Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“But seriously,” I say, “one would be a blessing. If I could convince him to have three or four, that would be even better.”
“Let’s just take it day by day,” Ben says, gazing at me like he thinks I’m the most wonderful woman he’s ever seen. He’s such a great actor. “We both agree we’re going to try once we’re married.”
“Sounds like we need to get you married as soon as possible,” the duchess says.
She’s so sweet and kind, I feel a little bad for lying to her. But she’ll never know. Engagements are broken all the time. I’ve got evidence of that.
We talk a little more about her wedding to the duke and about how her niece is newly engaged. The duchess is charming, and I can’t imagine anyone meeting her not falling a little bit in love.
From out of nowhere a gong sounds. No one says anything, but people start filing inside through a different door from the one we came out of, straight into an elaborately set dining room. I try not to come across too awed, but I can’t not notice the gold leaf on the ceiling and the elaborate candelabras on the long table set with a crisp white tablecloth. It looks like we’re in a movie. I wish Daniel De Luca had more of a back catalog in costume drama. I feel a binge coming on when I return to London.
I find myself sitting opposite the duchess, with Ben to my left and Nick to my right. Ben’s opposite the duke.
“You’re going to settle in England?” The duke looks between Ben and me.
Panic slithers down my spine. Somehow, this issue didn’t make it onto our questionnaires, despite it being a major lifestyle choice. Just about now, I’m thinking we’re both idiots for overlooking such an obvious issue.
“Yes,” I say. “It’s much easier to move my career than Ben’s. And anyway, ever since I first touched down in this country, it’s kind of felt like home.”
It’s not a lie. I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve had a thing for British movie stars since forever, or because I’ve watched every Daniel De Luca film a thousand times over, but this country feels a bit like my home away from home. I feel a kinship I never expected.
“I love all the history, but more than that, Ben’s here. And I would follow him anywhere.”
That’s how it’s supposed to be when you’re in love, right? Jed once mentioned the possibility of moving to Iowa a couple of years ago. His parents are there, along with his older brother and his wife. Even though he was trying to be funny at the time, I remember feeling like he’d sucker-punched me with the idea. Jed and I were inextricably linked with New York—at least, I thought we were. I couldn’t picture us anywhere but the city where we’d spent our twenties together. He never brought it up again, and I’d forgotten about it until he ended things.
“What work do you do?” the duke asks.
“At a bank,” I say. “Since college. It was the first job I got. My father encouraged me to take it.” Actually, my dad just wanted me to be happy with whatever career choice I made. Jed pushed for me to take on a role at the bank.
The duke stops chewing, and I feel like I’ve dropped a bomb. “You follow a lot of your father’s advice?”
My heart is spluttering. Did I mess everything up? My father would say, when in doubt, tell the truth. “Yes. He’s such a brilliant and kind man and . . . He gives the best advice.”
The duke nods and resumes chewing. I hold my breath as he swallows and then replies, “I was always the same with my father. I always went to him with my struggles. I wanted to be just like him.” I allow myself to exhale. However impossible it might seem, the duke and I seem to have something in common. “When he passed the estate down to me, I could only imagine being as successful as he was.”
The duchess reaches over and presses her hand over her husband’s. “You’ve been the most successful Duke of Brandon by far. Your father would be proud.”
The duke nods, his expression solemn. “And that’s all any of us want: for our parents to be proud of us.”
The tablecloth pulls beside me, and I move my glass before it topples over. I look down and realize Ben is gripping the edge of the linen. I glance up at him, and his expression is the same as ever, totally belying the tension in his body. I slide my hand onto his thigh, and he clasps it as if he’d been waiting for it. My heart clenches.
The duke clears his throat. “Nick here tells me you still want to buy my hotels.” I hold my breath, desperate to know how Ben is going to react. But the duchess lowers her voice to talk to just me, and I give her my full attention. I keep my hand on Ben’s thigh.