The Heart of a Duke (23 page)

Tenderness swept over her as her parents
strolled toward the door arm-in-arm. Their support buoyed her
spirits.

At the threshold, they paused. “We will be
next door in my study when your audience is over.”

“
Yes, Papa.”

He left the door open a crack. Langley
remained standing, his posture as unbending as iron and his hands
linked behind his back. He appeared too large and grand in her
humble home.

Valera tipped her head to the side to study
him. She had never realized it before, but he looked amazingly
similar to a fish when he was out of sorts. His mouth turned down
at the corners and puckered, giving him the appearance of a
bass.

The duke’s eyes narrowed.

Valera sat up straighter and smiled. She
really hoped he didn’t ask what she was thinking just
now.

“
Well, Miss Bell. I had hoped to
have this matter taken care of quickly, and I’m at a loss as to
what your father expects from me. Perhaps you can enlighten
me.”

“
Do you know the meaning of
putting the cart before the horse, Your Grace?”

His lips puckered even more. “I’m uncertain
how it is relevant to our situation, but yes, I know the
meaning.”

It seemed she must spell it out for him, which
was rather disappointing. She had expected a man of his age and
station to be smarter. “You are assuming I will agree to marry you,
and yet you haven’t asked me.”

He recoiled, his mouth gaping in
horror.

Her heart fluttered. He was here
to offer marriage, wasn’t he? How humiliating if she had
misunderstood his intentions. And she had accused
him
of getting ahead of
himself.

He clamped his lips together, slowly rolled
his neck, then adjusted his jacket. “I hadn’t considered you might
refuse, Miss Bell.”

His answer surprised her. Surely even a duke
must propose before a young lady stood in front of the parson with
him. Of course, that hadn’t been the case with his betrothal to
Elle. She had been a baby when she was promised to him.

As long as they were being honest… “I hadn’t
considered you might not ask for my opinion, Your
Grace.”

There was a small twitching of his lips. If
she didn’t know better, she might believe he’d almost smiled. “Am I
to assume you have many opinions, Miss Bell?”

“That
is
a fair assumption.” With a
dignified and straight back, Valera pushed from the settee and
strolled toward the parlor door. “I am sure you are a busy man, and
I cannot in good conscience waste your time. Although I am
flattered, I must refuse your offer.”

The color drained from his face. Likely, he
didn’t hear no often enough. A perverse part of her almost wished
she could be his wife for no other reason than to help him grow
accustomed to the word.

She opened the door wider. “It was good of you
to call, Your Grace.”

The muscles in his jaw shifted and hardened as
he approached the door. He stopped in front of her to look down his
nose. “I hope you have no regrets on the morrow. I won’t offer
again.”

He had never offered the first time, but she
didn’t think it would be wise to point out the obvious. Instead,
she offered a gracious smile. “I wish you the best in your search
for a duchess.”

The front door bell rang as Langley stood
there blinking at her, looking a little lost. Valera nearly felt
sorry for him, but he was a duke. Powerful, wealthy, reasonably
handsome if only he would smile. The Duke of Langley would have no
trouble finding another lady eager to become his bride.

“
Good day, Your Grace. I will
extend your goodbyes to my parents.”

He snapped out of his stupor, spun on his
heel, and stalked from the parlor, his boots pounding the marble
floor in the foyer.

Chapter Eight

Alex withdrew a small box from his jacket
pocket and rang the bell a second time, eager to see Valera. His
conversation with his parents had gone better than he had hoped
last night. Although he had been prepared with his arguments, none
had been needed.

“
We like Miss Bell a great deal,”
his father had said. “Your choice pleases us.”

Mother had glanced up from her correspondence
and smiled. “I had hoped you would come around
eventually.”

Alex had narrowed his eyes at his father,
certain his parents were about to spring a trick on him. It wasn’t
like them to be so cooperative. “After all these years of
impressing upon me the importance of duty and following family
tradition, you are willing to allow me to do as I
please?”

Mother had folded her hands on her lap and
smiled smugly. “As long as your desires align with ours, we have no
reason to object. Why do you think we welcomed Miss Bell into our
home so often? She has always been our first choice for
you.”

His mother’s revelation had come as a blow.
“Has our marriage already been arranged? Don’t tell me she was
still in nappies like Elle. Does Valera know?”

“
Don’t be ridiculous, darling. We
didn’t know Miss Bell when she was in nappies. We came to know her
family when she was ten or eleven. And I highly doubt her father
ever mentioned the matter to her.”

His father had come to stand beside Mother in
a show of unity. “Mr. Bell wasn’t keen on the idea of choosing her
husband for her. He suggested we wait to see if love blossomed
between you, and we are happy to see it has. After all,” Father had
said in a booming voice, “this is the nineteenth century. Love is
in fashion these days.”

Alex should have been infuriated with his
parents’ meddling, but he wasn’t. Not when he was free to marry the
woman he wanted.

Then his father had done something that
shocked Alex and made his mother giggle like a debutante. He’d
stolen a kiss from her. The entire incident had been undignified
and improper. And Alex was still grinning from ear-to-ear. It
seemed after all these years love had blossomed between his
parents, but how much better it would be to start a marriage
already in love.

The sturdy black door swung open, and Alex
held out his card. “Lord Ravenswood to see—” His cheerful greeting
choked off when Langley barreled through the threshold and nearly
collided with him.

