The Duke’s Darling Debutante by Maggie Dallen

10

“No?” Darius demanded yet again.

“No.” Tabetha’s chin notched up higher.

“Truly, I wish at least one of you would expand your vocabulary,” Evelyn said from where she sat with her needlework.

A full night and morning had passed since Tabetha rejected the duke’s proposal, but the battle between brother and sister was still going strong.

Darius threw his hands up. “I just don’t understand how you can say no.”

“Like this.” Tabetha arched her brows and crossed her arms. “No.”

Darius growled. Tabetha glared.

Mariah sighed. “You two are getting nowhere.” She turned a kind, beseeching gaze to her brother. “Darius, why don’t you ask Tabetha why she is so opposed to marrying a man she so obviously cares for.”

Darius gave a harrumph, his glower still fixed on Tabetha.

“And Tabetha,” Mariah continued. “Did you listen to what the duke had to say? If you had—”

“She didn’t have the chance,” Darius said, his eyes narrowing on Tabetha. “She was too busy kissing him.”

“So romantic,” Clarissa said with a dreamy sigh. Everyone turned to stare at her, including Darius. “Er, rather...it would be romantic if it wasn’t also so very improper.” She feigned a scowl of disapproval as she tsked and shook her head in Tabetha’s direction.

Tabetha nearly laughed at her youngest sister’s antics but swallowed it down just in time. She was wearing a glare as fierce as Darius’s when his gaze returned to hers. She might have been quick to find the humor in most situations, but this was a serious matter.

There were lives at stake.

Well, maybe not lives. But there were futures and fortunes on the line. And besides, her heart was at stake—surely that counted for something.

Darius took one look at her determined scowl and gave a surprisingly weary sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. “I just don’t understand you, Tabetha. You like the gentleman. We all know you do.”

All she could manage was a nod in return. She was rather frightened that if she attempted to speak, she’d start blubbering like a ninny. Because she did like him. A lot. But she didn’t just like him. That much had become abundantly clear when she’d kissed him.

She winced at the memory. Foolish girl. What had come over her? One moment she was a sane and rational creature, and the next she was swept off her feet, leaning in and planting a kiss on his lips as though...as though…

As though it were her right.

Shame made her insides spiral toward the ground. He’d only said he liked her. He hadn’t used the word courtship, or marriage—or love, for that matter.

And he hadn’t kissed her.

He’d been a perfect gentleman, making sure they didn’t stray out of sight of the others, keeping her close but not breaking any of society’s rules. He’d been proper, through and through.

Of course he had. He was a duke. He didn’t get swept away by emotions. Clearly that was territory reserved solely for silly country bumpkins like herself.

“I think what Darius means,” Evelyn said softly from where she was seated. “Is that if you do indeed like the man, and if you found him pleasing enough to return his...affections—” They all ignored Clarissa’s giggle at that. Evelyn arched her brows and continued, “Then why are you so resistant to the idea of marrying him?”

Tabetha opened her mouth and shut it. Her heart felt like it was being torn in two, but she couldn’t show it.

And she couldn’t tell them the truth, not without losing this battle with her brother.

Because the truth was, she wasn’t resistant to the idea. The very thought of marrying the duke, of forever being at his side, on his arm, in his life…

It was everything she could ever wish for.

But not like this.

She gave her head a quick shake as her siblings stared, willing her to explain. But she couldn’t, not without losing her control and possibly ruining the duke’s life by burdening him with a wife he did not wish for.

Darius took a menacing step toward her, his arms crossed over his giant chest. “Unless, of course, you’re covering for the man and his attentions were not wanted. Did he take liberties with you, Tabetha?”

Her eyes widened and Clarissa gave a loud gasp of outrage. At what point Clarissa had become such an ardent admirer of the duke was anyone’s guess, but she seemed to take just as much umbrage with that insinuation as Tabetha did.

“Of course not. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along,” Tabetha said, her voice rising in outrage. “He did not kiss me. I kissed him.”

The room fell silent after that. While she had been trying to convey that this was her fault and not his for the duration of the morning, she likely hadn’t said it so very clearly. Nor so very loudly.

“Yes, well,” Darius grumbled, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Be that as it may—”

“Oh, Darius, be gentle with the girl,” Evelyn said. “Can’t you see she has feelings for the man?”

