Page 63 of Duke of Pride

She shivered but found it in her to lift her chin. Still, she said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate.

Easier said than done.

Stephen was dizzy from the whirring of his thoughts. What he wanted to say, what he needed to say, what he was supposed to say, all was spun by a tornado of emotions. He had to pick up something. He picked the safest one—the familiar mantle he wrapped himself with all his life.

He straightened his coat and adjusted his cufflinks, yearning to look like his old self—the Duke of Colborne, the gentleman who valued propriety and decorum, respected and feared by most. A man who would never cross the line with a lady and walk away from his obligations.

“Miss Victoria Crawford,” he started.

“Oh, my full name,” she joked rather weakly. “I did not think that a stray ball would warrant such formalities.”

Stephen chuckled. Victoria Crawford was, for sure, a force to be reckoned with.

He coughed to bring back the gravity of the situation. She frowned, sensing the shift in the air. He looked at her somberly, masking the tempest inside him, praying that the drumming of his heart didn’t reach her ears.

“Miss Victoria Crawford,” he repeated like an imbecile. “Will you marry me?”

The mallet hit the grass. Victoria stared at him. One beat. Two beats. Then, she threw her head back and roared with laughter. Stephen’s jaw tightened.

“When I mentioned I would miss Euclid, I didn’t mean that you needed to go to such lengths to accommodate me,” she said, almost in tears.

Stephen tucked his hands behind his back and straightened to his full height in perfect ducal composure. He waited for her to read his face and realize the truth.

“You can’t be serious,” she said, shaking her head.

“I am.”

She scoffed and bent down to retrieve the mallet before she resumed her pursuit of the lost ball.

“Victoria!”

She looked up, almost angry. “This is not a laughing matter, Stephen.”

“I agree.”

She searched his face intently.

He remained unmoved, letting the significance of his words get through to her. He knew the instant they did. Her eyes widened, and she drew a deep breath.

“Stephen…” Her voice trembled.

“I fail to comprehend why you are surprised.” He took a step toward her. “After everything that happened, you must have known where this was going.”

She shivered as she shook her head in disbelief. It was delicious to see her shaken like that, to see such a stubborn, sharp-witted lady at a loss for words. The dappled sunlight through the leaves painted intricate patterns on her elegant face.

Stephen felt his body stir again, leaning in already.

Cease this immediately!

The voice in his head sounded too much like his father’s.

“Youareserious. You are asking me to marry you,” she said in disbelief. “But why?”

“Why?”

“Yes, why?” she pressed. “Up till now, you were set on marrying me off. Don’t tell me you just now heard my joke that if you want your mother happy, you should keep me here. Because I was not?—”

“This is not about Euclid and not about my mother.” His tone was somber. “This is about me.”

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