He’d only continued to search for the thing in order to fulfill his duty. Find it or find it not, he, too, would have assuaged his guilt over losing it and could be done with the ordeal.
Then, he could look toward the future.
Henrietta dropped to the floor. On hands and knees, she lifted the edge of the coverlet and peered beneath the bed. Grayson enjoyed the view, and he wouldn’t even feel guilty for looking. She was his, would be his, after all. He had a right to admire.
“It’s too dark,” she mumbled, dropping to her belly to reach further.
“Henrietta.”
“I don’t feel anything. Except dust—”
“Hen.”
She pulled herself out from under the bed and stood. “I don’t think it’s here. I’m sorry.” She smudged dust onto her forehead.
He reached out and wiped the smudge from her face. “Thank you for helping.”
Her breath hitched at his touch, a lovely little pause in the steady rhythm of inhales and exhales. “Are you terribly upset? Don’t worry. You can start a new tradition with Lady Willow. Get her a new necklace. Something grand. And you can tell your parents I lost the necklace. I don’t mind.”
“No.” He stroked the curve of her cheek.
Her breath hitched again, and she shied away. He hated that.
He would kiss her. He would ask her to marry him. Again. And he would hope with every bone in his body she said yes.
His father would object, likely. His heart had been set on uniting two illustrious dukedoms. And Grayson’s heart gave a tiny, painful thump at causing his father grief.
His brother wouldn’t have hesitated to anger their father. He’d not hesitated to run off to war. He’d died, yes, but he’d died on his own terms, doing what he wished to do.
Grayson would follow his lead, to an extent. He’d live life on his own terms, and that meant two things. He’d not abandon his responsibilities, but he’d also not abandon his heart. He didn’t have to choose between being a good duke and marrying the woman he loved. He wouldn’t.
Taking both of Henrietta’s hands in his own, he led her to the bed and sat, pulling her down beside him. “I would like to speak with you. A real conversation. No half thoughts and hurt feelings. No misunderstandings. And no running away.”
She darted a glance at the door then returned her gaze to him. “Perhaps we should. All right. Where do we start?”
A good question. He’d begin with the truth in the most direct language he could manage. “Last night, I told Lady Willow I have no intention of marrying her. This morning, I informed her mother and father of the same. They are displeased, but I could not marry Lady Willow, or any other woman, when I’m still in love with you.”
Chapter 16
Henrietta didn’t doubt his words for a moment. He’d surprised her in the last day, proving so ready to put the past behind them and move forward. And now he’d sacrificed his future with a duke’s daughter to be with her.
But Henrietta couldn’t feel as sure as Grayson obviously did. She hardly knew what to feel. Yes, physically, she felt the warmth of his body, the near constant desire when close to him to lean closer into his embrace. Her body knew exactly what to feel, but her mind and her heart remained a tangled mess.
Everything between them, or the lack thereof, in the last year stemmed from a lie, a misunderstanding. A life-shattering mistake.
She shook her head and tried to stand. “You’re not going to propose to Lady Willow?” When he gently pulled her back down, she refused to meet his gaze. “You have to.”
He placed his fist under her chin and lifted her head until their eyes met. “No, I do not.”
“But you’re the heir.”
“And if my father chooses to cut me off, he can only do so financially. The estates are entailed.” He grinned. “But I wasn’t always the heir. I was prepared to financially support you last year when we planned to wed. Nothing has changed. I may have had an adventurous youth, but it wasn’t ill spent. I learned how to make an investment or two, and I’ve not been idle in the past year.”
She waved away his concerns about money. “But everyone thinks you’re going to propose to Lady Willow. There will be a scandal.”
“The ton loves to be surprised. Besides, I never signed a contract or actually proposed. Worse has happened. Hell, Hen, I’ve done worse. Dueling, for instance.” He smirked.
She glowered at him. “You cannot simply ignore scandal, Grayson. A good future duke doesn’t—”
