Alexander frowned. “What do you mean ‘the real reason.’ Don’t you love the man?”
Cynthia thought about the question for a moment. She was beginning to think that Daniel was indeed a man she could love. He was the charmer the women always thought he was. He didn’t have a brutal temper and did not drink heavily. She hadn’t even seen him lose his temper, as a matter of fact. He was always polite and kind to her and never made her feel less than her value.
Still she had trouble separating the fact that he was doing a business deal with her, had never mentioned love and at times, she felt like he was just going through the motions so that his outward appearance would be validated and people would talk about him in a way that he wanted them to. He didn’t want to leave them guessing and making up stories, so he set the tone of any stories they told.
“I may love him in time.” She finally replied. “But there is another reason, Alex. Daniel has a great deal of money. He is set to be disinherited on his 30th birthday if he is not wed and in a position to supply an heir.”
“Yes, I heard about that.” Alexander nodded, a look of disapproval on his face. She didn’t know whether that frown was caused by the disinheritance or the fact that Daniel had not already taken care of the situation long ago. “I admit I wondered if he approached you because he’s…”
He stopped abruptly before saying the word “desperate.” It was terribly impolite to put Cynthia in the category that a desperate man would choose from.
Cynthia grinned. “You were wise to stop before saying that, my friend.”
They both laughed.
“He is in a desperate situation, but he and I came to an agreement at the outset of our courtship. As you know, John’s death left me with enormous debts to the creditors, and I would surely lose everything if I tried to pay them back what John owed them. I would be left destitute. They have been waiting these long years for their money. Now, they are no longer waiting for their money.”
“The Duke paid the collectors for you?”
“He did.”
Alexander blinked in surprised silence. He felt at a loss for words. He knew the Duke had much more money than Cynthia but could not fathom the man handing out so much money just to win the hand of a woman…even his good friend.
“I…I am surprised by this information.” Alexander scratched his head. “I have heard many negative things about the Duke. This does not seem in character for him.”
“I have heard the stories. They all came from ladies he had rejected, though, have you ever noticed that?”
“Have there been any ladies pursuing him?” Alexander asked and then went on without waiting for an answer. “No, there haven’t been, and that’s because he garnered such a bad reputation with them. Were you ever warned off?”
Cynthia shook her head. “No. I have not participated very much in the social scene, even when I did attend the balls with you.”
“So what do you think of him now that you’ve spent time with him? Should I be worried about you, my dear?”
Cynthia turned her head to look out over the long green lawn, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “You’ve no need to be worried about me, Alex. Daniel has been only a gentleman since we made our deal.”
“But do you want to live in a business deal? Is that really what will make you happy, being married to someone you don’t truly care for? I suppose you could stay on here if he would allow it. Then you wouldn’t have to leave the familiar, and you will still be yourself.”
“He has said that I will be able to retain my freedom to come and go as I please. I will continue to do that, but I will also act as Duchess when he requires it of me. I can’t imagine I would have any responsibilities, though. In the beginning, we will need to keep up the appearance of a happy couple. So I will not be able to stay here at the house. Perhaps I will come back and stay during holidays or when I want a vacation.”
“Won’t you miss it?”
“Of course, I will. But life goes on, doesn’t it? And we must ebb and flow with it.”
He nodded. “This is true, my dear. This is true.”
That weekend, Daniel picked her up for another dance, arriving early enough for them to leave the carriage away from the mansion in which the ball was being held and walk the remaining distance. There was no threat of rain. The weather was holding out to be a pleasant late spring, with sunshine and warmth late into the evening.
That night, however, just as they arrived at the mansion and stepped up under the deck roof, it began to sprinkle. He gave her an apologetic look as they watched it come down. “I did not know it was supposed to rain this evening,” He said.
“It’s quite all right. Do you think it will still be raining when we leave?”
“If so, I will get a ride from someone else to take us to the carriage.”