to university. As for me? I am to be managed by an older man who will bring me to heel.”
His brows knit together. “Do you know the man Lord Torrington has chosen for you?”
She sighed. “I learned his identity tonight. And he is ancient.”
The duke chuckled. “You might consider me ancient, my lady. I must be a good three decades older than you.”
“Oh, no, Your Grace. You don’t seem old at all. And you are quite kind and very nice to converse with.” She paused. “Father will announce my engagement tonight to Lord Smothe.”
Shock filled Gilford’s face as he visibly shuddered. “No wonder you are in despair, my lady.”
“I came here to collect my thoughts and try to find a solution to my problems,” she said. “I am not a Catholic so becoming a nun is out of the question. I could run away but I have nowhere to go and no money to live upon.” She paused. “I suppose I could become a governess or companion but I think I would be dreadful at either of those things.”
He fell silent, as if lost in his own world.
Dalinda had imposed upon him enough and she quietly stood in order to leave the room. As she passed the duke, he caught her wrist, halting her movement.
“Your Grace?” she asked, uncertainty filling her.
“There is another option,” he said quietly, his gaze penetrating her. “You could marry me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Marry me, Lady Dalinda.”
Her legs wobbled, feeling as if they would give out. Gilford rose and placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
“Why would you wish to wed me, Your Grace?” she asked. “You have been a widower for many years.”
“For my sister,” he revealed. “Decades ago, our father forced her to wed a much older man. She was frightened of him. She begged not to have to go through with the ceremony. Father insisted she do so, claiming it was a good match.” His face darkened. “She spent the next ten years in a living Hell before she escaped into death.
“One of her own making.”
“She . . . died by her own hand?”
The duke nodded. “She used laudanum to dull the pain of her existence. The doctor told us that she had accidentally indulged in too much but I knew better. We had been close growing up and I knew the way she thought. She dropped enough hints to me so that I knew her actions had been deliberate.”
Gilford squeezed her shoulders lightly. “I would not want to see you that unhappy, my lady.” He paused. “I am free to wed. I cannot promise you love because my heart will forever belong to my beloved wife. I will, however, give you freedom from your father and this horrid match with Lord Smothe. A duchess is a powerful person among the ton. You could pursue your own interests and never be stifled.”
Dalinda’s heart pounded within her chest. “Would . . . this be . . . I mean . . . I know you are offering a marriage of convenience but . . .” Her voice faded. She swallowed, drawing on the courage within her and said, “Would it be a marriage in name only?”
“Is that what you would wish for?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I told you of my desire to have children.”
The duke smiled. “Then I will do my best to give you a few.” He searched her face as if looking for her answer. “The choice is yours, my lady.”
Hope sprang within her. She wouldn’t be forced to wed and lie with the ancient Lord Smothe. She could wed this kind, generous man, a man who offered her a way out of the cage her father wished to place her inside.
She smiled, feeling warmth radiating within her. “I choose you, Your Grace.”
“You are certain? I am old.”
Grinning, she replied, “Not nearly as old as Old Smothe.”
“I suppose not. My forty-eight years seem young compared to Smothe.”
Dalinda giggled. “I will become a stepmamma.”
The duke chuckled. “Reid doesn’t need any mothering.”
“Will he resent me taking his mother’s place?”
Gilford’s hand cupped her cheek. “I wouldn’t worry about that, my lady. Reid is off to university soon and then has grand ideas of serving in His Majesty’s Army.”
“But he’s a marquess,” she protested. “He will be the future Duke of Gilford.”
“I know. But the boy has a mind of his own. He will do as he wishes—and I will do the same by taking a new wife.” His thumb stroked her cheek. “Though