Page 45 of A Duke's Scandalous Obsession
“For what?” she wondered.
“It was my idea to go horseback riding yesterday,” he clarified further. “I can’t help but feel guilty about what happened.”
Catherine couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was he really telling her this? Him? The same man who didn’t flinch when he blackmailed her into marriage? He felt guilty about somethingthat was completely out of his control? She truly didn’t understand this man, no matter how hard she tried. And that was making her feel even more confused.
Still, her kind nature refused to allow anyone to feel guilty over something they could not have affected in any manner. She shook her head at him, her expression softening with understanding.
“There is no need for you to feel guilty,” she replied sweetly. “You couldn’t have predicted it. You aren’t a clairvoyant…” She tilted her head playfully at him, as if she were really pondering the possibility of such a thing. “Are you?”
“No,” he chuckled. “Not yet, at least.”
“Too bad,” she smirked. “I would have a question or two to ask.”
“Sometimes, reason is the best guide to follow,” he advised.
She wondered if he followed reason when he was discussing marriage with her. But she bit her tongue before she could say anything. The last thing she wanted to do right now was ruin this perfect moment that they shared.
She loved how he brought her breakfast in bed, how he made sure it had everything she could like. She tried to remind herself to remain cautious with him. He was showing her a differentside of him now, but that was not the man she met initially. There were two sides of him, one good, the other… not so. But the real question was, who was the real Dominic Worthington?
“That is good advice indeed,” she nodded. “But… it’s not always possible. Sometimes, you don’t have enough time to think about something reasonably. You have to make a decision right at that very moment, and usually, the heart takes over. Just like when your horse got frightened, and reacted instinctively, following its fluttering heart, which was petrified by the noise.”
He nodded. “But still… maybe I shouldn’t have suggested it in the first place.”
She pretended to frown. “And assume that I’m a bad rider?”
“No, no, no,” he shook his head, laughing. “You’ve proven that already.”
“At least something good has come out of it,” she smiled. “I didn’t win… yet. But I will. Don’t think that this sprained ankle will save you the embarrassment of losing a race to a lady.”
“But not just any lady,” he reminded her, and his comment made her blush.
Suddenly, she became painfully aware of his presence, of his closeness. They were alone, in a chamber, behind closed doors.They had kissed before. Would it be so terrible to have him kiss her again? And again? And again?
She tried to banish those thoughts. They served no purpose. They were only tormenting her, because he obviously changed his mind about kissing her, when he pulled away so harshly last time. Was she not a good kisser? Embarrassment washed over her like a tidal wave. While it was true that she had never been kissed before, but she was hoping that she knew the theory behind it. Was it possible that he didn’t like it?
“This lady knows how to ride,” she said, hoping to keep the conversation in the safe zone.
“I see that,” he pointed out. “Who taught you to ride so well?”
“Reggie,” she said, somewhat sadly. She wondered what he was doing. She felt as if she hadn’t seen him or spoken to him in ages. Was he thinking of her or was he consumed in his relationship with Annabel? That was to be expected. After all, they loved each other dearly, and their love was crowned by a child. Still, being married to her husband meant that the two were in a dreadful transgression against propriety and society itself.
She knew how desperate Reggie was to find Annabel’s husband so the man could divorce her. She couldn’t imagine how hard that must be, to have someone else stand in the way of one’s happiness, someone who wasn’t even there, and it was exactly his lack of presence that was the cause of the trouble.
“Of course,” he smiled, bringing her back to the present moment. “A good brother.” He paused, then continued. “You two are lucky to have each other.”
“We are,” she nodded. “I feel like it’s always been just the two of us. He is my… everything. He always has been.”
“And your parents?” he inquired.
“They both died when we were very young,” she admitted, knowing his own story before he knew hers.
“I uhm… actually know that,” he admitted, sounding somehow apologetic that he didn’t mention that before.
It was then that she remembered how he knew everything about Reggie’s past, in order to blackmail her into this marriage. Of course, that he would easily find out what happened to her parents, that they became orphans at a very early age, and that it had been just the two of them almost heir entire lives. That was, after all, how Dominic knew that she would do anything for Reggie. Even sacrifice her own happiness.
“Do you miss him?” he asked in a way that made her feel as if he already knew the answer.
“Mhm,” she nodded. “Very much.”
