Page 25 of Taken By the Duke of Stone

"The lilac dress, please," she finally conceded. She liked the dress and if he didn't, then it was too bad for him.

She tied her hat into a jaunty angle on her head then grabbed her parasol and made her way down to the living room to wait for the arrival of her husband to be.

To Lavinia's surprise, her aunt was already seated there, waiting for her when she stepped in. She had been expecting and somehow dreading this meeting.

Lady Hartfield had been shooting her accessing glances since she had been informed of her engagement to the Duke.

Lavinia had been doing her best to pretend that she couldn't notice her aunt's querying looks.

"Lavvie dear, I'm glad I caught you before you left," the woman said with a strained smile. "Do sit down, dear," she patted the cushion beside her.

From the tone of her voice, it was obvious her aunt wouldn't tolerate any excuse for her to escape the conversation so she obediently dropped down into the chair.

The woman stared at her thoughtfully for a moment and Lavinia kept her expression open and placid as if her stomach wasn't getting twisted into knots and she wasn't a second away from confessing the entire scheme.

"The Duke of Wyld, eh?" she began.

"You introduced us at the Livingston ball," she smiled, "remember?"

"You never mentioned anything about an interest in him."

She lowered her gaze, trying to act demure, "may I be honest with you, Aunt?"

"Please."

"I saw him for the first time at the Carlton ball. He ran into me and spilled lemonade on my dress."

Lady Hartfield gasped, "he was the one?"

She nodded, "yes. At the time I didn't know who he was. He apologized and acted so cordial," oh Lord, of all the lies she had told in her life, this one hurt her the most to say. "He offered to replace my dress but I told him it was unnecessary. After that, Jenny told me who he was and I was shocked that such a man would be so kind and humble."

Her aunt's eyes went soft and Lavinia knew she had won.

"I was elated when you introduced us."

"But I remember you being hesitant," the older woman accused, her eyes narrowing.

"To be honest, I was a bit hesitant," she chuckled. "I didn't know if he would even remember me. I was nervous about not having made an impression. But to my surprise, he remembered everything. Oh, Aunt Felicity, he was so dashing and wonderful. When I'm around him, I do not even recall that he's a duke. He's just a man to me. An admirable man."

Later, she was going to have to kneel on the hard floor of the chapel and ask the Lord for forgiveness for all these lies.

"I'm so happy for you," her aunt exclaimed, and threw her arms around her. "I knew you would find exactly what you were looking for and I was right. I am so glad we insisted on a season for you. The duke will protect and provide for you and your children."

Immense sorrow washed through her at once and it was a battle to keep her smile in place, but she did her absolute best.

There weren't going to be any children, because he had told her quite clearly that he wasn't going to touch her again and this was a business arrangement.

She almost felt sick at the knowledge that she was throwing away the rest of her life for the good of her family.

Lavinia reminded herself that they have were worth it.

They had done so much for her. She could give them this little. Victor could change his mind later. He was a Duke after all, he needed the required heir and a spare.

But it didn't manage to push the choking feeling away.

Lord Dillon walked into the Duke's residence with a delighted smile on his face. It was a beautiful, sunny day and he was about to be thoroughly entertained by the newest couple in the city.

The Duke glanced up from his pocket watch as the doorway darkened with the figure of his smirking friend.

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