Page 70 of A Deal with her Forbidden Duke
He did not want to admit what his heart did at his confession—the slight jump, in hoping that she agreed their marriage was a preferred option.
“I agree,” she said softly. “I do not know what I would have done had the new Lord Kinsfeld had his way.”
“I would never have let that happen,” Alexander said hotly, a bite in his voice.
He shook his head. He would not think of her thrown onto the streets with not even one penny.No, absolutely not.
“However, if youtrulywish to thank me…”
“Alexander!” she laughed. “We have barely come down from your chambers.”
“I did not mean that,” he answered, smirking. “You may thank me by attending an opera performance with me. I wish for us to be seen together in a setting that is not a ball. They make you uncomfortable, and while we must go, I wanted to find something for you to do that you will enjoy.”
“Who told you I like the opera?”
Alexander winked. “Perhaps a certain Earl mentioned it in passing. I have purchased us tickets for a concert this week.”
Madeleine’s face lit up, her hands clasping together. “I would be delighted to go! But… doyoulike the opera?”
He paused. “I… I do.”
“You hesitate,” she noted.
“My mother was a lover of music,” he told Madeleine, wondering why he felt the need to discuss her.
His mother’s death was a wound he had not touched in many, many years. Not since he had taken the broken duchy and began to rebuild it six years prior.
“She used to take me when I was a young boy.”
“Did she play any instruments?”
Alexander paused before nodding. “Yes. Perhaps tomorrow we can go to the music room. I could show you her old sheet music.”
“I would like that,” Madeleine told him. “My father once loved music but…” she sighed. “He found other things to love instead.”
“Taverns? Women?” His own father’s face flashed through his mind. He quickly ignored it.
“Perhaps, but mostly popularity,” she answered. “He was desperate to climb higher on the social ladder. It was he who arranged my marriage to Donald when I was eighteen.”
“I am sorry.”
To his surprise, Madeleine let out a burst of laughter.
“What is so funny?” he asked, frowning.
“It is only that you are the first man to say that when I mention my marriage to Donald,” she said, wincing at his name. “He was wealthy back then, so I imagine he was a good match, so a lot of my father’s friends applauded the union.”
“And John?” Alexander asked.
“He was off to war when the engagement was finalized,” she sighed. “He had no say.”
“I believe that if he had gotten a say, he would have fought the arrangement.”
“I believe so, too.” She frowned, her mouth pinched. “I do not wish to discuss Donald further. Will you tell me about your mother?”
“No.” Alexander’s quick, sharp answer surprised them both. He cleared his throat. “I mean to say that I do not wish to discuss her. It is a wound I do not like to touch often.”
Madeleine smiled up at him, a shy thing, as she said, “I am good with tending to wounds, if you will let me.”
