.

“Indeed, it is.”

“Can I see?” the Duke asked, holding out his hand so that she could put the novel there. “Funny, I did not have you pinned down as the type that was interested in reading romance novels. In fact, you did not mention it to me either when I asked you earlier about what sort of novels you preferred to read.”

“I did not mention it to you because I did not want you to think less of me,” she admitted. “I do enjoy romance novels. In fact, they are some of my most read books.”

Duncan was stunned by her confession.

“So, you are indeed interested in romance?” he asked, blinking once.

“Yes,” she admitted in an embarrassed tone. “Who does not like a good romance?”

You. You are not supposed to like a good romance.

Duncan’s mind was racing now. All this time, Duncan had rationalized to himself that one of the reasons why his relationship with Sophia had not progressed was because she was just shy. Perhaps she did not like romance. It was not something that she felt comfortable with.

But now that he knew that she liked to spend her spare time reading about fictional romances, it stung him a little that she did not want something similar in her real life.

“Are you disappointed that I read novels like these, Your Grace?” Sophia asked.

Duncan shook his head.

“I would not use the word disappointed,” he admitted. “More like, I am confused.”

“Confused?” Sophia’s scrunched up her nose at him. “Why on earth would that confuse you? After all, it is not rare for a young woman to want to read romances.”

“Is your penchant for romance only limited to reading?” he questioned, a sense of urgency laced in his tone. “Or do you wish to experience it as well?”

Sophia was silent.

“Tell me, Madam.” Duncan leaned forward and captured her hand in his. He had reached his limit now and could not help himself any longer.

“I…” She diverted her gaze away from him, too shy to look him in the eyes. “I am not sure if I have an answer to that question.”

“I am sure that you do,” Duncan insisted. “When you read these books that you are so fond of, do you not wish that your life would be like that too? It is a different matter entirely when you are single, but now that you are married, you have the option of experiencing this.”

“Your Grace…” Sophia’s breath seemed hitched in her throat.

“It would be insincere of me if I were to keep you in the dark any longer. The truth of the matter is that I seem to have developed a fondness for you,” Duncan continued, feeling emboldened by the heat of the moment, “A fondness that I cannot get myself to shake off so easily. I find that I actually look forward to seeing you, and then I grow disappointed when I cannot.”

Sophia was listening to everything that he was saying intently. Was he finally getting through to her?

“It is not something that I have ever experienced before in my life. In my youth, I experienced infatuations, but they do not hold a candle to what I feel for you,” he explained. “Against all my rationales, I have come to surrender. This must be love that I feel; it cannot be anything else.”

Sophia was sure that she was dreaming. She had only imagined this in her sweetest dreams, but the Duke was sitting in front of her, confessing his feelings to her.

“I have fallen in love with you, Madam,” he continued, looking deep into her eyes now.

Sophia could not believe her ears. Since when did things like this happen to women like her? She was cursed, and declarations of love were not suited to someone who carried the weight of a curse.

“You are mistaken,” she replied, standing up now and slipping her hand out of her his reach. “I do not blame you for being mistaken of course. It can happen to the best of us.”

“Mistaken?” the Duke stood up, furrowing his brow. “Are you equating my love to a mistake?”

“No, I am reminding you why you entered into this marriage. It was only out of a sense of duty, and you should recall that. What you feel now is merely an illusion. You think that love has developed in your heart because we share the title of husband and wife when in reality this is not the case.”

Sophia was trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince him. At this point, however, she was unsure of how much conviction her voice even held.

“I know how I feel,” Duncan replied, his voice growing irked for the first time in this interaction. “You do not need to explain away how I feel. I would not tell you unless I knew for sure what it was that I was feeling.”

Sophia shook her head.

“No, you are wrong.”

“You are so stubborn,” the Duke complained. Every time she took a step back to get away from him, he took a step forward so that the distance between them did not grow to be so great. “Besides, what you are doing right now is merely deflecting. I have not asked you to explain how I feel. I am asking you what you feel… about me.”

Sophia gulped. It would be difficult to lie to him when he was looking at her so intensely like that.

She took another step back, but her back hit the wall. She was cornered now, and Duncan was approaching her.

“What is it, Madam?” he asked, slowly touching the side of her face with the back of his hand. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

She shook her head.

“Do you feel the same?”

