Duked: Duke One, Duke Society Series

by Robinson, Gina

  "Ma'am?" Harris said. "What may I get you?"

  "Water, please." I took a deep breath. "And something for a headache." I tried to smile. "I'm afraid I'm going to have a doozie."

  When Harris left, I looked around, interested for the first time in my surroundings. I realized with a start that we were in Manly's private office. Light streamed in through a window, creating a grotesquely sunny atmosphere, given the circumstances. I'd only been in here a few times before, briefly. It was a manly room, pardon any pun. Filled with large, dark leather furniture, bookcases, a file cabinet, and a massive desk in front of one wall. Hunting trophies and mounted fish on the walls. I had no idea whether they were Manly's or the prizes of a previous duke.

  The office was a large room, with the sofa and two chairs by a window at the far end of the room from the desk. It was freshly dusted and aired, but it was obvious that Manly hadn't spent much time here in a long while. Everything was too perfectly arranged and ordered. Nothing out of place, which was unlike him. It was an odd choice of place to bring me. Maybe Ren hadn't been thinking. Or maybe he was brilliant. I was oddly comforted among the remnants of Manly's business affairs.

  When Harris returned, Manly's two dear old friends were with him. They looked as sad and worn out as I felt. Another man was with them as well, one I didn't recognize. Middle-aged. Gray at the temples. Tall and thin. A commanding presence. Regal. Gentlemanly. Impeccably dressed and groomed.

  "Pardon the intrusion, my dear." Hardly took a seat on the sofa next to me and took my hand. The wisdom of his long life shone in his eyes. "We need to speak with you."

  Axe sat down in a worn leather chair perpendicular to the sofa, a kindly, sympathetic expression on his face. Harris remained at attention near the door.

  I glanced up at the stranger.

  "Forgive me," Hardly said. "Bliss, this is Colin Thorne, Manly's solicitor. Senior partner of Baily, Cragwell, and Thorne Solicitors, London."

  "My condolences, ma'am." Thorne's manners and manner were as impeccable as his dress.

  I nodded and indicated he take a seat next to Axe.

  Hardly patted my hand.

  My gaze flitted between the dukes. "I'm so sorry for your loss, both of you. He loved you both, but you know that." I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure.

  Hardly kept patting my hand. "You're young and this is a shock. But what you must understand, Bliss, is that death, especially at our age, is expected and part of life. Don't grieve for Manly. He would hate that. He never believed in long, extended mourning periods. On with life was his motto, which he followed to the last." Hardly's lips curled into the faintest of smiles. "Manly had a long life lived to the fullest right up to the end."

  "Hardly is absolutely right. If Manly were here, he'd want you to get back to the guests and finish the party in his, and your, honor. Eat the cake. Drink the champagne and scotch. Toast his life and remember him well." Axe leaned forward and patted my knee with his gnarled hand. "If it's at all consoling, you must know he went the way he would have wanted, the envy of all as he married the beautiful woman he loved."

  "Not that he wanted you to suffer," Hardly quickly added. "He wouldn't have wished you any pain. But he did love a show. And what a show."

  "And exit." Axe smiled, too. "One small quibble—his timing was a little off. Knowing Manly, he would have liked to have made it through the ceremony and received the kiss he was due."

  "But he didn't go alone, either," Hardly said.

  I couldn't help smiling through the tears that were welling again. "Yes, Manly did love a show. And a good scandal."

  "Exactly," Hardly said. "You have the spirit of him. If only you'd known him when he was young and a proper rake."

  The three of us enjoyed a moment of silence with our memories of the man who was almost my husband.

  Hardly's dry cough broke the silence.

  Axe passed him a hanky and gave him a side-eye. "Now down to the matter at hand before Hardly dies on us, too. Manly's last wishes and how to put this mess right." Axe paused, his wrinkled Adam's apple bobbing. "How to put this delicately, without sounding morbid—Manly was always a planner and a strategist."

  "That's true," Hardly said. "Served him well in the war. Manly was quite the hero."

  Axe ignored the interruption. "Manly had made contingency plans for every scenario. He was well aware that at his age, he could go at absolutely any time. There was no guarantee he'd live to marry you." His eyes got misty. "But he made a provision for you."