Darius frowned at his wife. “But that’s precisely my point. If she has feelings for him, then she ought to marry him.”

Evelyn shook her head, giving Tabetha an empathetic little smile.

Well, at least Evelyn seemed to understand.

“Tabetha needs to tell the duke she loves him,” Evelyn told Darius, still in that sympathetic, knowing tone. “Then everything will sort itself out.”

Tabetha stiffened. Evelyn did not understand. None of them did.

“They can sort out their feelings when they’re wed.” Darius’s tone said he’d brook no arguments.

Clearly for a moment there, he’d forgotten where he was.

“But you cannot force her to marry him,” Clarissa said.

“All she needs is time,” Mariah added quietly.

Evelyn nodded. “That’s exactly it. They’ll work it out in the end. Young couples always do.”

“But don’t you see? We are not a couple,” Tabetha interjected, tired of hearing herself and the duke spoken about like they were characters in a play. “We never have been. You know that as well as I do.”

Her siblings were gaping at her and she realized her voice had grown too high and her eyes far too watery. She blinked back tears as she drew in a deep breath. “I was wrong to mistake his kindness for true intentions and I will not allow his nobility and honorable nature to be confused for...for love.”

The word was difficult to get out, and now it seemed to echo in this room.

Love.She loved him.

What a fool she was. What kind of nitwit went and fell in love with a duke? He deserved a genteel, charming, impeccably mannered lady at his side as his duchess, and they both knew it.

He liked her. He’d said as much. But friends liked one another too. It was not the same as love. Even she knew that.

And she knew that now, better than ever, because she’d felt the difference. She liked a great many people, but there was only one person who made her feel as though she was walking on air when he was near. There was only one who made her feel like she was perfect just as she was. Who made her want to smile and laugh and tease and...and live. He made her want to live a life of passion, with intelligent conversations and secrets and private jokes. He made her want to try harder, and be better, to dream bigger and live larger.

She let out a weary sigh that sounded just as heartbroken as she felt.

“Do you know what the worst part is?” she asked the room at large.

“What is it?” Mariah asked quietly.

Tabetha turned to her sweet sister with a sad smile. “I don’t regret a thing.”

She turned away, ignoring the hushed whispers of her family behind her as she touched two fingers to her lips. She could still feel the warmth of his touch at her waist, the heat of his lips pressed to hers.

Her breath caught in her lungs. The kiss had been light, brief, and...perfect. Her mind had been washed clean of thought and words and reason, and all that remained was her heart.

She’d known in an instant what it was telling her—this is love. The way her heart swelled and her chest ached, the way his very presence made her breathless and overcome with excitement all at once.

It was love.

For her, it was love. For him?

I have every intention of doing the noble and gentlemanly thing in this situation.

She winced at the memory. It wasn’t just his words but the way he’d said it—so stiff and formal. So...resigned. Rather like a man headed to the gallows.

She ignored the stab of pain as she turned back to face her family.

Her family—who were clearly ready to confront her as well. As one. Tabetha blinked in surprise. Honestly, she rarely saw them form such a united front, but each and every one of her siblings was giving her the same serious stare.

She blinked again. Goodness. Darius’s glare was difficult enough to face, but that was nothing compared to Mariah’s look of...oh no.

Was that disappointment? And Evelyn’s gaze was painfully sympathetic, while Clarissa’s mouth was set in a grim line like she was settling in for a fight.

Oh dear.

Tabetha straightened. But she wasn’t a Rutland for nothing. She could be just as stubborn as the rest, especially with the duke’s happiness at stake.

Darius spoke first. Or...he tried to, at least. “Tabetha, if you don’t come to your senses—”

“I think what Darius means to say is that your actions have put you in quite a predicament,” Evelyn finished.

“We only wish to see you happy, Tabetha,” Mariah said.

“You’re being an obstinate fool,” Clarissa added.

“If I may finish?” Darius arched his brows as he addressed his wife and the two youngest sisters.

“By all means,” Evelyn said with a magnanimous gesture for him to continue.

He cleared his throat. “Tabetha, you know I would never force you into any marriage.” He cast a glance toward his wife, who’d very nearly married the wrong man for just that reason.

“I know.” Tabetha’s voice was small. She didn’t like arguing with Darius...or any of her family, for that matter.

