The Duke did exactly that. He stretched, casting a long shadow over the sand.
Bridget did not know where to look. She felt it was wrong to look away and ignore him, but it was also wrong to stare directly at him. She moved between looking down at the sand as if there were something interesting there and checking on his progress toward her.
When he was close enough, she caught his eye and smiled awkwardly.
“Good day,” the Duke greeted, rolling his shoulders.
“Good day,” Bridget returned.
He was thick and broad and tall. His black hair was slicked back, and his green eyes sparkled like jewels amid his slightly tanned and chiseled features. She should not have stared, but she did. He was a distraction—that was all—and there was no harm in admiring the male physique. If she could take her mind off her family problems for a moment, then it would be a moment well spent.
“It’s a fine day,” the Duke observed.
“I thought you went into town with Lord Michael, Your Grace.”
“I did, but we returned already, and I fancied a swim, but I feared the day was not hot enough for a swim. Have you been in?”
“Not today, but I have swum in this sea before,” Bridget replied. “It can be very refreshing.”
“I am sure,” the Duke said, stretching.
Bridget looked beyond him at the waves gently lapping on the darkened sand.
“I wanted to apologize,” the Duke said.
“Apologize? What for?”
“For yesterday.”
“Then you will have to be more specific,” Bridget told him. “There were many things you could apologize for.”
“For what I said about your father,” the Duke clarified.
Bridget went quiet.
“I do not know your family circumstances, but I should not have insinuated he was drunk. We all have challenges in our lives, but I would be a liar and a fool if I did not admit to being drunk on many occasions. And I have made a fool of myself on some of those occasions. Not that I am saying your father is a fool. I only want to apologize for the way I made you feel.”
“He was not drunk—heisa drunk,” Bridget stated.
She did not know why she admitted that to the Duke, and she should probably not tell anyone, but she had had enough after the confrontation with her father.
But she regretted it immediately. She wanted the world to know the truth about her father, but she could not ruin the wedding. Still, she could not take it back now.
“Oh, he is such a fool,” Bridget stated.
She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, lowered her head, and tried not to cry. All she wished for now was for the Duke to go away and forget the whole thing. She wished for her father not to ruin the wedding, but she was doing far worse.
She jolted when the Duke sat on the sand beside her and wrapped an arm around her. She did not move, keeping her head down. If she did not look up, she did not have to acknowledge that she was in his embrace.
Bridget did not want anyone to be with her, but she felt safe with the Duke. She knew who he was by reputation, but for a brief moment in time, she could ignore it and be connected to someone else. Everything was so disconnected, but for a minute, on a beach in Cornwall, it all made sense.
When he remained by her side, she became uncomfortable. Bridget still did not look up. She could not look the Duke in the eye.
“I want to be alone,” she murmured into her knees.
The Duke did not say a word. He remained with her for a second more, and then he released her and stood up. Bridget heard his first couple of footsteps in the sand, and then she was left alone with the birds and the Celtic Sea.
When she had given it enough time, she took a shaky breath and uncovered her face. She looked all around.
