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“Your mother will never accept it,” she protested weakly, even as her heart soared at his words. “We hardly know each other. Give me the time I’ve asked for.”

“My mother will learn to accept it, or she’ll miss out on knowing her grandchildren.” He grinned suddenly. “Besides, she already admitted you handled yourself admirably at dinner the other night. That’s high praise from her.”

He took her hand and got down on one knee. “Please. Marry me?”

Alexander’s words hung in the air between them, filled with hope and promise.

Caitria’s heart soared, even as fear gripped her chest. She stepped back, breaking their connection, though her skin still tingled where he’d touched her. “I… I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” His voice was gentle, but she heard the hurt beneath it.

“Both. Neither.” She wrapped her arms around herself, turning to look out over the cliffs. The vast expanse of sea usually calmed her, but today it only reminded her of the insurmountable distance between their worlds. “Alexander, I don’t know how to be a duchess.”

“I don’t want you to be a duchess. I want you to be my wife,” he said, getting up and moving to stand beside her. “I want you to be yourself—the woman who swims in hidden coves, who delivers puppies without a thought for her fine clothes, who just risked her life to save a child.”

“But I would be a duchess,” she countered softly. “Your world… It’s not mine. I’d never fit in. The ton would eat me alive, and what of our children? They might be shunned. Eventually, you’d regret—”

“Never,” he interrupted fiercely. “I could never regret choosing you.”

She turned to face him, her heart breaking at the earnest love in his eyes. “You say that now, but what about in five years? In ten? When every social event becomes an ordeal, when your peers snicker behind their fans at my accent, when your mother’s disappointment weighs on us both?”

“None of that matters to me.”

“But it should!” The words burst from her with more force than she intended. “You’re a duke, Alexander. Your position comes with responsibilities, expectations. You need a wife who understands that world, who can help you navigate it.” She swallowed hard. “Someone like Lady Penelope.”

“I don’t want Lady Penelope,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I want—”

“Please,” she whispered, stepping away. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

They stood in silence for a long moment; the wind carrying the scent of wildflowers and sea salt between them.

Finally, Alexander spoke, his voice rough with emotion.

“I won’t force you, Caitria. But know this—I love you, and that won’t change.

When you’re ready to believe in us as much as I do, I’ll be waiting. ”

She couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat, but could only nod as tears threatened. Without looking at him again—knowing if she did, her resolve would crumble—she turned and walked back to the carriage. “I want to go home, please.”

The ride back to Seacliff House was cloaked in sadness, and her mind whirled. She needed to talk to someone who would understand, someone who knew what it was to bridge two worlds.

She found Lucien in his study, reviewing estate papers. He looked up as she entered, his expression immediately shifting to concern. “Caitria? What’s wrong?”

“I need your counsel,” she said, sinking into a chair. “About Alexander… His Grace, I mean.”

Lucien set aside his papers, giving her his full attention. “Ah. I wondered when this conversation would come.”

She looked up in surprise. “You knew?”

“That he’s in love with you? Anyone with eyes can see that.” He smiled gently. “And that you’re in love with him, as well, though you’re fighting it with everything you have.”

“I’m not good enough for him,” she whispered, voicing her deepest fear.

“No,” Lucien said firmly, “you’re too good for any of us. But that’s not really what’s troubling you, is it?”

The tears she’d been holding back finally spilled over. “He asked me to marry him today. He says he doesn’t care about my background, that he loves me as I am, but…” She wiped her cheeks. “How can I be a duchess, Lucien? I don’t know the first thing about it. I’d only bring him shame.”

Lucien was quiet for a moment, considering. “Do you know what I’ve learned since returning to society? That titles and breeding mean far less than character. You have more natural nobility in your little finger than most of the ton has in their entire bloodline.”

“But—”

“No buts,” he interrupted gently. “You’re not that scared girl who came from Ireland anymore, Caitria. The Sisterhood have accepted you. My powerful friends have accepted you. You’ve grown into a remarkable woman. The only question you need to answer is: Do you love him enough to face your fears?”

Lucien knew of The Sisterhood investment club because they were helping him invest too, to rebuild the money his father had gambled away in his absence.

He was right. She’d already been accepted by the only people who mattered.

She stared at her hands, twisted in her lap.

“I think I might,” she whispered. “And that terrifies me more than anything.”

“Good,” Lucien said, surprising her. “Love should terrify us a little. It means we have something precious to lose.” He leaned forward. “But it also gives us something worth fighting for.”

Caitria sat back, letting his words sink in. She still didn’t have an answer, but for the first time since Alexander’s proposal, she felt like she could breathe again. Maybe Lucien was right. Maybe the only question of importance was whether her love was stronger than her fear.

She just wished she knew the answer.