Page 24 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
Magnus sighed inwardly.
“Well, whatever it is, it must have been quite disappointing to have you so close to tears,” he joked, looking away to avoid seeing her reaction.
She didn’t speak for a while, drawing his attention back to her.
“You have no idea what it is like to be in my position, Your Grace,” she bit out, her gaze accusatory.
He knew he had struck a nerve.
He sobered up then, as she had also struck a nerve.
“Perhaps not,” he relented, painful memories flashing through his mind. “I might not know what it’s like to be in your position, but I do know a thing or two about what it’s like to be trapped. Which is what you must be feeling right now.”
Awkward silence fell between them, and she looked away, blinking as if holding back tears.
“I received a letter from the matchmaker,” she sighed, breaking the silence. “A response to the letter I had sent last week.”
Magnus nodded, tucking his hands behind his back. “I see. So, what was it about?” he asked.
Lily shook her head. “I just know I have to look for another alternative,” she replied.
He quickly understood what that meant. If she had to look for another alternative, then the matchmaker must have declined her request to set her up with someone.
That wasn’t good at all.
“So, it seems you were rejected by the matchmaker.” He had expected it to come out as a joke, but it sounded like a jeer even to him.
Her face reddened with either anger or embarrassment. “It is nothing like that, Your Grace.”
He almost scoffed. Why did she insist on lying when she could just tell him the truth he already knew? Was she that determined to do everything on her own while her brother, the cause of her current problems, caroused around town?
“Is it, Lady Lily?” he challenged.
Lily blinked her eyes again, determined to hold back her tears. She was clearly fighting with everything in her not to give in to despair in front of him.
She stared up at him for a moment, then her eyes flitted away. “I will handle it, Your Grace. You need not worry about it.”
“But are you sure about that?” Magnus took another step toward her. “I might not be a woman, but I am somewhat familiar with how hard it could be for a lady of your… calibre to try to find a husband, especially under the circumstances.”
He paused, as though to let that sink in.
“Especially when we put your family’s history into consideration,” he added, without much thought.
Her eyes shot up at the mention of her family, and she sure didn’t look very happy about it.
“What do you think you know about my family’s history, Your Grace?” She didn’t sound happy either.
Magnus smirked. “I am a duke, My Lady. I happen to know quite a lot of things. I know what your father was like. I wasn’t there, but I also know what his father before him was like. I was told about him, and I know that the fragile foundation they laid down is part of the cause of the problems you are experiencing today.”
He watched as she lowered her head again and clasped her hands together, rubbing them nervously.
He felt a pang of guilt; he had made her anxious.
“But you can always start afresh,” he continued, hoping to make things better. “You just need to desire it enough.”
Lily looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes. “It is not as easy as you make it sound, Your Grace. Not when I’m constantly chained by my duty to my family. There is no such thing as starting afresh for me.”
Her eyes glistened, and he couldn’t look away from them.