The duke stopped abruptly and cursed under his
breath, retreating a few steps into the foyer. Alex
followed.

“
What the hell are you doing
here?” Alex said gruffly.

Langley withdrew behind his cold shield, calm
and in control again. His gaze landed on the gift in Alex’s hands.
“Apparently the same as you. Best of luck, Ravenswood. You are
going to need it.”

That couldn’t mean— “Did you propose to
her?”

Red blotches formed on the duke’s cheeks. “You
could say that.”

Langley hadn’t even bothered with courting
Valera, and yet he’d had the gall to offer marriage.

Arrogant
bastard
!

But would it matter to Valera if the duke
hadn’t plied her with flowers and sweet words? She believed Langley
was her destiny.

Alex snarled. “Miss Bell is not the woman for
you. You are going to regret this.”

Langley mumbled something that sounded like he
already had regrets, but his words barely penetrated Alex’s blood
thirst. Fury smashed through his fragile restraint. He was like a
wild boar single-mindedly charging his enemy to protect those he
loved. Alex wouldn’t allow the man to destroy what he loved best in
Valera.

“
She could never be the duchess
you want.” He jabbed a finger in Langley’s direction. “She speaks
her mind freely, likely because she knows things ladies have no
business knowing.” Alex’s voice grew louder with each word, and he
advanced on Langley. The duke held his ground.

“
Her reading selections are
inappropriate at best. Some might even call them scandalous. And
she’s forever spouting ridiculous sayings like she is one’s nanny
rather than a young lady.”

The duke looked a little pale now. “I hadn’t
noticed.”

“
You hadn’t noticed.” Had the man
noticed anything about her besides her gender and good family name?
Did he know she could light up a room with one smile? Had he seen
her fiddle with that damnable necklace and realized she was
nervous? Had he dreamed of kissing her every time she was deep in
thought and nibbled her bottom lip?

Of course he hadn’t, but Alex had.

“She has no talent for hiding what
she feels either,” Alex added. “How could you expect her to play
the part of demure duchess when you have said something careless
and upset her? The entire
ton
would know the state of your marriage with one
glance.”

The duke’s Adam’s apple dipped. “I-I had no
idea she was so unsuitable.”

Langley’s negative reaction didn’t surprise
Alex, but it still infuriated him. If the duke loved Valera as Alex
did, he would see these as strengths. He would admire her honesty
and revel in her wit. If anyone was unacceptable, it was the
duke.

His fingers curled into a fist. “I
can’t think of
anyone
more unsuitable than—”

An anguished cry derailed Alex’s attack. There
was movement beyond the duke’s shoulder. Valera was standing in the
foyer. Her ghostly complexion and shimmering eyes knocked the
breath from him.

Dear God, she had overheard. How could she not
when Alex had been shouting?

“
Miss Bell, it’s not what it
seems.” But it was exactly as it seemed. He was attempting to
poison the man she wanted to marry against her.

Langley’s head swung toward her. “Miss
Bell?”

She covered her mouth as tears slid down her
rounded cheeks.

“
Valera.” Alex took a step toward
her, but she held up a hand.

“
No.” Her voice shook. “I have
heard enough.” She turned and dashed for the back part of the
house. The fading sound of her sobs ripped through him.

Alex had done this to her. He had hurt and
humiliated her. The foyer filled with thick silence. Even the
butler didn’t move to toss Alex and the duke from the
house.

Langley cleared his throat. “I owe you my
gratitude, Ravenswood. As you said, the girl would never
do.”

Fire swept through Alex’s veins. “That is the
woman I love, you blackheart.”

His fist slammed into Langley’s jaw. The
duke’s head snapped back, and a startled scream sounded behind him.
Alex drew his arm back to deliver another facer.

“
Enough!” Mr. Bell’s bark made
Alex freeze.

Slowly, his surroundings came into focus. His
ragged breath evened out.

Valera’s mother was leaning against a small
marble top table, her face gaunt and pale.

His arm trembled from the effort of holding
his fury in check. He dropped his fist. “Sir, please forgive me. I
realize this looks bad, but—”

“
I am aware of how this looks,
Ravenswood. I am no stranger to jealousy.”

Langley gingerly wiggled his jaw back and
forth. An angry mark forecast a nasty bruise to come. “Are you
jealous? Is that it, Ravenswood?”

Damnation
. What a fool Alex had made of himself. Valera’s father would
have him banned from his town house, forbidden from ever seeing
Valera again.

“
You claimed there was no
understanding between you,” Langley said. “You said she was an old
family friend. I wouldn’t have considered her had I known of your
interest. When Lyndhurst said she came highly
recommended—”

“She is
perfect
for someone capable of
appreciating her.” Alex’s glare indicated the duke wasn’t that
someone.

Langley smiled. “You have it bad for the lady,
don’t you?”

“
She is the best thing to come
into my life,” Alex said with a lift to his chin, “and you had to
steal her away.”

The duke laughed. Alex considered striking him
again, except Valera was unlikely to forgive him as it was. He
didn’t want to add sending her mother into the vapors to his list
of transgressions.

“The lady spurned my offer,
Ravenswood. She will not have me. A
duke.
” Langley threw his arms wide
“Spurned twice in one Season. What are the odds?”

He walked out of the town house, mumbling to
himself about what young ladies were being taught these days, while
Alex stared after him with his jaw hanging open.