“All of them agreed to your terms. I’d even say they’re excited. There are three left for you to choose from.”
“Actually, two. The third called me last week asking if I planned to visit her so we could ‘talk.’ It’s not a relationship; it’s a business contract. To keep expectations from getting muddled, I cut her out.”
“Very well. And when will you make the final decision?”
“I’ll marry at the very last second before I turn thirty-seven.”
“Why leave it for the last minute, son? You know it’s a decision you can’t escape.”
“A marriage, even a fake one, doesn’t excite me.”
“Rodrick, you hired the best lawyers in existence. There’s nothing you can do to change your grandfather’s will.”
“I know that. It doesn’t mean I’ll go to the gallows smiling.”
“Why not try a normal marriage? Are you absolutely sure you don’t want heirs?”
“Yes. I don’t want children. I’ll be the last Duke of Kindubh.”
Chapter 9
Ten Days Later
“Can you explain again what this party is supposed to be like?”
The girl looks at me as if I’m an alien, but I’d rather embarrass myself by admitting I have no idea what kind of event this is than show up and be shocked by, well, things I’d rather not even imagine.
As annoyed as I was leaving that lunch with Rodrick that day, if I’m honest, I’m grateful he warned me about what I might find at college parties.
I have my own internal rules. Even if I tell myself I’m more modern than my sisters, I can’t completely detach from the way I was raised. Drugs, alcohol, and explicit sex are not part of my world.
What Kaled told me keeps echoing in my head. I can’t bring shame to Rheadur after all the filth involving Naim’s name.
Yes, I want to enjoy life, but to me that means seeing how girls my age have fun, dancing at social gatherings, beingpart of a Western university campus, and if I meet the right guy, getting my first kiss without it meaning an immediate engagement.
Right after I think about kissing, the next thought, one I can’t stop, comes in the shape of Rodrick.
It’s been like this ever since the night he carried me at Vicenzzo’s party. I’ve even dreamt about him.
How is that possible when we can’t get within a hundred meters of each other without fighting?
I wondered if he made me feel that way simply because he’s the only man who isn’t a relative who ever had the audacity to touch me, but no. These past days at the University, I’ve already been introduced to several guys through the girls I made friends with. We shook hands, and one of them even kissed me on the cheek.
I felt nothing.
But the moment I’m near the duke, it’s like my whole body goes numb. Like my blood starts pounding in a fierce rhythm.
With him being so moody, that should push me away, but instead, the more closed-off he seems, the more I want to understand him.
There’s something in his eyes . . .in his gaze . . .that traps me, like an invisible snare. I have to force myself to keep my distance so I don’t embarrass myself, because Rodrick is probably as experienced as my brother, and being that stunning, he must have thousands of women at his feet.
“There’s not much to explain,” Linda, the girl beside me, says. “It’ll be a regular party. Music, dancing, making out.” She adds the last part with a grin.
“Oh . . .I see,” I say, awkwardly. “I’m not sure I can go. I need to organize my study schedule,” I lie, since classes have barely started.
“Oh, come on, Jazmina. First week of the semester and you’re going to stay locked in at home? Trust me, you’ll have time for that.” She probably speaks from experience, since she’s a sophomore.
I feel a little embarrassed. The way she’s looking at me, it seems like my behavior is extremely unusual.