by Gill, Tamara
He tipped her chin up with his hand, leaning down as if to kiss her. Her blood heated at his nearness and the thought of repeating everything they had done the night before flittered through her mind.
“Good morning, Evie,” he said, placing a soft and too-short a kiss on her lips.
He sat across from her, spooning a hefty serving of ham, bacon, and eggs onto his plate and pouring himself a cup of tea.”
“I have a proposition for you.” His voice held a hint of trepidation, and Evie met his gaze, wondering what he was thinking.
“What sort of proposition?” she asked, the idea that he’d ask her to be his mistress souring the taste of her tea in her mouth.
“I want you to be my wife.”
Chapter 14
Evie stood in the front drawing room of the duke’s townhouse, staring at the busy Mayfair street beyond and thinking of Lucy. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she married? She stayed behind the sheer curtains so no one could see her and thought of what they would do next. How they would find Lucy and ensure her marriage before it was too late. How to stop her from ruining herself beyond repair.
If she wasn’t already.
“Pacing and chewing off your fingernails is not going to make Lucy appear before you, Evie. Come away and join me for tea,” the duke said, standing from behind his desk and going to where the butler had not long left a tray of tea and sweet biscuits.
“They could have left for Scotland by now,” she said, turning toward him. “We may have missed our chance here in London.”
“We have not. I have men watching the White Horse Cellar Coaching Inn. I will know within the hour if they pass through there.”
“What if they travel north by other means? Whatever will we do then?”
“They will not,” Finn said, coming over to her and taking her hand, moving her toward the settee to have a cup of tea. “Everyone travels through the White Horse. They will, as well.”
A ruckus in the foyer sounded, and Evie glanced at Finn as the distinct sound of her sister’s voice rose above that of the butlers. “That’s Lucy,” she said, standing and all but running to the front door.
“Lucy,” she called, not believing that her sister was here. At the duke’s home, safe and well. Lucy stilled, turning toward her, relief replacing the ire on her usually pretty visage.
“Evie,” she said, her shoulders slumping in relief. “You are here. Oh,” she sighed. “I’m so glad.”
Evie closed the space between them, and the nearer she came to her younger sister, the more she noticed her disheveled appearance. Gone was the clean, pressed gowns, her hair always up and in perfect order, even her face had little smudges of grime upon it.
“Lucy, I’m so happy to see you.” Evie pulled her into a tight embrace, and she could feel her sister’s tension in the line of her back. “What has happened? You’re upset. I can see it.”
Her sister’s eyes filled with tears, and Evie walked her back toward the drawing room, Finn stepping aside as they came into the room. “Come, have a cup of tea. It looks like you’re in need of sustenance.”
“Oh, Evie.” Her sister hiccupped, the tears falling down her cheeks unheeded. “I’ve been such a fool, and I fear when I tell you what has happened, you’ll never forgive me, or the duke.”
The mention of Finn did little to help Evie’s nerves. The fact that her sister was also without her betrothed or husband was also of great concern. They made their way inside the drawing room, and Finn closed the door, giving them privacy from himself and the staff.
Evie pulled Lucy to sit beside her on the settee, pouring her a cup of tea and handing it to her. That her sister was without Mr. Brown left Evie with an uncertain, sinking type of feeling in her stomach. If Lucy was not married, then she was ruined. This was not what she had hoped for her vibrant, enthusiastic sister.
“What happened, Lucy? Tell me everything. Where is Mr. Brown?”
“Oh, Evie,” her sister said, wailing into a fit of tears, her teacup rattling on its plate. “It’s all such a mess. I made a complete muddle of everything.” Lucy sniffed, and Evie reached into her pocket, passing her a handkerchief. Another oddity as Lucy always carried a handkerchief, and anything else she thought one would require during any situation.
