Panic surged in the Duke’s veins as he listened to his sister speak. With every word, her story seemed to be taking a turn for the worse.
“I refuse to believe that this is the last time that I am going to see Deborah,” he insisted.
“It does not matter what you believe, Henry. The fact is that she is gone.”
A picture of the future flashed in front of the Duke’s eyes. Suddenly, he was in Lord Jonathan’s shoes, twenty years later, never having been married and regretting the woman he had let go.
“I must stop her.” The Duke surprised himself with his statement. But the rush he felt told him that this was what must be done.
He was not going to let love slip away like that, especially when it was still within reach.
“What is the matter here?” Modesty suddenly appeared at the door. “I can hear the two of you bicker away all the way in the hallway.”
“We are not bickering.” Emma beamed with pride as she looked at her brother. “I was merely helping Henry come to some realizations that were well past due.”
“What realizations is Emma speaking of, Henry?”
“It’s Deborah,” the Duke replied. “I must stop her.”
“Stop her?” The lines around Modesty’s eyes deepened as she furrowed her brow in response to her son’s statement. “My dear, she is gone with the rest of her family back to their estate. Did she leave something important behind?”
“Oh, Mother.” Emma smiled, amused by the older woman’s innocence. “It is nothing she forgot. More so, it is the fact that Henry has finally realized that he has feelings for her.”
“What nonsense is your sister speaking?” Modesty turned to glare at her son.
“She is correct. I have realized that I have fallen for Deborah,” the Duke admitted, feeling a certain kind of liberation in finally saying the words out loud.
Modesty’s gaze darted between her two children, growing increasingly more confused as the seconds rolled by.
“If the two of you have decided to play a joke on me, then I must tell you that it is not wise to do so at my age.”
“It is not a joke, Mother. The truth is, I love Deborah.”
Modesty clutched her chest, as though she had just been delivered the worst news of her life. “You do not mean that, surely.”
“And why not?” the Duke countered. “Haven’t you always encouraged me to find love, if it makes itself known to me?”
“Yes, I may have said that in the past, but now, you already have a woman waiting for you to ask for her hand,” Modesty said.
Henry pressed his lips together in a tight line. He had known that this was going to be a difficult conversation, but he feared if he did not come clean with his feelings now, he was going to regret it for the rest of his life.
“Lady Joanna is a wonderful woman, but over the last few days of getting to know her, I have realized that she is not the one whom I can marry.”
“Henry, please, be serious.” Modesty’s expression swayed between shock and concern.
“Mother, I assure you, I am being fully serious. My intention is to marry Lady Deborah, if she will consider me.”
“And this is based on a fleeting feeling you are experiencing?” Modesty was not going to back down easily. “My dear, since when have you given so much regard to that? I thought that you chose Lady Joanna because she is the ideal woman for you.”
“Correction, Mother.Youchose Lady Joanna for me becauseyouthought she was the ideal woman for me. And at first, I believed it as well. However, it is clear to me now that a marriage between us is not possible as long as I have feelings for Deborah,” the Duke said firmly.
While Emma was all smiles, happy that her brother had finally made up his mind, Modesty shook her head.
“No, this is not right, Henry. You must reconsider. It will be a great scandal if you call things off with Lady Joanna now. I have already informed many of our relatives about your intentions.”
“I am sure the scandal will subside. And in any case, I do not believe it would be worse than a lifetime of regret.”
“Henry,” his mother warned, “perhaps we can talk this through. Come inside, and we can discuss this further. I believe you are rushing things.”
