Page 98 of Nothing Compares to the Duke
“I’ve imagined hearing you say those words. For years, it was all I wanted.” Swallowing against the pain of those memories, she took a long breath. “That day of the garden party I wanted to hear those words from you.”
“I know.”
“You knew?” Bella turned back to find him lingering near the door, his hand still on the latch.
“I suspected. I knew you thought too highly of me.”
Bella bit her lip and struggled to keep the memories where they belonged. In the past.
“We needn’t revisit this again.”
“When you didn’t offer for me, it hurt. Deeply.”
“I’m sorry.” There was such tenderness in his gaze. Such regret. She knew his apology was sincere.
He started toward her and Bella lifted a hand. “I know you are. But, you see, it didn’t end there. You were all I thought about for months. I struggled to sleep or focus. Nothing could catch my interest and no one else was ever going to win my heart because I’d already given it to you. Everyone else seemed lackluster in comparison.”
Bella couldn’t help but smile at that final sentiment. Every word was still true.
His eyes lit with hopefulness. “Is this your way of accepting my proposal?”
Yeswas on the tip of her tongue. It was what her heart wanted, but her head rang with warning bells. She’d walked into the room fearing the worst of him, fearing that she would be crushed again. He’d proven her fears to be unfounded.
Perhaps she could eventually trust him completely, but the harder truth was that she didn’t trust herself. She couldn’t marry him if it meant she was always going to be afraid of being heartbroken again.
A gong sounded in the hallway. The signal that luncheon was served.
“We should join the others,” Bella said as she made her way over to where he stood near the door.
“I need to know if you can ever trust me again, Bella. You know my feelings. My desires. I’ve asked you the question.” His gaze held a note of sadness.
Bella swallowed hard and fought back the sting of tears. “I don’t have an answer.”
She didn’t want to saynobut the notion of telling himyesterrified her.
Rhys stepped toward the door and turned back, waiting until she joined him at the threshold. “You’re worth waiting for,” he told her, his voice raw, “but I can’t wait forever.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Three weeks later
After years of attending balls, Bella had developed three strategies.
First, immediately discover a quiet nook for retreat. Second, always take something to read or a notebook to scribble in. Third, avoid dancing if at all possible.
She’d never imagined she’d have to employ her strategies again after her fourth Season and yet here she stood in a crowded ballroom, this time as a chaperone to her cousin rather than as a debutante.
She’d already begun drafting the letter to inform her parents that her engagement to Rhys had been called off. They’d spoken only once and exchanged a couple of perfunctory notes in the three weeks since his proposal at the Tremayne luncheon.
Bella tried not to focus on how much that hurt and how much she missed him.
Her parents were happily settled abroad, but they would have to be told the truth, especially if she and Rhys planned to call off the ruse early.
And then what? She shivered at the thought of another Season or her parents returning from Greece to play matchmaker again.
“This isn’t nearly as bad as you feared it would be, is it?” Louisa approached in her pretty yellow ball gown. “As chaperone, you don’t even have to dance.”
Bella tried to muster a smile. “For that, I’m very grateful.”
