Read Online When a Duke Says I Do by Jane Goodger - Free Book Online Page A

Although he’d asked politely, there was no mistaking him for a man who was doing this voluntarily, something that was confirmed when she saw his father give his son a subtle and curiously arrogant nod of approval.
    They walked in silence for a time, an uncomfortable, tense silence, until Elsie had to talk. “It’s a lovely night, is it not?”
    “Yes, it is.”
    She looked up at his profile and acknowledged dispassionately that he was handsome. “Is your mother expected tomorrow?”
    “I have no idea.”
    Beneath her hand, she could feel his arm flex until it was almost like holding onto an oak pole. “Lord Hathwaite, are you angry with me?”
    He stopped suddenly, his jaw flexing, which for some reason reminded her painfully of Alexander. “No. I apologize. I’m not good company this evening. Perhaps we should go back inside.”
    “Perhaps, instead, we should talk about why this marriage of ours is as unwanted by you as it is for me.”
    He looked at her with complete surprise. “I beg your pardon.”
    “If I’m wrong, please tell me. I shall beg forgiveness.”
    “You are not wrong,” he said, sounding rather miserable. “But please, do not take it personally.”
    Elsie laughed, and was happy to finally see a real smile on his handsome face. “How else am I to take it?” Then she waved her hand at him when he began to explain. “Please, do not apologize. We hardly know each other and yet we are expected to marry in a matter of months. I’m quite content with my life right now. I have a little sister, if you remember, and I shall miss her terribly when I’m married.”
    They continued on with their walk, more relaxed.
    “And you? Why do you not want to marry?” Elsie asked. Even though she was not looking forward to their union, she had to admit she was slightly unsettled knowing that he wasn’t either.
    “I feel like a cad.”
    “Please don’t,” Elsie said, giving his arm a squeeze. “We are simply pawns, you and I. I think that is part of it, is it not?”
    “Yes. That’s it precisely. When I was younger, I wondered if I could breathe without my father’s permission. And now I am a man and he still maintains a stranglehold on my life. Sometimes I wish...” He stopped, bending his head as if the ground would offer up an answer.
    “You wish?” Elsie urged.
    “I wish I was not the Marquess of Hathwaite. I wish I could do as I pleased in life.”
    Elsie laughed. “I imagine there is no one in Christendom who has not made that wish.”
    He looked at her strangely a moment, as if seeing her for the first time. “Have you wished it?”
    “Of course. While there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing I shall marry into a good family, a part of me wishes it were my choice.”
    “Should I feel insulted?” he asked with a rare smile.
    “No more than I.” They continued walking side-by-side, no longer arm-in-arm, as if by unspoken agreement. “I suppose it has been difficult for you. Your father is a bit ...”
    “Overbearing?”
    Elsie smiled guiltily. “A bit.”
    “I’m afraid it’s much more than that. He’s even demanded that our first son be named Henry. Can you fathom it?”
    “He’s naming our children?” Elsie said, aghast. “Goodness.”
    “Hardly good,” Lord Hathwaite said dryly.
    They walked until the shadows grew long, stopping to admire a pretty arbor completely covered with ivy. That arbor, its leaves, reminded her of her mural, which reminded her of Alexander. She missed him and felt a frisson of happiness at the thought of returning home on the morrow and seeing him again. Yes, that kiss had been a mistake, but Alexander was her friend. Certainly they could remain friends.
    “Have you ever been in love?” Elsie asked, then added, “Don’t worry, I am not looking for a declaration.”
    He smiled, and again Elsie was struck by how handsome he was. “No. I have not.”
    “I imagine you have kissed a girl, though.”
    His smile remained. “Yes, indeed I