  I perked up. "Did he?" I shouldn't have been surprised. I was suddenly hopeful.

  Hardly cut in. "You should perhaps prepare yourself, my dear. Manly's plans were rarely conventional."

  "That's always been the beauty of them," Axe said. "Manly never looked at the world the same way as everyone else." He took a deep breath. "I say this so you will listen with an open mind when Mr. Thorne presents Manly's last wishes to you. And realize that what Manly wanted more than anything was to provide for you while, at the same time, achieving his life's goal—perpetuating his family's legacy, keeping the estate intact, and ensuring the title doesn't go extinct. Manly spent months thinking it through thoroughly. It is his final masterpiece, really. Both Hardly and I can safely vouch this is what he wanted."

  "Mr. Thorne is here to present the terms of Manly's will to you," Axe said. "But we must wait for Ren."

  "But surely this can wait?" I was still in shock.

  "I'm afraid not," Axe said. "Time is of the essence, as you will see."

  As if acting on cue, Ren burst through the door. "What's going on?"

  "Just the man we were waiting for," Hardly said with surprising calm. "Have a seat, Ren. Mr. Thorne is about to give you both the provisions of Manly's will."

  Ren looked as stunned as I was. He pointed toward the hall. "Now? I've been questioned by the police half a dozen times. I have a castle full of despondent, hungry guests to deal with. Guests who are being detained and questioned by the police one by one. Standard procedure, apparently. Guests who say the two of you have asked them to stay until things—whatever 'things' refers to—are sorted." He frowned. "Uncle's body is in a private room until the mortuary can send someone and you want me to listen to his will?"

  Axe straightened himself to his full height. Something of his old authority and bearing showed in his eyes and posture. He wasn't a man to be crossed. "Close the door and sit, Ren. As one duke to another, take my word. You must hear your uncle's wishes now." He turned to the butler at the door. "Harris, get the staff to serve some refreshments and ask our guests again to bear with us a little longer."

  "Yes, your grace." Harris stepped past Ren and closed the door as he left.

  "Ren?" Hardly said. "Bring a chair over."

  To my surprise, Ren complied. Axe got to his feet and shuffled across the room to Manly's hidden wall safe. He retrieved a sheaf of papers and handed them to Thorne. "The floor is yours, Mr. Thorne."

  Thorne cleared his throat and tapped the will in his lap. "There are many codicils and clauses in this will, many details, but since we're short on time, I'll give you the too-long/did-not-finish version. I can answer questions and explain details later."

  My heart was pounding. What had Manly planned? How much more would Ren hate me when Thorne finished reading the will? Or would I despise Ren? Although I'd only known Manly a brief time, I had a fine appreciation for his sense of humor and his sense of power and perseverance. It was the one thing that gave me hope.

  "In short," Thorne said, "it was the late duke's ardent desire that the title, which goes automatically to his heir, Mr. Sattler, now the new Duke of Manly, and the estate remain attached and in the family."

  My heart and hopes fell. Manly had chosen Ren over me. I couldn't look at Ren. My disappointment would show.

  "However," Thorne continued, "the matter was complicated by the late duke's very strong love and attachment to Miss Harper, whose vision for the estate aligned with his."
r />   I froze, feeling a tiny bubble of hope.

  "Further complicating matters is the amount of money Miss Harper's mother invested in the estate in anticipation of the marriage. Being a savvy businesswoman, she insisted on certain safeguards should the marriage plans fall through."

  Good old Mom. Always protecting her interests.

  "The main gist of which is, in that case, the gift would become a loan, payable thirty days from the breaking of the engagement with interest of twenty percent compounded monthly."

  Wow. I didn't have to look at Ren to feel the temperature in the room rise about ten degrees. Mom was a hard-nosed businesswoman. This was very like her. Crazy that Manly would agree to such terms, but then, he wasn't planning on backing out of the wedding.

  "The estate was in some debt prior to this 'loan.' What with the debts and the interest." Thorne glanced at Ren. "Shall we say that it will be a challenge for the new duke to save the estate from bankruptcy?"

  Ren's jaw was set. He leaned forward, forearms on his knees. "Fuck the estate."

