Page 36 of The Replacement Duchess

“That, and you and the Duke seemed to have found common ground after all.”

“Yes, exactly as you wanted. He is rather pleasant, actually. It is quite the match for the two of you. It is fortunate, indeed. That is what these scandal sheets should write about you, not all of… that.”

“Well, regardless, this is where we are. I can only hope that our marriage is happy, but there is no possibility at all that you and I will be separated. It will never be a consideration.”

But her sister did not seem too convinced.

“You do believe me, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“So is there something else on your mind?”

“It is all of this talk of weddings. I do not want it to happen. Are you sure that you cannot find a way out of it?”

“In a way that does not destroy your prospects? No. Thus, there is no way out that I shall consider. Besides, the Duke is not what they say he is. You know that yourself.”

“But you do not love him. There must be a way to prevent this. You do not want to marry him, and so it is not right that you must.”

“Fairness is not a concern of theirs. What matters is that he has proposed and I have gotten as close to accepting it as possible. To back away now would only prove disastrous for the both of us. Is there a reason why you do not want him to marry me?”

Samantha did not respond, instead biting her lip.

“Samantha, if there is something you need to tell me, then you ought to do so now.”

“There is nothing to tell you, Sister. I must go now, though. Father requires twice as much from me when you are unwell, after all.”

“I am so sorry.”

“It is not your fault! Get some rest, and I hope that you recover quickly, for it is the garden party tomorrow.”

“In which case I can only hope that my recovery requires an extra day.”

“You shall enjoy it when you’re there. You shall see.”

Diana somehow struggled to believe that.

CHAPTER 10

Time with Lady Samantha had been quite enlightening, indeed.

There had always been the same things said of the two sisters, no matter where he went. Colin was to marry the wrong lady, for the one more likely to succeed as a duchess was the younger one. The more intelligent of the two was Lady Samantha, the more amenable one was Lady Samantha, the sweeter one was Lady Samantha.

But he was not to be married to Lady Samantha, and he much preferred it that way, and he could not fathom why thetondid not understand that.

Fortunately, at least Lady Samantha understood. She was everything that thetonhad claimed her to be, but she was not the sort to think that meant she was above her sister. In fact, she said outright that she owed everything to her, and she knew that her sister marrying him meant that she could live out her dreams too, dreams that did not involve dukes.

“Are you alright, Your Grace?” Lady Samantha asked, and his attention snapped back to her.

They had been invited to a garden party hosted by some lord or other, and had it not been a part of their plan to make thetonsee them as a cohesive unit, he would have rejected the invitation altogether, but he and Lady Diana had things to prove, and garden parties were not the worst things ever if he was being honest.

“Yes,” he replied, “I am perfectly well, thank you.”

“It is only that you seem quite distant.”

“There is something on my mind, but it is nothing, I assure you.”

What was on his mind more often than not those last two days was the way Lady Diana had fled the room whilst he was speaking with her sister. He had been confused instantly; she had wanted the two of them to find some sort of friendship, only to seemingly disapprove of it when it happened. Then he thought about the expectation of theton, and how they had all seen her as the lesser sister. It was no surprise that she expected him to feel the same way.

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