The Roguish Ways of a Hopeless Duke

by Lucinda Nelson

  “Really? What for?”

  “It has happened. I am betroth. I shall soon be married.”

  “Congratulations! I am so happy for you.”

  “I cannot believe it! It is really happening.”

  “Yes. I suppose you were right. About the both of us.”

  “Wait! You too?”

  “I have received a proposal. Well, two.”

  “Two proposals? From whom?”

  “Sir Drake and Lord Boyd.”

  “Gracious! You are fortunate. Congratulations!”

  Evie beamed and said, “Thank you. It is exciting.”

  Lydia replied, “I shall wish for you to stand with me, of course. I should like for Hannah and Lucy to be there, but I will understand if they cannot.”

  “Speaking of, did you receive the invitation to Lady Isabella’s home? Or rather Lady Montgomery.”

  “Oh yes, we shall attend. It will be an apt celebration.”

  Lydia chattered on about her wedding plans. She would be wed to Marquess Miles Vaughan. Evie had been introduced to him and he was quite a fine gentleman. They planned happily for their journey to Lady Montgomery’s home, where they planned to officially end their season before becoming married.

  Chapter 37

  While in London, Thaddeus had been called upon by Lord Cornelius. He had been surprised to see him. Lord Cornelius had said, “Hello, Brother. How are you?”

  “I suppose I am alright. How are you? How is Grace?”

  “We are fine. I do believe that Grace is still adjusting, but she and Sarah get on so well, she shall be fine. I am more concerned about you.”

  “I know what you must think of me.”

  “What is that?”

  “How very shameful I am?”

  “I do not find you to be shameful. I only wish things could have gone differently.”

  “As do I.”

  “I thought that you would come to call upon us by now.”

  “I know that Grace does not wish to see me.”

  “She does not, but the two of you must reconcile. Even if she remains in my home, you two must reconcile. We are after all family.”

  “You are right. Perhaps, I should come by soon.”

  “Did you not receive an invitation to the Montgomery soiree?”

  “I did.”

  “Well, we shall be there. Perhaps, you may speak with Grace then.”

  “Yes. I shall if she will allow.”

  “You may also speak with Miss Evie.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Surely she will be in attendance. She and Lady Montgomery have grown so close.”

  “Indeed. Shall I find the occasion, I shall apologize.”

  Thaddeus had not considered that Evie would be in attendance at that event. He had been doing his best not to think of her. It seemed futile. He knew that she would not want anything to do with him. It didn’t seem proper to contemplate her. Not to mention the sharp pangs of regret that it gave him. He would rather not face her in such a way, but it would perhaps be his best chance. He owed it to her to make an attempt.

  On that day also, Lord Fitzgerald had also paid Thaddeus a visit in the townhouse. Lord Fitzgerald had said, “Well, hello. You once extended the invitation for me to meet you here, so I decided to take you up on it.”

  “But of course. I am glad to see you.”

  “I will not pretend that this is purely a social call. I also came forth to inform you that Lord Thomas Ridlington has come to inquire about Teresa’s hand. I told him that I should have to think about it. I wished to call upon you first.”

  “I see. You should like my answer.”

  “I will need it so that we may proceed. I should not like to decline the engagement if you are not interested.”

  “It is not that I am not interested.”

  “Thaddeus, I should think that we have grown to be quite close over time. Please, speak freely with me.”

  “The truth is that I find myself fixated on another. Unfortunately, she and I will likely never be. All the same, I am having some difficulty moving forward otherwise.”

  “Ah, the lovelorn. Men of our position are not used to such matters. We are typically able to choose whichever hand we should like. It can be quite an ordeal when that is not possible.”

  “Lady Teresa is quite a special young lady…”

  “However, you do not know if you all will be a match? Understood. I do respect your decision.”

  “I apologize.”

  “Oh don’t. You do none of us a service by going against your instinct. It will do you better to follow it.”

  “Thank you for the wise words.”

  “I am quite glad to find you in such a lucid state. Lord Stephen suggested to me that you may consider giving up your position.”

  “That is his wish.”

  “You do not wish the same.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “I am glad to hear it. It sounds to me that you are taking back charge of your life. I am glad to see it.”

  Thaddeus was glad as well. He had begun making decisions. He was not sure what was in store moving forward, but he had faith that it would be something worthwhile. The following day, he quit the townhouse to head for the Montgomery place. He felt anxious at meeting both Grace and Miss Evie. He would not cower away, however. He would stand up and face them. He owed it to both them and himself. Before he departed, he just had one thing to do.

