Page 83 of A Bride for the Devilish Duke

But there are still the secrets he holds that I have not been given the keys to unlock,she mused inwardly.Where does he go, and why does he return to me with injuries? What dangers is he exposing himself to, and why?

“Will the Regent be incensed if you do not accept his offer?” Emma asked, nuzzling against Damien's neck.

“He will feel insulted. The man is shallow and self-centered. It may cause him to favor Isaac and Jacob more over me,” Damien replied.

“And that could cost you the Dukedom,” she whispered.

“It could… But the Dukedom can go hang,” he replied.

Emma looked up, finding his eyes, and seeing the sincerity in them.

“You cannot mean that. You have worked so hard to rebuild your reputation, to keep your birthright. I do not believe you would throw it away. For me?”

“I will not give up our marriage. It might have begun as a means to an end, but it is more than that. It is more important to me than a title or an estate.”

Tears filled Emma's eyes.

“I do not think I have ever felt valued. Not as a woman. As an administrator for my father's estates. As a nursemaid for my siblings. But never in the way I felt a woman should be. Not since...”

“Will you tell me who did it to you?” Damien asked, an urgency in his voice that spoke of his desperation to know.

“Will you tell me what you do when you leave me to visit your mills?” Emma asked pointedly.

Damien's face closed. He looked away, eyes narrowing, shutting the gates with Emma locked outside. She had walls of her own.

“Very well. We will each keep our secrets,” Emma said regretfully.

“We will,” Damien replied.

“Provided it is not another woman,” Emma murmured boldly.

Damien looked at her with a hawk's sharp gaze. She returned his stare measure for measure, refusing to be intimidated.

“I would never betray you. And I have no desire for any woman other than you. Other women are insignificant next to you. Candles before the sun.”

“Pleasing words, but words are just sounds. They can be devoid of meaning.”

She had not realized how close they had become. At some point, their fingers had entwined, and Damien's face was inches from hers. They spoke in an intimate whisper, eyes never deviating from each other.

“My words always have meaning. Because they are the sounds of my heart,” Damien muttered, “and I will prove it to you.”

“How does one prove the sincerity of words without sharing his soul, holding nothing back?”

“By being by your side today. And tomorrow. And the day after. Until one day, you will be silver-haired and infirm, though as beautiful to me as you are now, and on that day, you will remember this and marvel that you ever doubted.”

“Perhaps I will marvel at how I ever trusted as I look back on a life spent alone,” Emma murmured.

“You will not, because I will not allow it.”

She arched a brow. “Is it up to you to decide whether I should live alone? That is for me to decide.”

He shook his head stubbornly. “I will not allow it. Now that I have found you, I will not let you go. I will give up my wealth, house, land, and title first. I will be a pauper in a workhouse. I will fight God if he tries to take you from me.”

Those words struck Emma. Struck to the core as though a bolt of lightning had split the sky to transfix her heart. There was utter conviction in Damien's eyes. He would grapple with the Creator to keep her by his side. And she believed him.

“Good morning to you both. I have been waiting for the opportune moment to interrupt, but I don't think you will give me a second,” Josie said over loud.

Emma looked over Damien's shoulder to see her sister standing at the French doors leading into the sitting room; her back resolutely turned to protect their privacy. Josie had taken to staying with them at Redmane Manor, alongside Charles, ever since the duel had been announced by Isaac. Sir Thomas had also taken up temporary residence nearby as Charles’ second, another likely factor in Josie’s decision to reside here.