“You know that I ran off with Mr. Brown, Anthony, and all was going splendidly, but when we arrived in London two days ago, he ran into some friends from Bath, and everything changed. We were staying at a lodging house in St. Giles, and he started to go out at night, leaving me behind. Saying that it wasn’t correct that I should join him if we were not married, and so I did not. But then last night, he returned, well into his cups and…”
“He did not force you, did he, Lucy?” The idea that her sister was assaulted wasn’t a thought she ever wanted to contemplate, and Mr. Brown would want to be many miles from here if he so much as touched one strand of hair on Lucy’s head.
“No, no, nothing like that, I assure you, but he did return, declared that he was going to travel abroad with his friends. I thought he was a farmer, settled and happy in Wiltshire. Whatever happened to his love of the land or his county or his love for me for that matter?”
“And so you have not married him?” Evie squeezed Lucy’s hand when she did not reply, although, by her pale countenance and a red nose from too much crying, Evie already knew the answer to her question.
“We did not marry. He left me this morning, and I used the last of my money to travel here to the duke’s home. I knew, you see, that you were looking for me. I saw you yesterday walking the streets in St. Giles, and I’m sorry, Evie, but I hid from you.”
“Lucy, we were only trying to ensure Mr. Brown did the right thing and married you. We were not going to send you home if you did not wish it.”
“I know,” she said, tipping her head down. “I tried to return home via coach, but I only had enough funds to make Mayfair. I was going to write to Mama and Papa to send someone to collect me, but now that you are here, I am saved.”
Evie sighed, wishing that were true, but her sister had not thought too much about her circumstances or what they meant for her. Circumstances that Evie thankfully would not need to worry about herself since the duke had asked for her hand. Evie had promised him she would marry him once her sister was married and settled. To see Lucy now unmarried and decidedly ruined was not what she’d wanted to face.
“The duke wanted to ensure that you were married. Papa sent us to follow you, you see. You will have to return home, and in time, hopefully, the scandal will pass.”
Lucy glanced about the room, taking in its decorative walls covered in silk wallpaper, the many books, and marble fireplace. A smile spread across her pretty face. “I will not be ruined, Evie. The duke coming after me proves that he cares. I shall simply marry him instead.”
Evie stilled at her sister’s words. Marry the duke? What was her sister thinking!
“The Duke of Carlisle is with me to ensure Mr. Brown did the right thing and married you. Now that he has not, all that can be done is to bring you home and try to limit any scandal. Fortunately, our family is not well-known in town, and you may escape too much social shaming.”
Lucy patted her tears away with Evie’s handkerchief, her countenance brightening with each minute. “I went with Mr. Brown because I thought the duke did not care for me as much as Mr. Brown did. But I was wrong. He’s come after me, no doubt, to try to stop my betrothal. I had thought that he was merely offering for my hand because I was there and of age, but I think that estimation was incorrect.”
“What are you saying?” Evie asked, the pit of her stomach churning, the room spinning at her feet.
“There will be no scandal, Evie, for I’ll marry the duke. To society he is still my betrothed. He’s a gentleman,” Lucy continued, “he would not cry off from an understanding, not when contracts have been signed.”
Evie swallowed, unsure she was capable of words right at this moment. “You wish to marry the d
uke? Still? I do not think that is an option, Lucy.” A terrible thought, but Evie could not allow the duke to marry her sister. Not now, not after she had given herself to him. Had fallen in love with him and she hoped, with all her heart, that he too was in love with her. He had asked for her hand in marriage after all. There had to be affection between them.
“Of course, he shall have me, Evie.” Lucy laughed, but even Evie could hear the nervous tone to her words. “You will see. His honor and his hatred of scandal will ensure such an outcome.”
Evie did not wish to see that at all, and she was a terrible person to think that about her sister. Over the past several days that they had spent together, she had come to respect and care for the duke. He was a good man, sweet and amusing, and, as Lucy said, honorable.
