Page 41 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
She walked back into the drawing room, surprised to find Magnus exactly where she had left him.
Soon enough, Mr. Bailey said his goodbyes (with an overly firm handshake and what she prayed wasn’t an attempt at a wink) and left.
“May I speak with you, Nathan?” Lily asked when she heard the sound of the door close to herald the man’s departure.
The man rose from his seat, straightening his jacket.
“I am afraid it will have to wait.” He answered. “I have to write a aletter to some people.”
Some people?
She scoffed, crossing her arms. “Wanting to flee disaster so bad?” Lily asked as her brother scurried away.
Silence fell over the room. Until it was broken by Magnus.
“Well,” he said, arching his eyebrows, “what a vision of matrimonial bliss. Almost enviable.”
Lily sucked in an exasperated breath. “I will smother you with a cushion,” she hissed.
Magnus chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. “Be honest. Was it the cravat or the ego?”
Lily sank into a chair across from him. “He said I looked like a ‘delicate rose about to bloom into a proper duchess.’ I nearly set the gardens on fire.”
“I’m disappointed you didn’t.” He laughed softly.
She sighed, falling quiet for a moment. Her mind drifted to her brother. Perhaps it was a good thing she hadn’t scolded him the moment Mr. Bailey left, because truth be told, he was just doing whatever he could to win back the manor.
“Nathan means well.” The thought slipped out before she could stop it.
Magnus tilted his head, studying her closely. “Does he?”
Although his tone was not mocking, she still turned to look at him sharply. “Yes.”
“Even when he’s throwing you at men like Bailey?” he prodded.
“He’s trying,” she muttered, before looking away. “It’s more than I can say for everyone else.”
“Meaning me.”
She turned to look at him, yet she didn’t answer.
They fell into a long silence, where they locked gazes.
But Magnus broke it.
“You really think I’m standing in your way?” he asked quietly, an edge to his voice.
Her lashes fluttered for a second. She had not expected those words from him, neither had she expected him to capture the thouhts she hadn’t even permitted herself to consciously sit upon so eloquently.
How had she failed so terribly to hide the fact that he afafected her so terribly?
“No. But you’re not moving aside, either,” she whispered.
Magnus nodded slowly, before turning his head to the fireplace. He seemed lost in thought. Except one could never know exactly what went through his mind.
“Perhaps I’m just waiting to see who deserves you.”
“My life is not some sort of entertainment for you. It shouldn’t be.”
