Courting Trouble

Threats and Frustrations.

|Threats and Frustrations.|

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" A solemn Malisha continued to cry out into her hands. The despair was present and the frustration too but for some reason the tears just could not flow to complete the act.

"Quit being dramatic and go say hallo to your fiancè." her mother scolded.

"Mother!" Malisha cried out in outrage. That title again and she could not still figure out how Duke had managed to make it stick. He was conniving that one and for that alone Malisha resolved to be more careful around him so that he would not upset her carefully laid out plans for achieving independence. Even so, she could not help but marvel, both at his audacity and his go getter attitude. If only he had applied the same energy to saving their friendship instead of messing around with her life... She mused as she watched him make his way towards her, extracting a tiny jewel box has he did so and once again, Malisha was forced to watch with bored eyes as the man dropped down onto one knee and belted out another proposal that caused her mother to squeal out in joy and embarass her in the process.

"Are you insane! This is no longer funny."  Malisha snapped, her eyes now glaring daggers at the man that was still kneeling in front of her.

"I am not laughing, am I?"

Mrs. Sally Lenton's lips curled upwards smiling even as her gaze went up from the Phaedra to her daughter. Young love... She mused as she finally decided to excuse herself and leave the young couple to themselves.

"Way to go mum. Abandon your offspring to the hyenas." her daughter called out after her but Sally just waved her off with a chuckle and continued her slow walk into the house still smiling at the two 'lovebirds'.

"Hyena? That's a first." Duke said as he stood up to drop himself into the recently vacated seat. Another glare and Malisha refused to respond, crossing her arms across her chest as she intensified the look that was already on her face. "Didn't they teach you not to call people names in sunday school?"

"They did. Right after they taught us to resist the devil and flee from him."

At that particular moment the housekeeper arrived with a silver tray bearing Duke's glass of cinammon ice tea which she placed on the table between them before dropping into a curtsey and walking back into the house.

"So now I am the devil?"  he finally responded when the woman left.

"Mmm...mh!" Malisha nodded. She then picked up his glass of ice tea and seeped it before the man could do anything. A smile formed on Duke's face, but she ignored it. Instead, she took to studying the waves, gentle as they were pushed by the soft breeze that rippled them against the side of the pool, calming her as she quenched her thirst and appeased her raging tummy if only for the time being.

"Tell me Duke. How do you get off telling people that we are engaged?" She finally broke the silence to explode.

"Oh! That." He said as his smile turned into a smirk. "I was just trying to help."

"Help?" She asked raising a beautifully arched eyebrow at him. "That only goes to show how conceited you really are! Contrary to what you believe, you are not God's gift to all womenkind!"

"Uhnuh and now we are talking." He grinned widely as she bared her teeth at him. "But seriously Lisha. That was about the only way I could think of to get your parents off your case." He added, when she continued to say nothing. "It was also meant to help salvage your reputation."

"If all you wanted was to help me so badly, then probably you should have stayed away. As for my reputation, I believe I did that on my own. I made my bed and now I must lie on it."

"Even so, you were beginning to get along fine and I ruined it for you. So now, I can't help but feel responsible for my mistakes."

She laughed and of course Duke was right. After four years of silence, Society was beginning to accept her and the even the media seemed to have forgotten her scandal. She was doing so great lying low, but then he had to come along and had ruined it, she thought even as she turned his words in her mind.

"Wait, why are you being suddenly nice to me?" Malisha eyed him suspiciously.

"What? What are you trying to say? You know me, I'm nice like that... plus, isn't apologising the 'nice' thing to do? "

Duke winked and she rolled her eyes back at him. A grin broke out across  his face as he smiled cleary enjoying the back and forth and the discomfort it was causing her. All factors considered, that was the most fun he had had in a while.

"If that's the case then and you are as nice as you say you are, then drop all these marriage nonsense and let me be. You can do that can't you? " she smiled back sweetly.

From the way the corners of her lips pulling, Duke knew that she knew that she had cornered him and try as he may he found that his brain had quickly turned into mush u able to process any witty comebacks in the wake of her dazzling smile.

"And risk ruining your reputation, again?" He finally tried but failed miserably.

"What are you talking about?" her smug look turned skeptical.

"We already issued a press release and it would be quite damaging to your reputation if it got retracted. " Duke lied.

"You what?" She screamed as a horrified expression transformed her face.  "No, you're lying. You're bluffing. It can't be. If you had, I would have already known it and it would be all over the news." She added as she turned into full panic mode.

"They are holding on to it until the proper time?" he fished around for an answer happy that Malisha was too distraught to call him out on his awkwardness.

"Proper time for what?" 

"Until I can get you to wear this ring?"

She paused and regarded him for a moment. Her eyes glinted  piercing into the very depths of his soul, searching for the truth that he had concealed there and suddenly he was afraid that she could see right through him and right through his ruse.

"What if I say no?" She finally asked him.

"That won't do you any good as it will completely wreck your reputation." he continued bluff.

"Mine or yours?" She riposted wryly.

"Both?"

"Both?" she soumded outraged.  "You forget that I would not be in this situation apart from you!"

"But I thought you said that I didn't  started that fire?" the cheeky boy within him leered his head as he somehow wished that he had and that the boy that she now had was actually his son.

"Duke!" Malisha scolded as she sat up higher in her chair. She looked stricken like his comment had been a terrible thing to hear.

"What..." He began to ask but stilled when he finally realised his mistake. He had spoken his thoughts out sloud and now Malisha was looking at him with her eyes full of questions.

