Page 33 of The One With the Rogue Duke

“Sacrificing his own reputation for your benefit is not acting.”

“You don’t understand, Pru. He has this power over me that could break me.”

“He only has whatever power you give him, Verity. And if you want to give that man your heart, you had better believe that he will protect it with all that he has. That may not be a power you’re used to, but it’s a power you deserve. A love you deserve.”

“He doesn’t—”

“Yes, he does, Verity,” Tempy chimed in. “I’ve seen it as well. He loves you. If he’s lied to you, he’s had his reasons. And you owe it to yourself to find out the whole truth this time.”

“The whole truth?” Verity scoffed. “That’s an impossibility.”

“Then get as much of the truth as you need. And wipe your eyes, dear sister. You’re stronger than this. No matter what happens.”

Chapter 20

Ash

“I need to talk to her. Let me in, Pru.” Ash held his one foot firm against the bottom edge of the door.

Standing there with her arms crossed, she challenged his intentions. Rightly so after what had just happened. “What are you going to say to her?”

“I’m going to tell her the truth.”

When she gave a little grunt of approval and a head nod to Temperance, the two sisters exited the room, leaving him alone with Verity.

Her eyes were red. He hated himself for making her cry.

“Verity, I—”

To let his eyes scan her posture, meant taking note of the way her fingers dug into her forearm. His strong woman, bracing herself, against him.

It took only a few strides and he was in front of her. He dropped to his knees. “I’m sorry, Verity. I should have told you the truth.” Hands plastered to the coverlet on either side of her, he fisted the fabric. Yearning to touch her. To soothe the ache he had caused.

“I shouldn’t have hidden myself from you. That first day after I tossed hay all over you,” he brought a finger up to her cheek and traced a small pattern to her ear, “I should have told you then who I was and what I was doing.”

“Why didn’t you?” she said hoarsely from the tears she had obviously been crying over him.

“I wanted to get to the truth.” His chin dropped and tapped his chest. “I wanted the truth, yet I withheld it from you. I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse, but I want you to know why I did it. I didn’t think anyone would tell me the truth if they only thought of me as the duke who intended to purchase the estate that provided their livelihood. I expected that if they knew who I was, they would have lied to me. Built up the property to be more than it was. But I still should have told you the truth.”

“Yes. You should have.”

At the sound of certainty in her voice, he looked up at her. Searching. Studying. Begging for another chance.

“Everywhere I looked, I saw problems. Poor management. Mismanagement. Sometimes total chaos. And because of all of that, I thought there was something I was still missing. It didn’t make sense until you disclosed his plans to sabotage the estate. I knew immediately that you were telling the truth.”

“Alec planned the earldom’s demise. Said that if he couldn’t have it, no one could. He made plans even after his death for business transactions to go through and sink the estate. Said I wouldn’t last more than a year here without him. He wasn’t wrong.”

“He was wrong. Look at you. Look how strong you are. You don’t need anyone to help you get by.” He dragged a hand through his hair. Maybe this was a lost cause. Maybe she was better without him. Stronger without him. “But…I want to do this with you. For real. Not this fake courtship we have.” He took her hands in his, rubbing the back of her knuckles with his thumbs. “I don’t know when it happened, but I’ve fallen for you, Verity. Maybe it was the moment I made a haystack out of you,” he chuckled softly. “Even through the hay you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. But it’s more than that. You’ve shown your compassion. Your resilience. Your loyalty. Your independence. I don’t want a woman who’s doting on me. I want a woman who wants a full life and then wants me to be part of it. We can build a life together. If you want. Two bedlamites making a run at it. What do you say?”

Her pause was far too long for his liking, but at least she released a small smirk when she spoke. “First of all, only one of us is a bedlamite. You’re still a rogue in my books. And second of all, you’re right. I don’t need anyone.” His thumbs stilled their circular pattern. Stunned. “But I want someone.”

She squeezed his hands and dropped them on her lap as she reached for his shoulders. “I get why you lied. I held a little bit of hatred for you. I probably would have withheld the information for a while as well. And I can see how as time went on, it got harder to reveal the truth. I’m glad it was you though. Very glad.”

“Me too.”

“I never wanted a man who held any kind of power over me, Ash. But there’s nothing that can stop the love I feel for you.”

His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer. “And I love you, Verity. Every single part of you.”