"I have nothing left to lose, which means I have no reason to lie." "I didn't ask for an apology." Henry took a step closer. He was much taller than her, casting a long shadow.
"I saw her shoulder drop. I saw the angle of her elbow. I know she pushed you." Norah blinked.
The absolute certainty in his voice threw her off balance. "Then why are you here? Go back to your garden party. Go back to your bride."
"My bride," Henry repeated. The words tasted like ash in his mouth. He looked away, staring down the long, empty road. "My bride threw a woman into a lake because she thought I looked at her for two seconds too long."
"A valid concern, clearly," Norah snapped, entirely out of patience. "Since here you are, alone on a road with a disgraced companion." Henry's eyes snapped back to hers. A faint, bitter smile touched the corner of his mouth.
It transformed his face, making him look suddenly dangerous. "You have a sharp tongue, Miss Lynfield." "I suppose nearly drowning washes away one's manners." "Manners are for people who can afford them."
Norah tightened her grip on her satchel. "If you'll excuse me, Duke, I have a long walk to the village." She tried to step around him. He shifted, blocking her path, not threateningly but immovably.
"Where will you go?" he asked. "That is none of your concern." "You have no money, no references. The Penhalagons will ensure you never find employment in this county or the next."
His voice was blunt. He wasn't being cruel. He was laying out the tactical reality of her situation. It was the same math Norah had been doing in her head.
"I will manage." "You will starve." "Then I will starve honestly." Norah's voice finally cracked, the anger flaring hot and bright.
She stepped into his space, tilting her head back to glare up at him. "What do you want from me? Did you come out here to mock me? To alleviate your own guilt?"
"You are marrying a monster. You know exactly what she is, and you are marrying her anyway because her father has land you want. You are no better than she is. Now get out of my way."
She braced herself, waiting for the aristocratic rage. Men of his station did not tolerate being spoken to like that. But Henry didn't yell. He didn't strike her.