Sophia was silent. He was close enough that he would be able to call her out on her bluff if she even tried to lie about her feelings. Everything inside of her was responding to him now: her chest was heaving, and her cheeks were flushing red. Butterflies had erupted inside of her stomach as soon as he had reached out and touched her.

She was smitten and lying about it felt impossible when it was so obvious in her body language.

“Madam, how little of an idea you have of what you do to me.” The Duke’s voice was strained. “I want nothing more than to kiss you at this moment.”

Sophia did not dare to reply, even though she wanted the same. She hoped that he would take the initiative and close the distance between them himself.

How she longed for him to read her mind.

“But I shall refrain myself.” The Duke took a step back. “I do not wish to do anything that you do not want as well.”

“Your Grace, I…” Sophia struggled to find the right words. She did not want to appear too forward, yet at the same time, she did not want him to move away from her. It was as though she had found herself in the midst of a conflicting situation.

A lady never makes the first move. That was what was fed to her all her life. How was she to throw away years of what she had learned, even though at this moment she felt tempted to?

“Let me make this easier for you,” the Duke’s voice softened. Had he picked up on the internal struggle she was going through?

“How?”

“I will count to five.” He flashed her a smile. “During that time, you tell me if you do not reciprocate your feelings for me. If that is the case, then I shall back away and never touch you again. But if you do not say anything by the time I am finished counting, I will have my answer.”

Sophia gulped loudly, her heart thumping loudly in her chest and her hands clammy with the nervousness she felt.

“One…”

Sophia bit down on her lip and opened her mouth to speak.

Do the right thing, Sophia. Tell him you do not return his feelings. Save him from a life of ruin from your curse.

“Two…”

Sophia’s mind said one thing, but her heart another. Even as she tried to force herself to tell him a lie, her mouth did not cooperate. It was as though the words had died inside her throat, refusing to come out.

“Three… time’s ticking, Madam…”

“I…”

“Four…”

Sophia closed her eyes, knowing that she could not fight what was inside of her any longer.

“Five.”

It all happened very fast after that. In a long stride, he was able to close the distance between first their bodies and then their lips. His lips felt soft against hers, and Sophia got lost in the kiss, unable to pull away.

She had dreamed about this moment ever since they had kissed last. Fireworks erupted inside of her, and the moment felt so right.

As they eventually parted, their eyes met, and an unspoken understanding passed between them.

“But what if it would have taken me more than five seconds to think of an answer?” Sophia asked, breaking the silence, still maintaining their eye contact.

“Impossible. When it comes to matters of the heart, even five seconds is too long. You know instantly, and I could tell that you already did,” he teased her, causing a blush to form on her face.

“I suppose you are correct,” Sophia replied, feeling intoxicated by the kiss.

“Am I now? Madam, you have driven me to the point of madness these last few days. I do not want to guess anymore. You will have to tell me what you feel with your words and with clarity. I have fallen in love with you. Those words have never been uttered from my lips for anyone else. You are the first to hear them.”

She bit down on her lip.

“I… love you too.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but thankfully the Duke was close enough that he could make out what she had just said.

A warm smile spread across his lips, and he wrapped her in his embrace.

“I wanted to hear it from you,” he said, smiling.

“I knew that I have harbored feelings for you for some time now,” she admitted, looking straight at him. She felt safe with him as though she could tell him anything.

“Then why did you keep me second guessing?” he demanded. “At one point, I was concerned that you even disliked me, for it appeared that you were avoiding me.”

“My apologies, Your Grace…”

“Duncan,” he corrected her softly, “I would like you to say my name when you address me now. Do away with the formalities.”

“Duncan,” she repeated, liking the way his name sounded in her mouth, “I was avoiding you only because I wanted to protect you from the…”

“Curse?” Duncan shot back, shocked.

She nodded.

“So, you have been deliberately trying to put a distance between us because you think that you will harm me with your curse?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I know you do not believe in it, but it was what I considered to be the right thing.”

“Oh, Sophia,” the Duke shook his head, “how can someone be so tender-hearted? There is no curse; it is just something that people came up with to make you feel bad. Nothing will happen to me. You elevate my life, not curse it.”

She bit down on her lip. She could still feel where his lips had been just moments ago.

“That is what everyone else keeps saying, too,” she admitted. “Maybe, they are right. Maybe there is no curse to speak of.”

“Yes, now you are on the right track,” Duncan noted, lacing both their fingers together and then kissing the top of her head gently. “There is no curse.”

