Page 53 of His Forbidden Duchess
He shook his head, clearing his throat as she spoke again.
“I am well aware of that.”
She turned away from him with her nose in the air. He smirked at her familiar haughty expression.
“H-how can I repay you?” she asked a moment later. “We agreed that?—”
“It no longer matters,” he said, interrupting her and turning away.
A thick and heavy tension returned to permeate the air between them. He was certain that she was as confused as he was. It was never meant to be like this. He wanted her,hadwanted her, but not like this.
And never for marriage.
“Very well,” she replied.
He shifted in his seat, his gaze drifting to the window again. The streets of London passed them by, the world bustling around them while they remained still.
He returned to his businesslike demeanor. If he was to get through this debacle, that was how he intended to accomplish it.
“I have already spoken with my solicitors as I am sure you have noticed,” he said. “The debt will be paid promptly. We agreed to that much. But I have also made arrangements to maintain your mother’s wellbeing until Jeremy returns. She will have an allowance and the means to keep the townhouse in order.”
“Felix, that is ever so thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
He could sense her smile and the gratitude in her words, but he didn’t look at her.
“It is nothing,” he said, still looking out of the window.
Of course, he was going to see to it that Lady Danridge was all right. She was family, now more than ever.
“I just… I still worry for her. Without someone there to?—”
He glanced at her sharply, cutting her off with a firm voice. Didn’t she trust him?
“She will be looked after. And you need not thank me again. I have heard enough thanks from you and your mother to last me a lifetime”
Eloise looked down, and for the briefest of moments, Felix felt a pinch of guilt for speaking too harshly.
“Still,” she said quietly, “it means a great deal to me. I know it was not easy for you.”
He sighed, weary of it all: the confusion, the turbulent ride of emotions, the overwhelming chaos of the situation he now found himself in. He’d spent ample time in gambling hells with brandy and loose women to avoid these sorts of issues. Alcohol and mistresses had an effective way of dulling the mind.
“You are still Jeremy’s sister,” he said. “It is like helping my own family.” His voice softened, and he added with a little chuckle, “And now, you are my family.”
“Well then,” she said quietly, her eyes searching his face again, “if we are family now, what prize do you desire for winning the bet?”
Felix rolled his eyes though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I have told you, Eloise, enough with the gratitude and promises. I do not want anything from you.” He paused, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “At least, not yet.”
She frowned, tilting her head. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said, leaning back and crossing his arms, “that I will call in my prize when I see fit. But not today.”
He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes raking over her body. Though she had no time to be fitted for a proper wedding gown, she had managed to make herself look like the most beautiful bride of all.
She is so very, very tempting.
There was no denying that he wanted her. The question was whether he could allow himself to have her.
“And what if I refuse when the time comes?”
