Page 86 of The Duke's Sinful Deal
He considered the question, not because he lacked an answer, but because the answer required a degree of precision he had not often needed before.
“Now,” he said, “it is no longer solely that.”
Arabella’s eyes held his, searching, though she did not press him to elaborate. That restraint did not go unnoticed.
“You supported me,” he continued, his tone even, though quieter than before. “Without hesitation. In front of your sister.”
A faint warmth touched her expression. “You supported me first.”
“That does not diminish your choice.”
“No,” she said softly. “It does not.”
The acknowledgment settled between them, not heavy, but not insignificant either.
Maxwell became aware, then, of the shift in proximity. It had not been deliberate. He had not marked the moment when the distance between them had lessened, only that it had. The space that had once been carefully maintained now felt… unnecessary.
Arabella reached for the glass at her side, her fingers brushing his as he moved to do the same. It was a small contact, incidental enough to be dismissed, and yet neither of them withdrew at once.
She glanced at him, just briefly, before taking the glass.
“Thank you,” she said.
Maxwell inclined his head, though his attention remained on her longer than was strictly required.
It would have been simple to return to formality then. To create distance again, to allow the conversation to close without further complication.
He did not.
“You asked me earlier,” he said, “whether I would object to being observed.”
Arabella looked up, her expression attentive. “I did.”
“I will not,” he said. “But I do not intend to allow that observation to define what this is.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. “And what is it?”
The question was not asked lightly, though it was not pressed with urgency either.
Maxwell considered her for a moment before answering. “That remains to be determined.”
Arabella’s lips curved faintly at that, though there was thought behind it. “You are being careful.”
“Yes.”
“I had noticed.”
There was no censure in her tone, only observation.
“It is not uncertainty,” he added.
“I did not think it was.”
Another pause followed, though it carried less weight than before.
Maxwell became aware, then, of the direction his thoughts had begun to take. It would have been a simple matter to speak it aloud, to return to the terms they had already established, to suggest—quietly, reasonably—that there was no need to wait until the next appointed time.
The thought lingered longer than he expected.