Knowing that the woman he betrothed himself to had not married, had, in fact, made an error of judgment, would he marry her still? If he was to do such a thing, what did that mean for her? What was she going to do if the man she loved married her sister?
“You will have to speak to the duke, but you ran off with another man, Lucy. It is unlikely he will forgive such folly and marry you still. While he came after you to ensure that your reputation was kept intact and that you had not made a mistake, I do not believe he will allow you to be his wife.”
“Why are you not helping me? Defending me? The way you speak, you sound as if you do not wish for me to become a duchess at all.” Lucy stood, going to the window and looking out past the curtains. “I did care for the duke, you know. I may not have loved him, but I did agree to be his wife.”
“You also asked me to seduce him away from you. Have you forgotten so quickly what you were willing to ask me to do so you could marry your Mr. Brown?”
Lucy turned, staring at her with innocent, widened eyes. It was as if she had forgotten her request and was now scandalized by it. Whatever was her sister up to? “Please tell me you did not. You know that I only said that in jest. I would never want you to throw yourself at the duke for my sake. You did not, did you, Evie? You did not seduce my betrothed away from me.”
Evie took a calming breath as the world around her started to spiral out of control. “Lucy, I never seduced the duke away from you.” Which was true. When they had finally come together, it was mutual and with the understanding that Lucy would be married by the time they caught up to the eloping pair. The duke had long thought his understanding to her sister over. Lucy’s actions had ensured that. They had done nothing wrong. Evie did not set out to break her sister’s engagement. Lucy had done that herself. To now turn about and chastise her, beg her to tell her something that she did not want to hear, even if she had asked her to do so in the first place was unfair. All of this was unfair.
“Of course, I did not take it as a jest, but I did not seduce him away from you, Lucy. You left him for another man. You were going to marry Mr. Brown.”
A knock on the door sounded, and Evie stood, going to open it. The duke stood on the threshold, his gaze slipping over her shoulder to her sister, who sat in the room beyond. Evie stepped back, opening the door wider so he could enter. The duke glanced across the room, and like a shutter on a window, his demeanor changed. He stood straight, the smile wiped from his handsome visage and replaced with that of the duke’s, all proper and schooled.
“Miss Lucy, good of you to join us.”
Lucy burst into another pool of tears and stood, running over to the duke, throwing herself into his arms. She wrapped her hands about his back, holding steadfast. “Oh, Your Grace. You’ve saved me. I’m so very sorry. Mr. Brown led me to believe that he loved me and that I was special. I was a fool to follow him. He is the worst of people. Please tell me you forgive me. Tell me that I have not lost your affection.”
Evie closed the door. As much as she loved her sister, had always protected her from the world, her actions right at this moment reeked of a spoiled, rotten child. What was her sister thinking throwing herself at the duke as if he was free to marry her still? At least, Evie hoped he was not free, or her hopes and dreams with him were over.
“You’re not married?” the duke asked, setting Lucy away from him a little, holding her at arm’s length. The sight of Lucy in the duke’s embrace did not sit well, and Evie narrowed her eyes, all hope that there may be a future for her and the duke slowly dissipating before her very eyes.
“I made a mistake. I was tricked, you see. Mr. Brown was not who I thought he was. Please tell me that I have not lost you. As a gentleman, I know that you would not leave me to the wolves.”
Evie watched with horror as Lucy stared up at Finn, her eyes filling with tears. She looked crestfallen and lost, in need of support. Evie should want to help her, and she did, truly, but she did not want her to have Finn. She had chosen Mr. Brown. Was supposed to be at this very moment married to him. Not standing before the very man she loved and adored asking for him to honor his marriage proposal.
Finn stared down at Lucy, seemingly lost for words. Evie willed him to tell Lucy no. No, he would not marry her, not after being thrown over for another.