  "Hold on." Thorne had the calm manner of an experienced lawyer. "There is a remedy. The late duke's will makes it clear that his deepest desire, and the solution to the problem of his untimely death, would be the marriage of Miss Harper to the new duke, Mr. Sattler."

  My eyes flew open. My heart stopped. Ren didn't look up.

  "In the case of their marriage, all agreements between the late duke and Miss Harper's mother would remain in place. If the marriage lasts until the new duke's death, or one year, whichever comes first, the debt will be erased and Miss Harper, upon any divorce, would get a forty-nine-percent share of the estate. If an heir were to be born during that time, he would be entitled to inherit the entire estate upon his parents' deaths."

  Hardly squeezed my hand so hard that at least my shaking wasn't blatant. He was nodding to himself. Or maybe that was just old-age tremors.

  Ren didn't say anything. And I was too stunned to find my voice.

  "The duke stipulated that the new duke should take his place in the wedding that he and Miss Harper were planning. That was his deepest desire to see his heir and nephew married well to a beautiful woman, inside and out." Thorne paused. "Now you understand the urgency of the situation. You have a castle full of guests waiting for a wedding to resume. And a decision to make. What do you say?"

  Chapter 8

  The silence seemed to stretch for an eternity.

  Ren finally said, "Yes." He turned to me. "Get your hair and makeup ladies in to fix your face. We can't keep the guests waiting."

  I sat up straight, eyes suddenly dry. "I haven't said yes yet."

  My mind was whirring. I was in too much shock to decide if Ren was being practical or if he was just totally arrogant. There was also the distinct possibility he saw me as desperate and willing to do anything to get my hands on the estate. He wasn't too far off.

  "Would you like me to get on my knees?" Before I could answer, he was on one knee in front of me, and Hardly was passing my hand over to him.

  I snatched it back and glared at Ren.

  He sighed. "Would you do me the honor of letting me be your substitute duke and groom?"

  "Get up." I turned to Thorne. "If I agree, how do we do this? What about the marriage license?"

  "The license is for you and the Duke of Manly of this address. Any other discrepancies can be easily fixed. I'll take care of it, of course. The marriage will be completely legal and binding."

  "Prenups?" I said. I could be as hard as Mom. In this case, I was the one with the money.

  "Airtight. The same agreement would be in place with the new duke." He tapped the sheaf of papers. "All I require are your signatures."

  I hesitated only a second. How could these be Manly's wishes? Just last night, he had warned me off Ren. But they had to be. And they had his signature love of scandal on them. I just didn't think he'd anticipated quite this much of a show.

  "We'll need Harris." I texted him, Mom, Dad, Julie, and Faye while I talked. Mom would have to be reassured that I wasn't throwing away my inheritance and financial future. "While we sign the paperwork and I get ready to marry the new duke, I want Manly's wishes explained to our friends and family. Not, obviously, the details. Just that Manly wanted me to marry his heir and I'm doing this out of my love for him. I can't stand the thought of our friends and family thinking I'm hardhearted and unfeeling. That I'm not respecting Manly."

  I took a deep breath, wondering what had happened to my sanity. Part of me screamed that I'd lost all sense of reason. That this was too crazy. The other part of me was cold and practical. "I need a pen."

  Neither Ren nor I spoke as we silently signed where Thorne indicated.

  Julie and Faye showed up with their toolkits just as we were finishing. They looked as stunned by this turn of events as I was. Someone had obviously filled them in.

  "You have fifteen minutes." Ren brushed past them.

  They went right to work, uncharacteristically silent as I sat in Manly's desk chair with my back to the door that Thorne and the two old dukes guarded. Were they making sure I didn't become a runaway bride? Or were they there to keep anyone from talking me out of this lunacy?

  I didn't trust myself to speak. My mind was reeling. My thoughts were erratic. I half expected my mom and dad to burst past the dukes and talk me out of this. When they didn't, I knew that Mom, at least, approved of this change of plans.

