Page 17 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

“How do you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Have such little care about what others think of you,” Lavinia explained. “There’s been such horrid gossip about you since you’ve arrived, and yet, you seem unfazed by it all.”

Arthur chuckled and spun her around at the appropriate time. “I’ve had this scar for years now,” he replied. “I’ve gotten used to it, I suppose. People can say what they want. I have little personal care for what others choose to talk about.”

“So why push this marriage, then?” Lavinia asked as they continued to dance. “You don’t seem that enthused about it yourself.”

Arthur’s smile dropped a little, but he nodded. “I saidpersonalcare. But this marriage is neither just for me nor just for your sister. It is for our families. We must all do our part, whether we like it or not.”

“You sound like my father,” Lavinia retorted, annoyed by the fact.

“I take no offense to that,” Arthur replied, spinning her once more in time with the music. “Your father is a great man. In finances and in family. He raised you, did he not?”

“Yes, but I am a failure to Society,” Lavinia scoffed.

“Not in my eyes,” Arthur stated, his tone sincere. “You are a brave,beautifulwoman who is extremely protective of her family. And you are not afraid to be yourself. Every woman here is wrapped in some sort of pastel atrocity that passes as fashion. But you? You allow yourself to take comfort in your preferences. And you wear them quite well.”

Lavinia noticed Arthur’s eyes travel slowly down her gown, then up again, and she felt warmth touch her cheeks as she saw the heat in his gaze.

“In fact, you are, without any doubt, the most beautiful woman here,” he continued, his voice dropping an octave. “It may be my scar that draws their attention to me… but have you considered that it is your beauty that draws their attention to you?”

Lavinia was speechless. She had been called beautiful by many suitors in her younger days, but no one had spoken of it with as much reverence as Arthur just had. Before she could form a response, the song ended, and Arthur was bowing in front of her. In a sort of daze, she curtseyed to him as she heard the polite applause fill the air.

“Would you look at that,” a feminine voice whispered from behind her.

“The spinster witch and the beast.” Another giggled. “They do look rather perfect together, don’t they?”

Lavinia’s eyes went back to Arthur’s, and she knew by the look on his face that he had heard them, too.

“Let us talk,” he whispered, his tone serious as he led her away. “Meet me in the gardens in ten minutes.”

* * *

Get ahold of yourself.

Arthur made his way through the crowded conservatory, ignoring the stares from everyone he passed. Something had happened to him on the dance floor. Feelings long since dormant, or even thought dead, had reared up inside of him as he spoke about Lavinia.

Everything he had said about her was true. And he wanted her. He wanted Lavinia, specifically, not Rebecca. Not because she was afraid of him or even because her behavior was coarse. But because she wasn’t Lavinia.

He had wanted this evening to be fun, to be a goodbye of sorts to the idea of having an option out of his marriage. And yet, as he had held Lavinia in his arms and looked into her eyes, he had realized he was only torturing himself.

He had to tell her the truth. Not tomorrow or after the ball. But right now.

CHAPTEREIGHT

“There you are,” Timothy stated, grabbing Lavinia’s arm as she tried to make her way outside. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Timothy!” Lavinia exclaimed, completely caught off guard. “Apologies, I did not see you.”

Timothy’s smile fell, and a look of hurt came over his face. Lavinia tried to gently pull away, but his grip on her only tightened.

“Did you not know that I was coming?” he asked.

“Of course, I did. I simply forgot,” Lavinia placated.

Her heart was starting to beat faster as time ticked by. She was to be meeting Arthur at any moment, and she did not appreciate the delay her friend had just pushed upon her.

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