“You signed contracts to marry me, Your Grace,” Lucy said, using his title for the first time since she’d seen him again. “I know I have done you wrong, and I promise never to be persuaded elsewhere in the future, but I do not wish to bring scandal down on my family if I can help it. And your family too,” she added, walking over to Evie and picking up her hand. “Is that not right, my dear? Both His Grace’s and our family will be forever talked about should we not marry.”
“The banns have not been called as yet, Lucy. No one need ever know that the duke offered for you.”
“Oh, well, after Mr. Brown left me last evening, I wrote to Papa and asked him to announce our betrothal. I do hope you do not mind, Your Grace. With the contracts signed, your honor, and my apology, I did hope that we could marry and have a happy life together. Just as we planned.”
Evie stared at Lucy and was unable to believe what she was hearing. Had her sister gone mad? To think the duke could just forgive her after her indiscretion was absurd.
“You had the banns called?” Finn met Evie’s gaze, and she saw the disappointment within them. A disappointment that she too felt.
“Lucy, how could you do that to the duke?”
Her sister gave a nervous laugh, and yet Evie could not see anything amusing in the situation.
“How could I not?” Lucy looked between them, her eyes narrowing in thought. “The duke is in London trying to catch up with me, is he not? No doubt because he still cares for me and wants to marry me. I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. I do wish to marry His Grace if he will have me. You will have me, won’t you, Finn?”
“I, ahh,” he mumbled, looking at Evie, somewhat stricken.
“Lucy, will you please leave us? I wish to speak to His Grace alone. Ask the butler in the foyer to take you to your room.”
Lucy looked between them, before nodding and, without another word, started for the door, but not before stopping beside Evie.
“Please help me convince the duke, Evie. I know you love me and will do this for me because we’re sisters and have always supported each other. I truly am sorry for all the trouble I caused.”
Evie walked Lucy to the door, closing it behind her sister without another word before rounding on the duke. “You cannot marry Lucy. I love her, I do. She’s my sister, and I will do everything to protect her, but this? No, not this.”
“The scandal will be atrocious, for both our families if I do not make right on my proposal and marry her.”
“I think after what she has done, and you as well, Finn that be damned the scandal. What about us? What about the offer of your hand to me?”
The duke ran a hand through his hair, pacing before the hearth. “It never occurred to me that she would not be married. I had hoped we could marry once we were satisfied that Miss Lucy was settled with Mr. Brown, but it does not seem to be the case. No matter how much we may dislike the situat
ion, I am, in fact, betrothed to your sister.”
“And you ruined me,” she said, unable to hold back that truth, even though she hated saying the words. It was not the duke’s fault that they had fallen into bed together. It was just as much Evie’s fault as it was his. A mutual desire that was acted upon.
“I must marry, Evie, and I’m running out of time to do so. If your sister holds me to the understanding, it is her that I must marry. No matter how much I wished it would be you.”
She took a calming breath, thinking on his words before recollecting what he said. “What do you mean you’re running out of time to marry? Are you ill and must beget an heir before your time runs out?” The thought made her want to cast up her accounts. She could not bear it if Finn were sick.
“No,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I am not sick. What I have failed to tell you is that my father decreed in his will that if I were not married a year after his passing, I had only sixty days to do so, or I would lose monetary funds that are required to run Stoneheim Palace and my other properties.”
Evie paused at his words, his hasty actions in securing her sister’s hand finally making sense. “You offered to marry Lucy because you did not wish to lose your inheritance?”
“I did,” he said, pacing still, his hair further on end.
“You could have married anyone. Why my sister?”
“Father had also decreed in his will that I must marry a woman from my home county and who was a gentleman’s daughter. Your family met my requirements.” The duke sat, staring at the fire, lost in thought.
“Why did you not think of me as your prospective wife when you first called on Papa?” They had known each other in London after all. Granted, they did not know each other well, but they had mutual friends, circulated within the same social sphere, to choose her sister seemed odd to Evie. Or, perhaps, he had not desired her in that way. The thought left a hollow feeling deep in her core.