“When you say it to me like that,” Sophia sighed happily, “I want to believe it.”

“It is true that our union was… unique, but I think that I could not have found a better partner than you,” Duncan admitted, earnestly. “We should give each other the chance to spend more time in each other’s company. I, for one, am dying to do so. Do not keep yourself away from me, my love.”

Sophia nearly melted when she heard him call her that.

“I will not,” she agreed.

“Promise me?”

“I promise.”

When he kissed the top of her head again, Sophia knew that she was sick.

Lovesick. And her only cure was Duncan. For him, she was willing to believe that she was not cursed, if only it gave her the opportunity to spend more time with him.

Good thing that they had the rest of their lives together.

Just then, Cecil ventured into where the two of them were.

“Oh,” Sophia muttered in surprise, “she must have heard my voice and came looking for me.”

“So that is the infamous Cecil,” Duncan looked in the cat’s direction. “The animal that is so precious to you that you could not bear to leave your family home without her.”

“I consider her to be my family,” Sophia smiled. “I think the both of you have not had a chance to interact yet.”

Cecil was circling curiously around where the Duke was now, sniffing him and purring as she rubbed herself against his legs.

“You must translate what her gestures mean,” Duncan remarked as both of them stared down at the cat. “I am not quite as fluent in cat-speak as you are.”

Sophia smiled, almost beaming now.

“I am pleased to tell that you this means that Cecil likes you.”

“Ah, so I am approved by the family cat after all then,” Duncan laughed.

“Indeed, you are.”

For Sophia, this felt like yet another sign that Duncan was the right person for her. Cecil was notoriously picky with whom she accorded affection to, and the fact that she was so easily getting along with the Duke meant something.

In her haze of love, Sophia finally began to shed away the cynicism that had clung onto her every thought like rust ever since her accident.

Could Sophia be lucky enough that she finally had a shot at a normal love story? No, there was nothing normal about their love story at all. It was the most extraordinary experience that Sophia had ever had.

“What are you thinking?” Duncan’s voice was soft, and he tucked away a strand of Sophia’s hair from her face. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not noticed that silence had filled up between them.

Except, it was not an uncomfortable silence. It was a silence that felt natural and held no pressure to say the perfect thing.

Sophia looked back at the Duke, the happiness she felt on the inside evident on her face.

“About you.”

“Me?” Duncan grinned, pleased by her response. “What do I owe that immense honour?”

“Well,” Sophia pursed her lips, “It is only natural, since you have quite the knack of occupying my thoughts.”

“Even when I am not around?”

“Especially when you are not around,” Sophia smiled.

They gazed into each other’s eyes in a sweet, tender moment. Only to be interrupted by Cecil meowing loudly.

“I suppose she’s hungry,” Sophia laughed at the comic timing of the interruption.

“You seem to be in an awfully good mood,” Jacob noted as he met Sophia at the dinner table later that evening. Duncan had not arrived yet, and it was just the two of them there.

“Can you tell?” Sophia asked, not able to keep the smile off her face. “I guess I cannot hide it, can I?”

“Any special occasion?” Jacob asked, curiosity tinging his voice. “I have not seen you this happy in… well, ever.”

“A lady cannot spill all her secrets…”Sophia knew she was being quite coy, much to Jacob’s annoyance.

“Very well, then. That means that I must resort to some detective work,” Jacob said. “Let me guess… Was it something my brother did?”

“What is it with the Blackmoore family and their observational skills?” Sophia thought out loud. “Can no one keep anything from you?”

Jacob laughed out loud at her theatrics. “So, I am correct. It is something that my dearest brother did after all.”

“Indeed…”

“Did he finally profess his undying love for you?” Jacob teased. “If so, then it was a long time coming. About time.”

Sophia blushed. Just then, Duncan joined them at the table.

“I heard my name,” he said, before kissing Sophia on the top of her head.

Jacob’s mouth hung open, and Sophia was blushing red.

“My, my, brother. Have some decency. Displays of affection, in public?” Jacob’s asked, tongue in cheek.

“Public?” Duncan shrugged. “I only see you here.”

“So, this explains why the two of you are so happy this morning,” Jacob laughed, finally piecing everything together. “I must say, well done. I am happy that the two of you are not going to live in denial anymore and will finally behave like a married couple.”

Sophia and Duncan exchanged a glance.

“Well, our marriage is sorted,” Sophia replied. “Now is it going to be your turn to find a nice girl?”