As if dealing with Malisha was not hard enough, now he had the not so easy task of trying to explain his innermost feelings to her. In fact, with every passing day and with every passing encounter it became increasingly difficult for Duke to handle her. As for some reason, the woman, small as she was standing at a meagre five foot four inches was able to transform him, the high and mighty Phaedra of Veterum into nothing but a messed up bundle of nerves. Where others had failed, these annoyingly beautiful woman had managed to bring him down to his knees. Not once, but severally. She had unwittingly known how to press all his buttons and had continued to make it increasingly hard for him to control or rein in his wild emotions especially when he was in close proximity to her.

Take for example that very first kiss. He still could not figure out what had led him to do it. It was not in his nature neither was it in his history. If anything, he spent his time sorrounded by so many beautiful women, all seeking his attention and not even once had he ever behaved like that.

"Duke!" Malisha called him again, this time successfully snapping him out of his reverie. "What are you trying to imply?"

"Never mind." He dismissed it knowing too well that there was no way that he could safely explain his inner most thoughts, his desires and regrets without raising a few eyebrows.

"Fine, be that way."She sulked as she settled back into the chaise lounge.

For the second time that day, Duke found himself speechless. Somehow her pouting and tantrum throwing he also found adorable. He was having it rough and no matter how hard he tried he could not help himself but continue to fall hard for the woman that was sitting before him.

Slowly, he stood up and pushed his hands into his pockets, fiddling the little box that he had placed back there. Not knowing what else to do, he plucked it out of his pocket and placed it on the table that was between them.

"Here, you will need this" he mumbled softly. Malisha looked up at him before dropping her gaze to the table. For a moment she eyed the little box apprehensively, cautious and very much reluctant to handle it. Finally she let out a sigh as she picked it up, her fingers delicately working the mechanism to pop it open. Eventually it snapped open and a

small gasp left her lips as she marveled at the rock that was embedded within it. The clear stone glittered as the sunlight hit it. It was beautiful beyond words and Malisha found that she could speak as she mumbled incoherent words all due to its size and its beauty.

"It used to belong to my mother."

Duke supplied very much relieved that the ring had taken her mind off his earlier statements.

"What?" Malisha whispered as she turned to face him wide-eyed, before slowly closing the box to place it back on the table.

That was not how Duke had envisioned things going.

For a moment there he had thought that she had liked it. That she was about to accept his proposal, but now he could see it. He could see from her expression that she was preparing herself to reject him once again.

"Duke I...I can't take this." Malisha stuttered, as she told him softly.

"Why?" He whispered back struggling hard not to lose his calm.

"Duke...Your your mum--"

"What about my mum, Lisha?" He was now beginning to feel perplexed even as he continued to tell her. "She wanted you to have it!"

As he said so, his voice rose an octave higher and Malisha flinched at the sudden rise of his voice. Duke closed his eyes in frustration. This was definitely not how he had envisioned things going. She was supposed to be happy, glad that he had given her his mother's ring, but now it seemed that the very thing that he thought would work for him was now working against him. Duke opened his eyes again and regarded her, this time wondering where he had gone wrong. Had he pushed her too soon?

Buried deep in her own thoughts, a frown marred Malisha's face even as she lifted up her gaze to look at Duke with new resolve. It was not easy and she knew it. Her station in life and in Society meant a lot of things and it made her wonder if Duke was aware of any of it.

"She does know that I am a single mother, right?" she questioned him. For a moment he looked at her as if he was in a daze until he answered her with barely restrained anger concealed in the tone of his voice.

"Of course she does. Everyone does!" He answer her knowing too well where her questions were leading.

"Duke, I have a child who is not your son!" Malisha went on to elaborate further, if only to make it sink and the blood in Duke's veins turned into ice.

"I know, Malisha." He finally ground out. "Are we done here? If we are, I will be inside playing with Thomas who I know is not my son." He told her as he started moving towards the house fuming.

For a moment Malisha said nothing. She picked up the little box which Duke had just left behind and opened it once again to reveal the huge princess cut diamond sorrounded by sapphires and encrusted in white gold. The gems glittered beautifully in the sun and for a moment she allowed herself to busk in their glory, as she tried to decipher the meaning of it all.

The sliding of the glass doors beneath the double archways finally brought her musings to an abrupt end and Malisha jumped up to her feet and rushed after Duke in an attempt to stop him from walking away.

"Duke, wait!"

The man paused before turning to face her with an agitated look on his face.

"What now Malisha?"

Malisha snapped the jewel box closed and moved forward ready to hand it back to him.

"I told you, I can't take this."

"Why not?"He countered, his voice so cold that she found herself shivering involuntarily.

"I cannot marry without love." she declared boldly.

Duke held her gaze for a moment, until a sneer took over his features gradually transforming him to make him look both daunting and very unapproachable.

"Love? Look at where that got you."

Malisha's mouth fell wide open as a gasp escaped her lips. Her mind stunned at his very snide comment.

"How dare you!" She belted out angrily. The man just stared back at her with an icy glare, before drawing himself up to his full height in order to intimidate her further.

"Malisha, Malisha, wear the damn ring and stop your whining."

"How dare you!" She screamed. By this time Malisha was so angry that she was practically shaking as she spoke. "Get out! Get out right now!"

"Fine!" he retorted as he turned to continue to walk back into the house.

"And stay away from my son!" Malisha could not help adding and at that, Duke stopped cold in his tracks and turn to face her with a most menacing glare. There was no doubt about it. Malisha had just hit a raw nerve.

"You do know whom you are talking to right? I have the power to take him away from you, so don't mess with me Malisha!"  He drawled out all too calmly.

"You wouldn't dare!" Malisha hissed back, tears brimming her eyes and threatening to flow as all the anger and her frustrations overwhelmed her. "Touch him Duke and I swear I'll shred you into pieces with my Own. Two. Bare hands!"