Page 9 of A Bride for the Forbidden Duke
“No,” he confirmed.
“I—we—well,yes, I, need your help,” she pleaded. “I only need your help in securing a husband, so I may ensure my mother’s comfort. I am not here to ask for financial aid directly. Only your sponsorship for finding a suitable, wealthy match. I beseech you, Your Grace.”
Her mother’s teary eyes flashed through her mind. She could not let this be dismissed.
“Lady Veronica, your family’s finances, and how you handle them, are not my responsibility nor my concern.”
How can he be so cruelly removed from helping?Veronica thought, shocked.It is partly his fault that my brother went missing!
Dismissing his earlier warnings, Veronica took more steps forward, so close she could reach out and touch his desk if she wished to.
“The Earl of Grantham is your friend,” she reminded him. “You do not wish for him to return home safely? To see his family taken care of? Or was he only good enough to enter business with when it was convenient for you?”
Before she could say more, the Duke stood up suddenly, his imposing presence shifting with him. His hands pressed to the surface of his desk, those eyes narrowing on her.
“Who told you I have any friends?” he growled.
Veronica paused, going still as the Duke began to circle around his desk towards her.
She felt like prey—trapped, stalked… but it was in a way that had her heart racing with an alluring fear. He was darkly beautiful; every plane of his face crafted impeccably, every movement powerful and purposeful.
And it was all trained on her.
She swallowed, backing up a step. “I—Please, Your Grace, if you would only give me five minutes more of your time?—”
“I have already spared enough on you.”
“We are desperate, Your Grace,” she pleaded. “It is not an easy thing to admit one’s desperation, but we are. My brother and you were partners in this. Surely you can dosomething.”
“Icould,” he agreed, “but I find myself notneedingto, Lady Veronica.”
He still stalked towards her, confident steps closing the distance, and Veronica kept backing away, but she was not directed towards the door. No, he had her backed against the wall in a matter of strides.
He towered over her, her height only reaching the base of his throat. The Duke was so tall, she had to tilt her head back.
He leaned in close. “What would I gain from extending my help to you?”
Veronica stilled.
This… This was not supposed to be an exchange. It was supposed to be honor-bound, a man doing his duty to his business partner’s family.
She floundered, lost for words, as his eyes searched her face. He was so intense, and the jacket he wore looked so soft. Part of her wanted to reach out, to brush her hands down the dark clothing, but she curled her fingers into her palms, resisting.
“Gain, Your Grace?”
“If you are to find a husband, that requires me to be present at thetonevents, does it not?” he asked, his voice pitched low. “That does not come with some sort of gain I need to seek. I detest those events, so in exchange for my presence at them, I wish for something in return.”
“You… You would not simply do this out of honor?”
The Duke scoffed at her, glancing to the side as if incredulous, disbelieving she would ask such a thing.
She loosened a breath in the moment’s reprieve of his intense attention.
“What would your family know of honor?” he asked quietly, returning to her. “Your brother left you behind to fend for yourselves, chasing endless pursuits of business.” Her heart tightened. “And as for Lady Grantham… Well… I could putyouin an awkward position, could I not, Lady Veronica? I could ask you if the rumors are true about yourself and your mother.”
“The rumors?—”
“Offering favors to gentlemen?” he said, his tone dripping with condescension. “Is this not why you’re here? Perhaps it is not a husband you seek but instead, you wish to add me to the roster you have both begun in order to stay financially afloat.” His eyes bore into hers, cruel and bored. “There is a name for those women, My Lady, and they do not often come with a title.”