  He arrived at the Montgomery place to find a good number of people. He had hardly entered when he came upon Martin and Phoebe. They greeted each other warmly. He then spoke to Lord Montgomery and Lady Montgomery. Lord Montgomery welcomed him. Lady Montgomery was quite cold. He knew why and appreciated it. It was deserved.

  Thaddeus moved about for a bit before coming to Cornelius and Sarah. He greeted them, looking about for Grace. Noticing, Cornelius said, “Grace is off in the grounds along the path.” Thaddeus nodded and headed that way. He walked along for quite a bit before he spotted her. She was talking with friends. He took a deep breath and approached them. He said to the group, “Good evening. How do you do?”

  They returned his greeting. All except Grace, who said nothing. Thaddeus said to her, “Might I speak with you for a moment.” She looked as if she would not like to, but would rather not make a scene so she came along. She looked at him insolently. He said, “Grace, I should like to take the occasion to apologize for behaving so childishly and in poor taste. I deeply regret my actions and hope that you may one day find it in your heart to forgive me.”

  Grace stared at him for a few long moments she said, “She’s going to be here, you know?”

  “I know. When I see her I shall extend her my most sincere apologies as well.”

  “What you did was very hurtful.”

  “I know and it is one of the great regrets of my life. I never hoped to cause you any anguish. I could never intentionally do that.”

  Lady Grace looked at him for some time. She then said, “You're forgiven.” She walked away to rejoin her friends. It was not the heartfelt reunion that he might have hoped for, but it was a start. He felt in the future, she may once again feel a fondness for him. Thaddeus continued around the path back to the main house.

  No sooner did he re-enter to find Lord Martin and his brother than he came upon her. He heard her before he saw her. She was in conversation with Lady Isabella. With heavy heart, he turned to where the voice was. There she stood. As beautiful as ever. He felt as if his heart skipped a beat. He stood watching as she smiled and laughed. He did not move, he just watched her.

  She turned her head slightly and spotted him. Her expression changed immediately. It turned into something morbid. He saw her whisper something to Lady Isabella before turning to walk away. He realized what a difficult task he was up against.

  Chapter 38

  Evie had been totally unprepared to see him. She been engaged in pleasant conversation with Lady Isabella when she turned to see Lord Thaddeus
standing there. He was staring at her intently. Her insides immediately began to squirm. She felt an overwhelming rush of anger at the sight of him. She had to take her leave as not to combust.

  She began to walk about with intent to take some time about the grounds to regain herself. As she walked, she came upon Lord Martin, Lady Phoebe, Lord Cornelius, and Lady Sarah. She could not help, but smile at them. They greeted her exuberantly. Lord Martin said, “I am glad to find you here. How are you?”

  “I am well. Thank you. How are you? And of course, the newlyweds?”

  Lord Cornelius and Lady Sarah both smiled. He answered, “We are quite well. In fact, we shall be having a celebration at our home soon. We should like very much for you to come.”

  Evie replied, “That is very kind. I am not sure I will be able to make it.”

  Lady Sarah insisted, “Oh, please do think about it. You will be most welcomed.”

  Evie knew that they all were aware of what had transpired, at least to some degree. They looked at her as if they wished to address it, but did not. She was glad that they didn’t. Instead, she looked about for Lady Grace. Lord Cornelius seemed to notice and said, “She is out walking about the grounds.”

  Evie thanked him and took leave to look for her. She did not have to go far before she found Lady Grace amongst her group of friends. Lady Madelene spotted her first and waved. The others began to turn in her direction and greeted her. As soon as Grace saw her standing there, she rushed to her and wrapped her into a tight embrace.

  Evie had so missed her. It was painful to think that they might not see each other anymore. It was clear that Lady Grace had missed her as well. Evie said, “I am so happy to see you. It is simply not the same on paper.”

  Lady Grace replied, “I know. It has been torture. I had half a mind to come to your home and find you. Speaking of, Cornelius and Sarah will be having a celebration there. Please come.”

  “Yes, they told me. I do not know, Grace.”

  “Oh, please do not skip because of him. He may not even attend. In fact, I’ll make sure he doesn’t if it means you won’t come.”

  “That won’t be necessary. The fact is that I may not be available. It seems that I will soon be wed.”

  “Oh, how wonderful! With Lord Boyd?”

  “I do not yet know. He is not my only option.”

  “Excellent! I hope you will choose the best one. It is what you deserve.”

  “You are too kind. Whether I come to the party or not, I shall see you again. I will make sure of it.”

  Just then Lady Grace’s expression turned to one of alarm. She casted a look back behind Evie and then back to her. Evie knew without having to turn what the matter was. She smiled at Lady Grace and said, “If you will excuse me. I will find you again in a bit.”

