Page 65 of Five Ways to Bed a Duke

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’ll concede that point.” He nodded. “Do go on with his list of charms.”

She stuck her tongue out at him for using her love for well-written lists against her. She was slightly flattered that he remembered, but she pushed the thought aside and continued.

“He and I share a common love of botany, so we’ll have a lot to discuss,” she added.

“Almost every young man in England is into botany these days. They literally have nothing else to do with their time except drink or visit brothels.”

She raised an eyebrow at his comment.

“Sorry. Do go on. I won’t interrupt again.”

“I surely hope so,” she bit out. “He is a good listener and doesn’t treat me like I cannot have opinions just because I am a woman.”

Richard nodded in understanding, and she knew he wanted to make a snide remark but refrained from doing so because he had already given her his word.

Annoying man.

“Best of all, he seems to really like me and isn’t one to delay letting a woman know his intentions towards her. He is not afraid to let me know of his feelings for me,” she added.

Catherine looked at him purposefully at that last point, feeling her anger rise again. Why did she have to defend her choice of spouse to this man, who cared nothing for her?

“Those are valid points, but trust me when I say he doesn’t care for you the way you think he does. He?—”

“You cannot possibly know that,” she argued, shaking her head.

“I do know it to be true,” he insisted. “He told me so himself. He is only marrying you to get back at me.”

She scoffed and gave a mocking laugh. He really was so full of himself.

“Not everything revolves around you,Your Grace,” she spat. “How can you say something so mean? I know you don’t care for me, but for the sake of the short friendship we had, couldn’t you wish me happiness?”

“I’m trying to save you from a lifetime of sorrow, Catherine. And I…” He heaved a deep sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. “I do care for you. More than you could imagine. I?—”

“You cannot say you care for me now. You do not have that right. Not after you spent so long acting as though it was nothing more than a flu that would pass with time.”

“Catherine, I have never experienced anything as all-consuming as this.” He sighed, exasperated. “You have somehow rendered my fears of marriage baseless, and for the first time, I find myself hoping, wanting something. Wanting to make someone other than myself and my sister happy. I have no reason to lie to you, Cathy.”

Tears filled her eyes, turning her vision blurry. She wanted to believe him, wanted to throw herself into his arms now that he was finally admitting that he did have feelings for her, but she did not think that he would be confessing that if he did not see Lord Livingston as a threat.

“How am I supposed to believe you, Richard?” she asked in a small voice as a lone tear fell. “You waited until Lord Livingston was so close to proposing to decide. I cannot trust that your feelings are as you say they are.”

He took her hands in his, shocking her, his blue eyes glittering intensely.

“I do understand your reservations, but… I cannot do anything to prove my sincerity, but I do promise that these feelings aren’t based on jealousy,” he explained. “I have talked to my sister and mother, and they’ve helped me understand that the reason I cannot get you out of my head night and day is that I’m hopelessly in love with you.”

Catherine’s head snapped up to his, her eyes going wide at his confession. His face revealed his vulnerability in admitting that.

Not one to use people’s feelings against them, she shook her head. “I don’t understand. You… you love me?”

The words were too hard to believe even though they’d come from her mouth.

“Yes, Cathy mine.” He laughed. “I do love you. I spent so long trying to deny it, but with each glare you shot me and every challenging tilt of your chin, you gradually wormed your way into my heart. I have never wanted to be with anyone as much as I have wanted to be with you. These past two weeks have been one sleepless night after another. My dreams are plagued with memories of you lying on my desk, and I want to make those dreams come true for the rest of my life if you will have me.”

Catherine gasped just as the carriage came to a stop. She recognized they’d just stopped outside his townhouse.

“What are you asking, Richard?” she asked, even though she had understood him.

“I am asking you to marry me, Catherine.” He smiled, looking unsure for the first time ever. “If you wouldn’t mind the extra work of teaching me to love you the way you deserve every day.”

---