Page 54 of Her Scandalous Pursuit

“Hmm...” the duke mused. “She doesn’t give you much to go on, does she?”

“I doubt it means anything. I’m not like Grandmother—I don’t see the future.”

“Egad, I should hope not,” he said in alarm. “But I wasn’t saying that your dreams are omens of the future. I find that my dreams have something to do with what I’m feeling.”

“But I’m not frightened of anything.”

“I remember when I was courting your mother.” The duke leaned back, his whole face brightening as it always did when he talked about Emmeline. “I had the most dreadful dreams.”

“Really? I would have guessed you’d have happy dreams after falling in love.”

“One would think. But mine were about running, trying to find something and not getting anywhere, or being lost in the fog and unable to find my way. Sometimes I dreamed that your mother was in danger, and I couldn’t get to her. Horrid things.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “After I married her, they went away. So, you see...” He gave her a significant look. The duke had a habit of not concluding his arguments, thinking that everyone else followed his reasoning.

“The nightmares were no match for Mother?” Thisbe ventured.

He chuckled. “Nothing is. But the thing is...I realized they were because I was scared I wouldn’t win her. What if she didn’t love me? What if something happened to her? What if my mother scared her off? I was so happy during the day, being around Emmeline, thinking about her, I didn’t notice it. But at night, the dread crawled out and overwhelmed me.”

“Then why don’t I have sad dreams?”

He looked at her with sympathy. “I don’t know. Perhaps you admit the sorrow, but there’s something more beneath it.”

“The helplessness? Because I have no control over it?” Thisbe sighed. “Oh, Papa...” Tears welled in her eyes and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“You wouldn’t like giving up without a fight.”

“How can I fight the fact that he doesn’t love me?”

“Are you certain? Because I saw that boy’s face when he gazed at you, and that was the way I looked at Emmeline.”

“You still do.”

“Yes. I always will.”

“That is what I want—the kind of love you and Mother have,” Thisbe told him. “If Desmond loves me, he doesn’t love me enough. He’s not willing to risk everything, not willing to fight for me. I wouldn’t give him up because of some silly prophecy. I’d make sure nothing harmed him.”

Henry chuckled. “No doubt you would. You’re so like Emmeline.”

“Me?” Thisbe asked in surprise. “I’m not like Mother. Kyria is the one like Mother.”

“Kyria looks like Emmeline more than you do, that’s true. But here.” He tapped his chest. “And here.” He tapped his forehead. “Inside, you’re very much like Emmeline. Thisbe...” He leaned forward earnestly. “Beautiful as your mother is, that wasn’t what made me fall in love with her. It was the strength and spirit that fairly shone from her. Her determination, her fierce conviction in herself and her beliefs. She never let anything stand in her way.” The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Not even my mother.”

“But I’m not like that. I’ve never fought to right wrongs or make the world better. I’ve never stormed the barricades.”

“Your interests are not the same, of course. That’s only natural. But you have the same qualities. Look at what you’ve done—you plagued that poor German chap until he let you study with him. You’ve fought to be recognized as a scientist. You’ve written papers.”

“Which they wouldn’t publish,” Thisbe interjected.

“But that didn’t stop you. You continue to write, to study, to experiment. I’ve never known you to give up on anything. I can’t imagine that you will surrender here, either.”

“But how can I fight this? I can’t make him ignore Grandmother’s warning. I can’t make him love me.”

“Maybe not, but you can change his thinking. You can make him understand what you feel. I don’t know his mind, but it sounds to me as though he’s a lad who is nobly sacrificing his feelings on the altar of your safety. He’s naive, perhaps—certainly wrongheaded. He sees his own hurt, but does he know yours? Have you told him what you feel for him? Have you explained your pain and sorrow? Your will to fight?”

“Yes, I—” She hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

“That part is still in your hands, and I know you too well to think you’ll let someone else decide your future. If you truly want Desmond, you’ll find a way to bring him back into your life.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN