Page 35 of The Brooding Duke's Fateful Letter
“What is it, My Lady? Surely, after being so understanding, you do not expect me to be unreasonable?” the duke said, looking confused.”
“Please do not be angry at my father and I. It was more to settle things at home with my stepmother than to be deceitful. You see, Your Grace.” Charlotte struggled to get the words out despite his encouraging words. “I am not who you were expecting.” Charlotte blurted out the last part and waited for him to react.
“Well, you are rather different from what I remember. It is a pleasant surprise,” the duke answered.
“That is not exactly…” Charlotte tried to interject.
“I am deeply fond of you, My Lady, and you far exceed what I had expected.”
Charlotte looked at him and could not find it in herself to tell him what she had actually meant. She felt elated that he could walk, yet in truth, it had not changed how she felt about him. Her fondness did not increase or decrease. She was just happy for him.
Then it dawned on her that she had been a coward. She had just been offered the opportunity to tell him the truth, and she could not.
He will probably be even angrier when the time comes that I do tell him, she thought, knowing her problem had just gotten worse.
Chapter 12
The duke felt lighter and happier that he finally shared his secret. His joy dampened only by Lady Bethany not having said a single word yet.
“I do understand this must be a terrible shock to you, My Lady,” he said, as he tried to provoke a response from her. The silence made his uncertainty overcome him.
This was a mistake! he thought, not knowing if he should approach her or leave.
“How?” she said mercifully, breaking the spell.
“It was a while after the accident, My Lady.” The duke started to speak as he moved slowly towards her. She, in turn, did the same. The duke reached for her hands. “Please allow me to explain. You see, just after the doctor had seen me, he had told me, and my entire family, that I would not be able to walk again. He had said that I had been fortunate they had not needed to amputate either leg. I decided to find out for myself. It took months to even stand and in that time I learned who in my circles I could trust,” the duke explained, as he tried not to speak in a rush.
It had all boiled inside of him for so long that he felt close to bursting into flames. “I did not mean to deceive anyone, least of all you, My Lady.” The duke said as he looked into her eyes. He hoped that she could hear the regret in his voice. The guilt had poked and twisted at him from the moment he had shown her the gardens, the moment her personality had shown.
“I am not entirely certain what to say, Your Grace,” she replied, the shock still evident in the slight tremor in her voice.
“Please say that we can start over,” the duke pleaded, and knew it was a lot to ask of her. He had kept something from her and now asked her to forget it as well. He also knew it was selfish, yet wanted her by his side enough to take any chance. In this moment, everything that had seemed so important was now on the verge of being of no consequence to him.
“We could at least try, Your Grace. I do not mind how it is that you can walk. I feel truly relieved that you can,” Lady Bethany said in disbelief, and then she smiled.
The duke felt his knees go weak when she smiled at him. The joy she felt on his behalf touched him deeply. So much so that he forgot himself and bent down to place a light kiss on her cheek. The duke leapt back as though he had been burned. He attributed it to his outrage at his behavior.
“I apologize, My Lady.”
“That is quite alright, Your Grace,” she said, putting her fingertips to her cheek.
“Shall we go for a walk, My Lady? A real one this time, where I shall be of less embarrassment to you,” he stated.
“I should like to go for a walk with you, Your Grace. I feel you must know that you were not an embarrassment to me,” she said, as she went towards the door.
“First, I shall take you to the park in the morning. My Lady. I would like to make amends for having to be seen with me, being the source of stares and comments,” Henry said.
“I shall very much like to see their faces once they realize their misjudgment,” she said with a bright smile. He liked that she had a strong sense of humor. He was given to melancholy and found her sunny disposition took him out of it.
“I believe that would make our excursion that much more enjoyable, My Lady,” he replied with a mischievous smile.
“I could not agree more, Your Grace,” she teased back.
“Is there anything you wish to ask me, My Lady? I do not wish you to fear me,” he said with hope.
“I do, now that you ask, Your Grace.”
“Go on.” The duke was curious.
