Page 38 of Claiming His Scottish Duchess
“I…” he began, but let his words evaporate into the night air—they were unnecessary.
He hadn’t expected this. Didn’t know what to do with the sudden heat of her against him, the way her fingers gripped his back.
Like she would fall apart if she let go.
He didn’t move away.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around her—slowly, deliberately. Not gentle. Protective. Possessive. Like he was drawing her in beneath his shield, daring the world to try her again.
She didn’t speak. Neither did he.
There was power in the silence, in the rawness of the moment. She leaned into his arms. And for the first time in a long while, he let someone lean.
And in his embrace, he felt her finally breathe.
Watching the proud, resilient woman with the fiery Scottish soul reduced to such vulnerability, ignited a fire… but this time within him. He felt a fierce protectiveness pulse in his veins, a desperate need to shield her from the cruelty of the world, all those who stood in the way of the happiness she so deserved.
He found himself speaking before he even had time to think, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he knew what he had said.
“Do you need to be married? Then marry me.”
Catriona’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief as she blinked several times before opening her mouth.
“What did ye say?” she asked in a whisper, as if she still could not comprehend the impossible words.
He cleared his throat, his voice regaining its composure as he considered his proposition.
“Marry me, my lady. I am proposing marriage.” He met her incredulous gaze with a steady one of his own. “And as your husband, I will purchase your childhood home for you.”
Catriona was speechless at his last statement, unable to keep her footing steady.
The idea of Craigleith Hall remaining within her family was unfathomable, an unachievable dream. She stared at him, her mind struggling to process the sheer audacity of his offer.
What is the catch? What is in it for him?
“Why?” she finally managed to ask. “Why would ye do such a thin’? Ye dinnae even like me half the time,” she said as a small laugh could not help but escape her lips.
She watched the duke hesitate, almost as if the truth of what was going through his mind was a tangled mess of conflicting emotions. But she knew how well one could feel contradictory things at the same time and have them all be as true as day.
“Lydia. She is… fond of you,” he settled on. “You are the only person she has spoken to in a year. It would be… beneficial for her to have you in our lives.”
Catriona processed his words, her mind racing. She knew it was her best bet, there were few as powerful, influential and wealthy as the Duke of Wilthorne. He was her only bet, really.
Aye, I do care for the wee lass. But… the duke? Marriage? I may as well marry the Loch Ness Monster.
It was then that a spark of defiance flickered in her eyes. As much as she needed this, as hard as these last few years had been, she had her integrity and that had to be worth something.
But… love. What of love?
“There is somethin’ else, Yer Grace,” she challenged him, as she watched him try to make sense of her statement. “Our… kiss. At the races,” she whispered.
“That was a mistake,” he said as his face hardened. “A moment of weakness. Our marriage will be in name only. Nothing more. I will not pressure you. I will not harm you.”
“What of heirs? Surely, there are expectations for a man of yer standing and station. Ye will require bairns, will ye nae?”
Richard’s gaze focused on the glowing beams of light as he looked out again at the stars. “If you do not wish to bear my children, I will not force myself upon you. I am not a monster, my lady. I will be a fair and good husband to you.”
Catriona stood there, the cool night air swirling around her as she considered the proposal.
