Page 69 of A Duke's Sinful Bargain
At first, Anna thought she hadn’t heard him correctly. Was she only imagining things or had he truly said what she’d heard him say? She felt shocked, as if up until this moment, she had been standing at the precipice of a bottomless abyss, and this question had pushed her into it. She was falling, deeper and deeper, with no sense of the passage of time or the sanity of her own mind.
She blinked heavily, realizing that all eyes were on her. She had heard him correctly. Her world had just been upended by Alexander’s unexpected proposal, and now, Anna found herself standing at a crossroads. A moment ago, she was in the middle of a heated exchange with Lady Genevieve, and now that same woman stood witness to Anna and Alexander’s intricacies of the heart.
Yet Anna felt as if the two of them were alone. Doubt immediately crept into her mind, clouding reason like a long shadow. To say that she wasn’t expecting this would be an understatement. The suddenness of Alexander’s proposal left her grappling with questions that danced on the periphery of her consciousness.
She wondered if he truly meant this proposal because, like her, he felt that their connection was genuine, or was it just a fleeting desire magnified by the tumultuous vents that had transpired in the parlor? Was he merely trying to save her, and by saving her, save himself as well?
“Anna?” Alexander’s voice was tender, drawing her toward him.
In the midst of this emotional storm, Anna weighed the depth of her feelings for this man. She always thought that love was a complex and nuanced emotion, and as such, she had no need of it. Her late husband did not love her and she certainly did not love him. But now, love had blossomed inside of her slowly, unexpectedly, forcing her to wrestle with the uncertainties that surrounded them.
She gazed at Alexander, the man who was now standing before with her hand in his. She had not only come to care for him deeply, but she had come to love him, every bit of him. He stood as a beacon of comfort in the stormy sea of her life. A question arose inside of her. Would it have been better if she had never offered him their deal?
Never. She was absolutely certain of that.
Suddenly, she could see everything clearly. It was as if the fog had lifted, leaving only a clarity that cut through the uncertainty. A profound truth had been revealed to her. She gazed into his eyes as she uttered the words that would alter the course of their lives.
“Yes,” she said through a smile. “I will…”
The parlor resonated with the fading echoes of Lady Genevieve’s huffs and sobs as she retreated from the house, without anyone even trying to stop her. For Anna and Alexander, nothing and no one else existed. He leaned closer, gently closing the distance between them.
Their lips met in a tender and meaningful kiss, a silent affirmation of their connection. It was not a passionate kiss, nothing like the ones they shared in the privacy of his bedchamber. It was a kiss of promise, a symbol of the union that would shelter them, that would continue to fan the flame of their hearts.
When Alexander pulled away from her, Tom had already approached Sir Rupert, speaking to him in a stern manner, clenching his fists menacingly.
“As for you, you scoundrel—”
“Tom, no,” Alexander interfered, standing between Tom and Sir Rupert, much to Sir Rupert’s surprise.
It was obvious to everyone that Tom was reluctant to allow Sir Rupert to leave without teaching him a valuable lesson that blackmailing people was wrong. A part of her wanted to see this man beaten to a bloody pulp for all the hardship he had caused them, but that would make them as bad as him.
She didn’t want to succumb to his level, and obviously neither did Alexander. She was happy to see that he was not a vengeful man, because seeing the world through the old adage an eye for an eye meant that they would both be stuck in a vicious cycle of revenge. That was the last thing she wanted. All she wanted now was to forget about Lady Genevieve and Sir Rupert.
Alexander turned to his enemy. “Your attempts at blackmail have failed, Sir Rupert.” His steely gaze and voice brooked no compromise. “I want you to understand this very clearly. Any further endeavors in this direction will be met with consequences… dire ones. I consider myself a patient man, but even my patience has its limits.”
Sir Rupert was still defiant and resentful, as Anna had expected him to be. People of such malice in their souls rarely changed their ways simply because they were told to do so. No. They needed to be taught a lesson, and the best lessons involved dire consequences. She believed he deserved prison time for what he had done, but she also believed in Alexander’s judgment.
“This might be a setback, but I won’t be deterred easily. You haven’t heard the last of this.”
Alexander was unwavering in his resolve as he issued a final warning. “Proceed at your own peril. But I need you to know that the repercussions will be beyond severe. If you come near me or Anna again, I will make sure that you rue the day you were born. Do you understand?”
Sir Rupert did not say anything to that. Instead, he departed wordlessly, leaving the house in the aftermath of his failed machinations.
“Do you think he will leave you alone, Your Grace?” Tom wondered once the three of them were alone.
Alexander sighed. “I don’t know, Tom. But it will be your job to keep an eye on him. If he does anything suspicious, I want to know of it.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Tom nodded, seeming to realize that he was the odd one out there. “If you do not need me for anything else…”
“No,” Alexander dismissed him cordially. “That will be all, Tom.”
As Tom reached for the handle, Anna stopped him. “Mr. Higgins?” He turned to face her with a look of puzzlement on his face. “My maid Eliza is here as well. She was told by Reynolds to wait in the drawing room. Perhaps you would be so kind as to keep her company for a few minutes?”
Tom grinned from ear to ear. “Of course, my lady.”
“Thank you.” She smiled back.
Anna waited for the door to close, then she turned to Alexander once again, her heart beating wildly. She could not remember the last time she had been that happy, as Alexander took her in his arms. However, her mind once again started to swirl with uncertainty, and she had to ask.
