Page 83 of The Duke's Sinful Deal
“That would be a great deal to expect,” he replied.
There was no judgment in it, no attempt to correct her. Only a quiet recognition that settled something in her more effectively than reassurance might have.
She gestured faintly toward the chair opposite. “Will you sit?”
He did, though not with the distance she might have expected. The space between them remained modest enough for propriety, but not so much that it felt like retreat.
Another brief silence followed, though this one felt less strained, as though the act of speaking had loosened something between them.
“I ought to thank you,” Arabella said at last.
Maxwell’s expression shifted, only slightly. “For what?”
She met his gaze, steady despite the faint warmth that rose to her face. “For what you said. To Eleanor.”
“It was necessary,” he said.
“That does not make it any less deserving of thanks.”
He seemed to consider that, though his posture remained unchanged. “I did not say anything that was not already true.”
Arabella tilted her head slightly. “You said it far better than I would have.”
“That is not difficult,” he returned, though there was no sharpness in it. “You were otherwise occupied.”
A small breath of laughter escaped her before she could stop it. “That is a generous way of describing it.”
“It is an accurate one.”
The quiet returned, though it had shifted again, softened at the edges.
Arabella looked down briefly, smoothing her hand over the fabric of her skirt before speaking again. “You did not have to involve yourself so directly.”
“I did.”
She looked up at that, caught by the certainty in his tone.
“It was your sister,” he continued. “Her concerns were not unreasonable, though her conclusions may have been.”
Arabella hesitated, then nodded. “I know.”
The admission came more easily than she expected, though it did not sit lightly.
“She was not wrong to question it,” she said. “Not entirely.”
Maxwell did not interrupt.
“She has always…” Arabella paused, searching for the right phrasing. “She has always believed it her duty to ensure that I do not act without thought. And from her perspective, that is precisely what I have done.”
Maxwell leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression thoughtful rather than dismissive. “From her perspective,” he repeated.
“Yes.”
“And from yours?”
Arabella held his gaze for a moment, longer than she might have before. “From mine, it was the only decision that made sense at the time.”
“And now?” he asked.
