Page 25 of The Scottish Duke Tames the Bluestocking
“Start from the beginning,” she encouraged gently. “Tell me everything.”
“It’s the Duke,” Harriet admitted, looking at Caroline vulnerably. “You know most of the story - you know that we were caught on the balcony, you know that William wants us to marry. And... the Duke and I are like oil and fire, it’s...”
Harriet laughed softly and shook her head. “If I choose not to marry him, William will send me to live with my Aunt Mildred. You know what she’s like.”
Caroline nodded and Harriet sighed. “I figured that if I were willing to marry the duke, but he refused... then William would not go to those lengths. He’d see that I was not at fault and I would be able to stay here and later, when I wanted, marry a man of my choosing but now...”
She shook her head with a shuddering sigh. “Nothing I do seems to frighten him off. He is unlike any man I’ve ever known. He is utterly impossible to scandalize or manipulate. It is as if he sees right through all my pretenses and to the core of me. And what is worse...”
Harriet trailed off, swallowing hard against the lump of emotion rising in her throat.
“What is worse is that I am starting to believe he may be exactly what I need. I have found a man who can handle me at my worse, who will not try to temper my spirit or mold me into a docile simpering wife, but...”
“I hope I am not a bother.”
Harriet’s words broke off when the figure of Benedict entered the drawing-room. Her lower lip trembled when he bent down lightly to press a kiss to Caroline’s cheek.
“Oh, Benedict,” Caroline spoke softly. “Harriet and I are just talking about...”
“He can stay,” Harriet said quickly. “Perhaps he could offer some perspective on the situation.”
Benedict sat quickly at that, his concern for Harriet evident. “Is this about the scandal?”
Caroline softly tapped her husband against the chest. “Darling,” she admonished. “Be sensitive.”
Benedict nodded quickly and looked at Harriet. She sighed deeply before continuing.
“He is different,” she admitted. “He is unfazed by the most rebellious of my behavior, he does not seem like the type to try to change me, but...”
Benedict frowned sympathetically. “You are afraid,” he said simply, and Harriet nodded, meeting his eyes.
“I know that sounds silly, but... I am terrified. Terrified of opening my heart to the possibility of a love like my parents... because if I allow myself to hope, to believe... If I allow myself to love, then I know I will also open my heart up to the heartbreak I saw in my mother when my father passed and I cannot imagine that pain. It frightens me.”
It was Benedict who leaned forward, his one hand resting on his wife’s wrist.
“If I may be so bold as to offer a bit of advice...” Harriet nodded eagerly at this and Benedict glanced at Caroline before looking back at Harriet.
“I understand your dilemma, Harriet. I too was afraid of opening my heart to love. If you truly do not want to open your heart to that heartbreak, the solution is simple. Marry Hugh Wilkinson - but refrain from falling in love with him.”
At this, both Harriet and Caroline looked at him incredulously. “Refrain from falling in love with him?”
Caroline shook her head, frowning.
“Benedict, are you certain that it is wise to advise that? Should everyone not be able to live a life that is filled with love.”
Benedict shook his head at this. “What you and I have my darling,” he said, looking at Caroline warmly, “is not something that many people ever find. And while I would never give it up, the reality is that there are many people in this world who are happy without ever falling in love.”
Harriet frowned as she looked at Benedict. “Surely you jest, Benedict? How does one enter a marriage without the expectation of love?”
Benedict shrugged, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “I do believe it is possible, though I will not pretend that it is easy. Enter the union with the resolve to maintain a polite distance. Guard your heart against the lure of deeper emotions - focus on building a partnership of mutual respect and companionship, be his friend - and nothing more.”
Harriet fell silent, turning his words over in her mind. Could it really be so simple? To accept Hugh's proposal and wed him with the express intention of never allowing herself to love him?
The idea held a certain appeal, a neatness that soothed her frayed nerves. If she could keep her unruly heart in check, perhaps she could navigate this marriage without risk of it shattering her completely.
“You might be onto something, Benedict,” she mused, a tentative smile blooming across her face. “A marriage of convenience entered into with clear boundaries and realistic expectations. It could work.”
Caroline and Benedict exchanged a loaded glance, something unspoken passing between them. But when Caroline turned back to Harriet, her expression was warm with encouragement.
