Page 75 of A Duchess Bound
“No. My concern is your happiness. While you might be enjoying your affair, I doubt that is what you want forever,” Elias said. “If you are involved with a gentleman, I imagine that you want him to love you and only you.”
Dorothy bit the inside of her cheek. “I do not think this gentleman is capable of loving me and me alone.”
“Nevertheless, that is what you deserve.”
Her breath hitched. “Elias, there is no gentleman in the tonwho would love me. In case you have not noticed, I am a lady of six-and-twenty years.”
“I have noticed,” Elias said. “And I have noticed that you are kind and intelligent. Any man would be fortunate to have your love, and my only wish for you is for your gentleman to be deserving of you.”
Dorothy smiled slightly. “But would you ever care for a lady of my age with so many young misses to choose from?”
“I might.”
Dorothy searched his face for any sign of deception. Although she found none, she found that doubt still gripped her chest and threatened to steal her breath away. She had known that His Grace—Gerard—had no interest in her beyond that of fleeting pleasure. Dorothy had thought that she might be content with that. Their arrangement worked because they both knew what the rules were, what the other expected, but?—
Elias believed that she had developed feelings for the Duke of Greenway. Her heart raced. Had she?
No, that was impossible. She only enjoyed Gerard’s company because of the pleasure that he could give her. That was all.
“Dorothy.” Elias rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “I will not condescend to you, for you are the wisest of us all. I do not doubt that you can make your own decisions.”
“I am pleased to hear you say so.”
He sighed. “However, I would advise you to take as much care in choosing your suitors as you insist that Bridget does with hers.”
Dorothy forced a smile. She hadnottaken as much care in choosing her suitors as Bridget did, and the admission made her feel wretched. Was there any way of justifying that error in judgment to Elias? How could she explain that she had developed affections for a rake?
“That is all I wish to say,” Elias added. “I want you to be happy.”
“Even if it causes us a scandal?”
Her brother frowned, considering her carefully. “Even then. But are you truly happy with this gentleman of yours? Men will promise you the world and seldom deliver. I want to be certain that yours will give you what he promises.”
“He will,” she said promptly. “I know it.”
She didnotknow it. In truth, she had no reason even to think that Gerard might deliver on what she wanted. Had he not made it apparent from the start that he was only a lover? Did he not have a litany of ruined ladies left in his wake?
“I hope so,” Elias said. “If he disappoints you, know that I will never blame you. More than most, I know that men can be…disreputable. Ruled by their passions.”
“I know,” Dorothy said softly, “and I appreciate your care. Truly.”
“But not enough to tell me your lover’s identity?” Elias asked, smiling wryly.
Dorothy laughed anxiously. “I am afraid not. You might wish to duel the man.”
“I would not.”
“You say that, but you do not yet know the man’s name,” Dorothy pointed out.
“Do you have reason to suspect that knowing the man’s name might change my mind?”
“It might.”
Elias withdrew his hand and considered her for a long moment. “I would have never thought that you might desire a disreputable man.”
“What if I do?” she asked, her pulse quickening. “Would that lower your opinion of me?”
He frowned. Dorothy scarcely dared to breathe as he weighed the matter in his mind. She had always anticipated that her brother would be displeased if she chose to have a dalliance with a rake, so his rejection should not be a surprise. Dorothy found, however, that the threat of his rejection filled her with a sudden and insurmountable dread.
