“Your Grace, have you ridden all the way here just to insult me?” Her gaze pierced his, and the Duke ventured closer to her.
“I am not done yet,” he said, holding her gaze. The two of them could not keep their eyes off each other. “You are infuriating in every way. From the way that you speak, the way that you laugh so loud, everyone in the room glances over to look at you… Even the way that you walk is enough to inspire annoyance.”
Deborah felt confused and hurt by his words. She began to blink rapidly, feeling the anger rise in her veins.
“If I am so infuriating to you, why did you come all this way to seek me out?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice from shaking.
“Because…” His expression softened, and his voice lowered so that he was no longer shouting. “Despite all your characteristics that I considered to be flaws before I met you, I cannot deny how you make me feel any longer. These past few days, when we have not been speaking as much as I would have liked, have been tortuous on my soul.”
The Duke stepped closer to her, and Deborah looked up at him, anticipating what he would say next. Nothing about this encounter made any sense to her, but somehow, the moment felt right.
“Your defiance, as infuriating as it may be, draws me to you like a moth to a flame. I have never experienced so many emotions at once like this, and before I met you, I had no faith that I would ever fall in love.”
Deborah felt her breath hitch in her throat. Her mind was a whirlwind, as she tried to absorb Henry’s unexpected confession. Even though he had begun by insulting her, the way he looked at her now was only full of affection.
Henry opened his mouth to say something, but behind them, Peter and Nicholas stepped out of the carriage. His eyes darted towards them for a brief moment, and then he closed his mouth again as if he had decided to defer what he truly wanted to confess, since they now had an audience watching them.
“You cannot leave for Scotland,” he said, his pain evident in his voice. “It is too far, and you are leaving too soon. I simply cannot let you.”
Deborah was surprised again. She figured that Emma must have alerted the Duke about her plan.
“You cannot let me, Your Grace?” Deborah questioned his possessiveness. Usually, she would grow annoyed at such a request, but the way he spoke made her want to stay.
“No.” Henry shook his head firmly. “The thought of saying goodbye for the last time hurts me more than I would have thought. I cannot let you slip away from my life like this. Deborah, I am in love with you.”
Deborah stood frozen in place. Hearing him say those words made her stomach erupt with butterflies.
“No one has ever made me feel this way, and I have realized that I would be a fool if I were to let you go without letting you know.”
“Let me know what, Your Grace?” Deborah’s voice had dropped to a whisper now.
Even though she knew that her brothers were watching a private moment unfold, she no longer cared. The Duke’s words tugged at her heart, and all the feelings that she had tried to bury inside of her came rushing to the surface.
The weight of their impassioned exchange hung in the air, and the Duke sucked in a sharp breath, as though he was bracing himself for something important. In a swift motion, he got down to one knee, eliciting yet another gasp from Deborah, who had not seen this coming even from a mile away.
“I have to let you know what is inside my heart, for I fear that it may burst if I keep it in any longer. Deborah…” The Duke fixed his gaze on her face. “I am in love with you. You are the opposite of me in every way, and never in my life did I think that you would capture my heart, but the truth is that I would much rather have you by my side than any other woman. Would you take my heart out from its abject misery and consider spending the rest of your life with me, as my wife?”
Deborah’s breath caught in her throat, and tears began to pool in her eyes.
“I…” She blinked away her tears, realizing that they were tears of joy. “If I accept your proposal, would you try to change my ways? I wish to be a writer. Is that something you would accept from a duchess?”
A small smile tugged at the corner of the Duke’s lips. “Change you? I would not dare try. After all, it is what I have fallen in love with in the first place. I would rather have a wife who aspires to be a writer, as long as it is you.”
“Would you accept me as an equal?” she continued, unable to keep her eyes off him. It was as though the rest of the world had faded away into significance and they were the only people that mattered.
“I am sure a woman like you would not settle for any other sort of treatment,” he said. “That much I know by now.”
“And that does not intimidate you? Or wound your pride as a man?”
“If it did, would I be here, on my knees, asking you to be my wife? Lady Deborah, please, put me out of my misery.” His voice was colored with a sincerity she had never heard from him before.
Deborah felt her heart swell with a mixture of love, and the sudden profound belief that perhaps they could share a future together now that the Duke was willing to accept her for who she truly was.
“Your Grace,” she started, and Henry stared at her in anticipation, holding his breath. “If you agree to accept me for who I truly am, then I accept your proposal.”
Relief flooded the Duke’s expression. She smiled at him, realizing that they were about to embark on a lifelong journey together. “Though, I must say, you have a way of surprising me.”
“My urgency was inspired by the fact of your departure,” he admitted, feeling at ease now. “I could not bear to see that happen.”
