To Eugenia, that sounded promising.
But if she came back from this walk having lost her engagement to the Duke, her mother would never forgive her.
What would she do then? Without her mother’s support, she would have nothing.
Steeling herself, she followed the Duke out onto the grounds.
The two of them walked in silence for a while. It was the Duke who spoke first. “I thought you and I ought to see one another,” he said. “Now that things have changed.”
“I suppose…I suppose that’s true,” Eugenia said “I appreciate your coming.”
“It was my pleasure,” the Duke said, though he didn’tsoundas if he was experiencing that much pleasure.
It’s strange. If the two of us could speak openly, I imagine we would discover that we share similar feelings about this engagement.
I imagine he still harbors feelings for Esther.
Eugenia believed the Duke had loved her cousin. Those feelings couldn’t have gone away overnight.
What was he doing here with her?
He spoke again. “I have to be honest,” he said. “I didn’t…I never knew that you…that you were interested in me. Romantically, I mean.”
Eugenia didn’t know how to respond to that, so she said nothing.
He looked over at her. “Areyou interested in me romantically?”
“My mother—” She swallowed. “I suppose I don’t know you very well, Your Grace.”
He nodded. “That’s what I thought,” he said. “Your mother wants you to marry a Duke.”
“I suppose a lot of mothers want that,” Eugenia said.
“You want something different,” the Duke said quietly.
Eugenia didn’t answer. She couldn’t. How could she tell him what she really longed for? She couldn’t tell anyone.
The Duke nodded as if he understood anyway. “I’ll dissolve the engagement if you ask me to,” he said. “You shouldn’t be punished for what happened between me and your cousin.”
“Why did you agree to marry me in the first place, Your Grace?” Eugenia blurted out.
He glanced at her.
“I don’t think you have feelings for me,” Eugenia said.
“It’s nothing against you,” the Duke said quickly.
“No,” Eugenia said. “I’m not offended. But you and I hardly know one another. And I know you intended to marry for love. You can’t possibly be marrying me for love.”
He sighed. “I admire you, Lady Eugenia,” he said. “Ilikeyou quite a lot. Perhaps in time—but no. I do not think there are feelings of love between us now.”
Eugenia nodded and took her first easy breath since learning of her engagement. “I don’t think so, either,” she said. “So why? Why would you agree to marry me?”
He closed his eyes. “After what happened with Lady Esther,” he said, “I’m just not sure that love is in the future for me. And I suppose I’m tired of hoping. Tired of waiting. Your mother is right about you—you have no guile in you. And I would rather be married to a lady who is not trying to trick me than to one of whom I can never be sure.”
“You still love my cousin,” Eugenia said.
“But I don’t know if she’s ever loved me,” the Duke said.
