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“That is not good enough.” Caroline ducked under the duke’s arm and hurried into his room.

“What are you?—”

“I cannot marry you!” Caroline cried over the duke. “Please! You must understand. You must see! You cannot make me go through with this, I beg you. I will do anything you ask! Name it and I will make it so!”

The duke eyed her curiously; his brow was furrowed, a hint of a smirk on his lips. He closed the door behind him, turning fully now to face her. Then, he stood up straight and she took a step back as if on instinct. His size... his stature... the power of the man.What was I thinking, coming here?

“You speak as if this is something I requested personally,” he said. “As if I want this.”

“I am aware of how this has happened,” she agreed, forcing herself to meet his eyes and hold them. Her heart was racing but she would not be bullied. “And that is neither here nor there. The point is, you are the one who suggested this marriage. It is your doing, not mine.”

“Is that right?”

“It is irrelevant,” she continued. “For the result is the same. A result which I cannot in good conscience agree to. And I feel that you are of the same mind.”

“Do you, now?”

“I...” A lump appeared in her throat. “I want you to tell my mother and my brother that you have changed your mind. Tell them that you spoke in haste, that you do not wish to marry me—that I am a bad sort who you will not be saddled with. I do not care! But please, you cannot make me go through with this.”

The duke tilted his head as he studied her. “You are aware that I am searching for a bride. What makes you think that I want to change my mind?”

“Me!” she exclaimed. “Us! Surely, you see that we cannot work. This marriage...” She shook her head. “If it is to go ahead, it would be a tragedy. I know you agree.”

“You know that for a fact, do you?”

“Pe—peace and quiet.” She gulped. “That is what you said you wanted. You told me as much. And you must see that if you and I marry, that it is not what you will get. That alone is reason enough to call off this marriage before it is too late.”As good an excuse as any, for I cannot tell him the real reason...

To this, the duke said nothing. At least not at first.

He tilted his head and studied her, his dark eyes roaming over her body until they fixed squarely on her face. Caroline could feel her body shaking under his gaze, and when she tried to stand tall and firm and confident, she felt herself take another cautious step back. A cat cornered by a rabid dog, powerless and at the creature’s mercy.

“You are right,” he agreed finally. “Peace and quiet is what I wish for.”

“Then you must know?—”

“What I know is that you are not what you pretend to be.” He strode across the room quickly, stopping two feet away from her. She gasped and went to take another step back, only for her legs to hit the bed.

“I do not know why, where I am concerned, you are so...” He clicked his tongue. “Impetuous. But I have seen how you behave around your family. I have seen who you truly are. My thinking is that, as a wife, you will be exactly what I require.”

“You’re wrong!” she said. “I am not—if we marry, I will only frustrate you. Peace and quiet is not?—”

“Quiet,” he growled suddenly. The effect was instantaneous, like a hand reaching into her mouth and snatching the words before they could be spoken. Her mouth was open, and her eyes wide; she stared but could not speak. “There, much better.”

He was standing over her, his massive frame like a mountain blocking out the sun. She felt tiny by comparison, shrinking back as if she might turn invisible.

Again, she knew that she should leave. Memories of last night filtered through her mind. Her eyes flicked from his lips... her legs began to shake... she had the urge to speak up again so he might be forced to stop her...what is wrong with me?

“You are filled with presumption,” the duke continued, his voice now a whisper. “Barging in here, telling me what I require as if you know me.”

“I do know?—”

“You know nothing,” he spoke over her. His voice was still low, but powerful enough to silence her once more. “So do not presume that you do. The fact is, this marriage is now unavoidable, and there is no escaping it. So, I suggest that you accept this fate and make your peace with it. As I already have.”

“I... I...” Her chin was wobbling. “I cannot marry you.” She spoke so quietly that she barely heard herself. “Please…”

The ‘please’ caused a moment of pause in the duke. He leaned back, looked aghast at what he must have only just now realized to be a terrified woman throwing herself at his feet in mercy. Not Caroline’s proudest moment, but she was out of options.

“Lady Hawkins, you must know…” He almost looked upset. “There is no need to fear me. I hope, at the very least, you are aware of this.”