Page 6 of The Duke's Sinful Deal
The certainty in it left little room for argument, which only sharpened her irritation. She reached for a piece of bread, more to give herself something to do than out of hunger, though she did not eat it.
“Then perhaps you might explain how this is to proceed,” she said, her tone light but edged. “If we are to share a house without acknowledgment of one another’s existence.”
His gaze returned to her, direct and unyielding. “We will not share it,” he said. “Not in any meaningful sense.”
Arabella stilled.
“This,” he continued, gesturing faintly between them, “is the last time we will be alone together. If there is a matter that requires my attention, you will send word. Otherwise, you will conduct yourself as you have been, and I will do the same.”
The words were delivered without emphasis, but their meaning settled firmly.
Arabella let out a soft breath, though it carried more frustration than relief. “How very considerate of you,” she said. “To spare me your company.”
“That is not the intent,” he replied.
“No?” She set the bread down untouched. “It sounds very much like it.”
“It is appropriate,” he said simply.
Arabella leaned back slightly, her fingers curling lightly against the edge of the table. She understood the logic well enough. Too well, in fact. The arrangement was improper. A man, unrelated to her, resides under the same roof. It would not take much for the wrong eyes to turn toward it, to question, to speculate.
Still, understanding it did not soften the way it felt. It sounded very much like instruction. Like quiet obedience expected without question.
“I have an engagement this afternoon,” she said, after a brief pause. “A tea. I intend to attend it.”
He did not look surprised. “You will not.”
Arabella blinked, the words landing with more force than she expected. “I beg your pardon?”
“You will not attend,” he repeated, his tone unchanged.
“What a thoroughly unreasonable declaration,” she said, her composure slipping just enough to sharpen her voice. “I havealready accepted the invitation. The lady hosting will notice my absence.”
“She may,” he said. “And she may also notice your circumstances, should you attend.”
Arabella’s brows drew together. “My circumstances?”
“We are in the countryside,” he said, his voice steady, measured. “There is less scrutiny than in London, but not none. A household does not go unobserved entirely. If it becomes known that you are residing here with a man who is neither kin nor chaperone, it will invite questions.”
The words settled with uncomfortable clarity. Arabella looked down briefly, her fingers tracing the edge of her napkin as she considered it. He was not wrong. “That does not mean I must remain hidden,” she said, though her voice had lost some of its earlier edge.
“It means you must be cautious,” he replied.
She drew in a slow breath, holding it a moment before releasing it again. Agreement came reluctantly.
I will not make this easy for him.Arabella thought defiantly as she fell quiet then. If he intended to impose order upon her days, then he would find those days far less accommodating than he expected. She did not notice the movement until it was already upon her.
His hand lifted, quick but controlled, his fingers brushing lightly beneath her chin as he tilted her face upward. The contact was brief. Yet it sent a strange, immediate warmth through her, sharp enough that her breath faltered before she could steady it. Her gaze met his without preparation, caught in the quiet intensity of his attention.
“I can see it,” he said, his voice lower now, quieter in a way that felt more dangerous than before. “You intend to defy me.”
Arabella did not answer. The place where he had touched her seemed to linger, a faint heat that refused to fade even as his hand dropped away.
“Do not,” he said, and his words were not raised. They did not need to be.
He straightened, turning away from her without waiting for a response, and crossed the room with the same measured certainty he had carried since the night before. The door opened, then closed behind him with a soft, final sound.
Arabella remained where she was.
