they were not the same anymore. he had felt the changes within himself, but also the shift in the dynamic between the two of them. as if she felt on him that his feelings were changed. the duke wonders if she’s repulsed, or maybe even angry. he had been angry with himself. grace had been his friend since forever, since he had been friendless. his friend before he befriended the oldest bridgerton brother who was now eating his own grin. how dare he change anything about this ? what part of him had deemed this okay ? some twisted part of his brain that now begged him to explore something else ? to explore her - for all that she was. every side of her, also the ones no one else had seen before. no, it was simply unacceptable.
the duke takes notice of the pull on her brows. she looks miserable, he thinks to himself. something he could not allow, especially if he was the root of her misery. the last thing he wanted was to cause her pain. that was never his intention, in fact that had been one of the few things that kept him from pursuing her. he did not want to hurt her. he walks her to the door, hand gently guiding her, fingers curled around her small arm. catching the scent of her perfume - he wonders, wonders what sick thing it was to be allured to this woman, simply by her scent ? was it some kind of flower ? it felt soft in his nose, yet it burned all the way down his chest. damned him, he’d be damned if he let her walk away sadder than when she came. “ i will walk you out, and we will talk. ” he nods to her as they leave the club and enter the street, looking around for her carriage. “ how did you get here, grace ? ” using her given name, it tasted forbidden on his lips, but it was all he could allow himself.
something changed & there is a part of her that wants to explore it more . there is a part of her that is looking up at him now , and she feels different than she did : back when they were kids . there is an even bigger part that is scared . scared that these feelings are bleeding into this relationship and will be their undoing . already changed how she acts . she showed up here , didn’t she ? perhaps he will figure out her feelings & resent her for it . they have been best of friends since they first met , and now she . . . her feelings has changed drastically . and he can’t possibly feel the same way . eyes shift to the floor while being guided outside the establishment by him & teeth dig into her cheek : and when finally outside , she takes a deep breath . grateful for the fresh air . lips press into a thin line while gaze slowly trail across the area around them , before shifting up to find him .
❝ i own horses , you know . ❞ one of which she had tacked up & ridden down here : much to her stablemaster’s dismay . too late , can’t travel alone , it’s too far on horse back and he would much rather prepare a carriage to take her . . . several reasons and all of which is valid reasons for a lady . still , she is here & a boy is standing a little further down with her horse , waiting for her to come back . and now she can only focus on the way his hand feels around her arm , the warmth that soak through the fabric of her dress : making it harder to breath . it makes it hard to think . makes it hard to remember what she had practiced for a speach on her ride down here . ❝ simon , ❞ a low murmur while trying to think & gaze shift up to him finally , lips press into a stubborn line . so much she wants to say , so much she is too scared to say , so much that she wants to say , that will simply ruin their friendship and make him surely never want him to see her ever again . and now tongue feel glued to the roof of her mouth , anything she might want to say tucked behind teeth .
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