“And I will not force you to accept the duke’s proposal,” he said.

She opened her mouth to remind him that it hadn’t been a proposal. Luke had made a statement. A bold sweeping commandment to fix the mess that she’d created. But she stopped short because she knew that wasn’t the point. The point was he would marry her.

And then he would be stuck with her.

She clenched her jaw at the thought of a lifetime together. A lifetime of loving a man who only saw her as an albatross about his neck. A man who would surely be ashamed of her as a duchess when her big mouth and unfortunate tendency to laugh won out over her best intentions.

“However,” he continued. His gaze moved meaningfully toward Mariah and Clarissa. “It is not just your reputation at risk.”

Clarissa started to protest that they would be just fine, and even Mariah’s brow furrowed in anger. But Tabetha barely heard her sisters because she was too busy reeling from Darius’s words. They’d landed like a blow to her belly, leaving her winded. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t thought about that. She was not so daft as to think her actions would have no consequences.

She’d even come up with a solution...of sorts. It was just one she dreaded saying aloud. For saying it aloud would make it real. And once she took this step there would be no going back. But she could put it off no longer, it seemed.

Mariah turned to face Darius. “It is not us we’re concerned about—”

“But it should be,” Tabetha said before Darius was able. Mariah and Clarissa turned back to her with a look of confusion, but Darius and Evelyn’s expressions were grim.

No doubt they understood her dilemma better than most. Surely she was not the first person here to weigh personal desires versus what was best for the family.

She straightened her shoulders. “I shall marry Clarence Claremont.”

“What?” Mariah squeaked.

“You will not,” Clarissa shouted.

“What on earth—” Evelyn started.

“You’re acting like a stubborn fool,” Darius growled over his wife.

And then they were all talking at once, and the chaos of it made Tabetha’s head spin. It wasn’t like she wanted this, she wished to tell them. It wasn’t as though she wanted to spurn the love of her life for a dullard like Clarence. But it was better than shackling the duke with a lady like her.

Because knowing Luke was unhappy with her, it would break her heart too.

“I’m not listening to your arguments,” she shouted, adding her loud voice to the cacophony going on around her. “And I’m not asking permission.”

Darius stepped forward, his face red like he might have an apoplectic fit. “Are you mad?”

“Not at all.” Her stomach churned. She thought she might be sick. “It’s a good plan. It would ensure his mother’s silence and save all of our reputations.”

Darius loomed over her, his features tight with concern and confusion. “Are you so very opposed to the idea of marrying an intelligent, proper duke that you’d marry a nitwit dandy out of spite?”

He ended on a fierce growl and Tabetha matched it with a shout that rattled the chandeliers. “Yes! I would rather marry that dreadful Clarence Claremont than say yes to the duke!”

Silence.

Not the good sort of silence.

No, this was the very, very bad kind of silence—ominous and heavy.

Dread pooled in Tabetha’s belly as she saw her family’s gaze move as one toward the drawing room door behind her.

Her blood was ice in her veins as her stomach churned and her heart seemed to rattle against her ribcage. No. No, no, no.

“I suppose that answers that then,” the duke’s calm, measured voice behind her had her eyes shutting as her shoulders slumped.

She turned slowly just as their elderly butler was clearing his throat, his face red. “Er, might I announce, the, uh…” Poor man trailed off in the face of the room’s horror. “I tried to stop him, my lord,” he said softly to Darius.

Darius waved the man out, and the room stayed as silent as a tomb.

The duke’s gaze was heavy on Tabetha, and she couldn’t have moved a limb if she’d tried.

He had a hat in his hands and he twisted it in his grip as his eyes turned cold and his posture rigid. “Lady Tabetha, I came to pay my respects and perhaps try once more to convince you of my sincerity…” He cleared his throat, his gaze finally setting her free as it moved from her to the others.

She didn’t have to turn to know they were just as frozen in the grips of horror as she’d been. She could imagine all too well their humiliation and their sorrow.

But it was nothing compared to hers.

His gaze finally landed on Darius and he gave the other man a short nod. “Darling, I still wish to do right by your sister and your family, but I will not force my attentions on the lady. I shall leave it to you to decide how you wish to proceed.”

The growl from behind her was Darius’s grudging assent, and then the duke was turning.

He was leaving.

And Tabetha was certain she would never see him again.