  Without turning back around, Evie walked forward. She just wanted to get away. She did not want to see him again and she did not want to talk to him. She hoped that he would not follow her. Why should he? What could he possibly have to say to her? Had he not done enough? He should just leave her alone. She did not turn to find out if he would. She simply plunged forward into the grounds, hoping that by the time she turned back, she would find him gone.

  Chapter 39

  Thaddeus had seen Miss Evie exiting the house onto the grounds and decided to follow her. When he found her, she was speaking with Lady Grace, who looked back at him in alarm. Miss Evie had not turned around, she simply quitted Lady Grace and moved forward along the path. Thaddeus had decided to follow her.

  In spite of everything, he could not give up until he had spoken his piece. He did not wish to cause her any pain. He was not looking to further embarrass her. He simply had to speak to her, if it was the last time he ever got the chance to do so. He saw her veering off towards the pond and made to walk behind her. His legs were longer so he was able to catch up to her easily.

  When Thaddeus was just behind her, she finally stopped and turned on him. Her eyes were angry and her hands were balled into fists. She said, “Please leave me alone. It is the least you can do.”

  He begged, “Evie, please! Grant me the opportunity to apologize.”

  “Apologize? I do not need nor want your apologies.”

  “I caused you a great deal of pain. You have every right to hate me.”

  “Good, because I do.”

  “I know that you are angry with me, but I do not believe you are capable of hate. Which makes what I did to you all the more terrible.”

  Evie stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes. It seemed that Thaddeus had said something to give her pause. While he had her ear he continued on, “What I did to you was shameful. There is no excuse. I should never have spoken to you like that and I should never have casted you away in such a manner.”

  She replied, “Well you did. So, it is done. Is that all you wanted to say?”

  “No. There is more.”

  “No, actually, I have more to say to you. Perhaps I also owe you an apology. You were right. I will soon be married. I should not have taken the position.”

  “Oh no! I do not regret you taking the position. In fact, I am very happy that you did.”

  Evie’s eyes narrowed once again. Thaddeus took a deep breath and said, “I know that I have not been a complete gentleman to you, nor have I been to you what I ought to have been. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that there was something different about you. It alarmed me at first. I felt that you and I should never share such a connection. However, I now realize that the reason that I behaved in such an uncivilized matter is because I was jealous. I did not like to see you with another man. It caused me great grief.”

  Evie seemed to be listening, her body shifting. She was looking into his eyes, which spurred him on with his words. He went on, “I know that by now you may have moved on, but I simply must say, finally, what my true feelings are. For quite some time now, I have loved you. I tried not to, but it simply cannot be helped. I know what is and is not supposed to be, but that does not matter to me. I simply must let you know that I would like for you to come back to Wellington Manor with me. This time as my bride.”

  Evie’s expression turned to total shock. It seemed as if she were trying to make sense of his words. She stood, unsteadily, looking at him strangely, as if she were seeing him for the first time. After a long pause, Evie stammered, “B-but…this is, this is not proper.”

  Thaddeus replied, “I know. What is proper would be to ask your hand from your father. Which is why before I came here, I went to his office to do just that.”

  Evie’s eyes grew wide. She said, “You did? Wh-what did he say?”

  “I expected him to curse me and run me from the place. But he surprised me.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said that if you were to accept then we would have his blessing.”

  Evie looked faint, as if she could not believe what was happening. She stood before him and stared at him for a long time. She said, “Why should you wish to marry me?”

  Thaddeus answered, “Because I know that the best chance I have for a good life is with you beside me. I know that I do not deserve you, but should you choose me, I shall do all I can to insure that you have a good and happy life. My words may not seem sincere. I have never spoke thusly before. Yet, I assure that I mean it with all of my heart. I could have no greater pleasure than you being my wife.”

  Evie’s mouth opened and closed a few times. It seemed as if she were searching for the words. Thaddeus was braced for whatever came next. If she were to refuse him, he would understand. It would cause an ache in his heart that he may know for the rest of his life, yet he felt that he simply must ask. He waited patiently for her response.

  Evie took several deep breaths and turned to look at the pond. She stared at it in deep thought for many long minutes. Then she turned back to Thaddeus with a hard look on her face. He prepared himself for what he knew would come next. She looked him directly in the eyes and said, �
��Yes.”

  Thaddeus was shocked. He did not believe his ears. He said, “Pardon me?”

  “Yes, I will marry you.”

  Thaddeus felt a rush of so many emotions that he could hardly bear it. Evie’s beautiful face broke into a smile. After some hesitation, Thaddeus walked forward and threw his arms around her, pulling her body to his. He had never felt such a rush of joy. Perhaps when he had married Abigail, but this felt different. Fuller. It threatened to break his heart open.