Page 80 of A Temporary Bride for the Duke

Should we run? Would that be inappropriate?

Daisy turned to Edmund. “I don’t suppose you’ve any insight about which direction we should head in or how we should approach this challenge?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I have never been here before. But let’s try going left and see how we fare.”

Daisy nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”

Edmund led the way, walking at a fast clip as they made their way through the maze. Daisy stared at his back, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she thought about confessing everything to him there and then but then changing her mind and retreating.

He doesn’t care. If he wished to know what I was thinking, he’d ask.

She followed him silently, and he did not bother to consult her about the decisions he was making. He did seem to be following a plan, so she decided to trust that he knew what he was doing. The sun rose high in the sky, and she was sweating a bit when she caught sight of a clearing ahead.

She gasped, pointing it out to Edmund.

“Yes, I reckoned that if we just kept left, most mazes are built to eventually end by taking enough left turns.”

“Ah. How clever of you,” Daisy said.

He stepped aside and gestured for her to precede him. “After you,” he said.

She nodded and stepped forward, picking up the small trophy that was carried in the arms of the statue of a baby standing on a plinth.

She looked at it and then up at Edmund. “Is this it? Is this all there is to it?”

He tipped his head to the side and looked at her quizzically. “What do you mean? We won the competition.” His brows furrowed deeply. “I should think that would make you happy.”

She turned the trophy over in her hands. “I suppose I thought…I mean I guess I imagined that this final challenge would be harder somehow. We would have to work together to attain the prize and then…then…”

Tears trickled down Daisy’s cheeks. She did not realize she had started to cry, and when it occurred to her, she hastily pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.

“Daisy.” She could hear the alarm in the Duke’s voice. “What is the matter? Are you not pleased? Should I not congratulate you?”

She sniffled loudly, then dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “By all means, let us congratulate one another. We have won Lady Archworth’s Games.”

“And this makes you feel…disheartened?” Edmund peered at her.

She choked back a sob that was building in her throat. “I am surprised that the end has come. That is all.”

She tucked the handkerchief back in her pocket and produced a watery smile for his benefit.

“If you’re sure there is nothing else…” he began, and she cut him off with a bark of a laugh.

“There is nothing else to say, Your Grace.” She held out the trophy to him. “Come, let us go and claim our victory.”

It was evident that Edmund only accepted the trophy reluctantly, but that did not stop him from taking the lead and directing them back toward the spot where Lady Archworth and the rest of the spectators were gathered. Daisy followed him to the dais, ready to be crowned victors of the tournament, her feet dragging.

She knew she should feel ecstatic at this outcome. It was exactly what she wanted. She had won. Soon, she’d have enough money to pay her father’s debtandbuy her freedom. But all she could think about was not seeing Edmund and Harry again, and that made her heart feel as heavy as an anvil.

I am being ridiculous. This was the arrangement all along. The Duke and Harry will move on with their lives, and so will I.

She tried to berate herself out of her maudlin mood, but she couldn’t quite shake the melancholy that had overtaken her. And part of her didn’t know whether she could move on with her life after what she’d shared with Edmund and little Harry.

A day later, they both converged on the quiet sanctuary of Lady Archworth’s private drawing room.

Edmund stood by the hearth, watching Daisy intensely. He could see how much it meant to her to win the money. Her hands were shaking, even as she tried to stop them.

Lady Archworth smiled warmly, stepping forward with a thick paper packet. “Well, I am more than happy to fulfill my part of the bargain,” she said, placing an envelope with the funds directly into Daisy’s trembling hands. “Here is your prize money, my dear. I hope that it is everything you wished it to be.”