“Finally,” Duncan laughed, squeezing Sophia’s hand softly. “The two of us can team up and tease Jacob as he loves to do to others.”

“Yes, I believe that he should get a taste of his own medicine…”

Jacob chuckled. “Now, I am wondering if I liked it better when the two of you acted like two awkward people who fancied each other in secret. You have only joined forces together now.”

“I must say, you were the only one who had the foresight to predict it way before we both did,” Duncan replied.

“Well, brother. You should not be so shocked. After all, we all know that the brains in the Blackmoore family all went to me.” Jacob boasted.

“Let us not change the topic, shall we?” Sophia interjected. “We wish to know when you are going to bring home a nice girl of your own.”

“There is no nice girl of my own,” Jacob replied sarcastically.

“Then perhaps you require some assistance?” Duncan said, looking back at Sophia. “My dear, you must have some friends that you can introduce my brother to, do you not?”

Sophia racked her brain. “I am afraid that I lack in the friends department, but in any case, I must first know what sort of girl Jacob is after.”

“My criteria are too difficult for anyone to fulfill,” Jacob replied in earnest. “Most importantly, I would want someone who can handle my sense of humor and have the ability to dish out some of her own jokes.”

“A pair of jokers,” Duncan shook his head. “You might as well say that you are looking to start a circus.”

Sophia nudged her husband and shook her head to signal her disapproval.

“Absolutely not. Not a circus, I think what Jacob is saying is the key to a happy marriage after all,” she suggested. “The ability to share a laugh.”

“Is that so?”

“See?” Jacob grinned, satisfied with himself. “Your wife agrees with me, brother.”

“The ability to share a laugh…” the Duke repeated. “Well, I suppose that we will begin our search and keep you posted.”

“Please do not,” Jacob groaned.

“Oh, we will,” Sophia added playfully.

It felt incredibly freeing that Sophia no longer had to run away from her feelings. For one thing, she did not have to spend most of her time alone anymore.

She sat in her room with the Duke. He was sitting a few feet away from her on the bed and observing her from a distance.

“Were you serious about wanting to find a wife for Jacob?” she inquired.

“No, not particularly,” Duncan laughed. “I just wanted to tease him a little as the activity is too fun to pass up. I am sure that he will be able to find a match for himself when the time is right.”

“I suppose so,” she agreed. “I was not looking forward to playing matchmaker either. For one thing, my limited social circle makes me an awful candidate.”

The Duke chuckled and moved closer to her, now resting one of his hands on top of her shoulders. He began playing with her hair gently.

“Sophia…”

“Yes?” Sophia turned to face him, curiosity glimmering in her eyes.

“I have to ask you an important question.”

“And what might that be, Your…” Sophia stopped herself mid-way. “Duncan?”

“You must answer this for me,” he said. “Why did the lady bring a ladder to the ball?”

Sophia stared at him in confusion. Where was this coming from?

“Um, I am not sure. Perhaps she got the wrong address?”

Duncan laughed out loud at her answer and then shook his head. “No, she had heard that drinks were on the house.”

The ridiculousness of his joke caught Sophia by surprise, and she burst out laughing.

“Oh, my. Where did that come from?” she inquired.

“What do you call a well-mannered ghost at a gathering?” he asked, clearly not having exhausted his repertoire of jokes.

“Surprise me.”

“A genteel spirit,” he replied, and Sophia burst out laughing once again.

“I must say, you are being more amusing than usual,” she admitted, smiling ear to ear.

“Splendid. Then, my aim has been accomplished,” he replied. “You said that the key to a successful marriage is making each other laugh.”

“You held onto that?” Sophia felt touched that he had been paying so much attention to what she was saying. She had only made the remark in an off-hand manner to Jacob.

“Of course, I did. I have only just recently professed my love for you. Anything that helps me solidify our connection, I am willing to do,” he pointed out.

“That really means a lot to me,” she replied.

The two of them stared into each other’s eyes again. They were behaving like two love birds who could not get enough of each other.

Their relationship had moved from being cautious to being completely infatuated with one another now. She could not keep the smile off her face, and he was the one who had given it to her.

“I must say,” Sophia observed, “I find this much easier to do than… acting.”

“Of course, you do,” Duncan chuckled. “We are being our own authentic selves. There is no need for any pretense here.”

He tucked a strand of her hair away from her face and behind her ear.

“No need for any pretense indeed…”