  My thoughts returned to Ren. Even up to the point of walking down the stairs to say my vows to Manly, I'd wished Ren were the groom instead. But now that I'd gotten my wish, I was certain it had doomed anything that might have blossomed between us. How could this last more than a year now? How could it end other than bitterly? He didn't love me, and I didn't love him. One marriage of convenience was not like every other. This one wouldn't end in death, but in divorce.

  Julie handed me a mirror to inspect myself and gently whispered, "Are you sure?"

  I met her eyes in the mirror and nodded. As I studied myself in the mirror, I didn't recognize the newly fresh and gilded woman with the hard eyes staring back at me. Looking at my reflection, I saw no traces of the girl who'd just cried her eyes out. Julie had erased all remnants of her and replaced her with a fresh-faced porcelain princess with no heart at all.

  This was the last time I would be a pawn in anyone else's game of life. Next year at this time, I'd be free. With only half a castle, true—but, with any luck, a controlling interest.

  I was still staring in the mirror when Ren returned. I caught his reflection before he realized I'd spotted him. He lingered in the doorway, watching me with a hungry, haunted expression. I knew that look. It was the look of a person who'd gotten what they wanted, but had realized too late that what they wanted could very well be their undoing.

  "Time's up." He strode into the room, looking devilishly handsome. He'd combed his hair and changed his shirt. His jacket and slacks were the same, black on black again. What had I expected? A tux to magically appear in his size?

  My mouth went dry. A voice inside me warned me again not to do this. I ignored it.

  Julie and Faye stepped back from me, leaving me to Ren as he came up beside me.

  "Everything's ready," he said.

  "Where's my wedding planner?"

  "Trying to salvage the reception and calm the chef before he walks out."

  He was a brilliant and talented liar. He didn't want my wedding planner anywhere near me.

  I raised an eyebrow, trying to stay calm. "How will I ever manage the logistics?" I snorted. "How will I get back to the top of the stairs? Where are my bridesmaids? My dad?" I paused. "You know, Dad wanted me to leave Manly at the altar and even offered to help me escape."

  "I'll keep that in mind." Ren grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet. "We don't need any of that other crap. You've already walked down the aisle once. We'll resume where you left off."

  "You mean at the part where the groom dies?"

  T
he corners of his mouth curled up. "Yes. That part exactly." He pulled me by the hand out of the room and down the long hall past the police milling around, past rows of gaping people, to the altar in the salon. He stopped in front of the minister with the hushed crowd at our backs. "We're ready. Proceed."

  Reverend Hodgson looked at me. I nodded. I was stunned and determined. As unromantic as it was, Ren was probably right to dispense with all the frivolities. I didn't want to walk down those stairs again and remember Manly falling to his knees and dying, anyway. I didn't want time to imagine him lying somewhere in the castle waiting for a hearse to carry him away.

  I had planned a short, but traditional, ceremony with music and a wine-mixing unity ceremony. Ren had dispensed with all that and distilled it to just the vows, dispensing also with allowing anyone to voice objections. My parents remained calmly in their seats. I was getting no help from them. And maybe it was my imagination, but it almost seemed like the police were blocking the exits.

  Ren took my hands in his. Mine had gone ice cold and were trembling. His were surprisingly warm, and his grip was strong. If I'd been in a more forgiving mood, or he'd been another kind of man, I might have thought he was trying to reassure and steady me.

  The minister, as was traditional, had Ren say his vows first. "Ren, do you take Bliss to be your wife? Do you promise to honor and protect her, give her your loyalty above all others and hold only to her?"

  "I do." Ren's voice was steady and hard.

  Damn him. Those weren't the traditional vows. He'd altered them. No vows to love me? To forsake me above all others? And where was the forevermore bit? Loyalty? What was that, a pale imitation of affection? He may as well have just agreed to take me as his wife for a year at least and left it at that.

  The minister turned to me. With my face set and my mask in place, I agreed to the same vows automatically, trying not to dwell on what I was doing, barely noticing what I was saying.

  He married me with the ring Manly had designed for me with an heirloom family diamond as the centerpiece. On my finger it felt like a band sucking the life out of me. I married Ren with the ring I'd bought for Manly. Ren was a much taller man than Manly, but, to my surprise, the ring fit. He could take it off and throw it away after today and I wouldn't care. This marriage was such a farce. So why was it breaking my heart?