Page 19 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

“What in God’s name have you done?” her father bellowed. “Do you have any idea the ruin you’ve just caused? For yourself? For Rebecca? For all of us? I thought you loved us!”

“I do, Papa,” Lavinia spoke earnestly, her hands clasped together in prayer before her. “Please—”

“No,” Kenneth stated, his face scarlet red. “You will talk no more, understand? In fact, you will donothing, from here on out. You will not leave our house. You will not write to anyone. You will not be allowed to do anything. Am I clear?”

Before Lavinia could reply, her father started on a tangent all over again and did not desist until they made it home. As soon as they were inside, he sent her to her rooms and demanded that her handmaid and another servant be posted outside of her door so that she couldn’t leave. Lavinia accepted all of this silently, no longer trying to explain herself.

She knew what she had done was awful, but at the moment, it was all she could think of to keep her sister from the marriage. But then, when Arthur had looked at her like that, with such betrayal and confusion, she had felt even worse.

She had hurt him. Just like everyone else had. And just like them, she had hurt him with rumors. Rumors that were no doubt spreading like wildfire throughout London. By morning, they would all be ruined.

“Vinnie,” Rebecca said, startling Lavinia as she walked into her room. She had been so busy bowing her head to her father’s harsh words that she hadn’t realized that Rebecca had already gone upstairs and was now waiting for her.

“Goodness, you scared me,” Lavinia breathed, holding her chest as she took a step back. “How did you get up here so fast?”

“For the first time in quite a while, Father was not focused on me,” Rebecca stated softly. “It gave me time to get up here.” Then, before Lavinia could retort, she flew into her question. “Vinnie, why did you do this?” she demanded, her eyes full of concern.

Lavinia looked around her room, spotted a decanter of wine, and made a beeline for it. She filled her glass to the brim and then drained it. Her head began to feel dizzy, but she’d need to drink much more if she wanted to stop caring.

“You know why,” Lavinia replied, taking off her gloves. She began to grapple with the ties of her dress, growing frustrated with them. From behind her, she suddenly felt Rebecca’s fingertips over hers, and she let go as her sister helped her.

“Allow me,” Rebecca whispered softly.

For the first time since the kiss, Lavinia let out a breath. A real, deep breath that filled her entire lungs.

“It was for me, wasn’t it?” Rebecca asked as she worked loose first the dress’s stays, then the strings of Lavinia’s corset.

“A scandal with you would give me more than enough reason for thetonto praise me for leaving the marriage contract. I would get out untouched. Pitied, even.”

“We know thetonbetter than our father,” Lavinia stated. “You and I both know that this scandal will indeed touch me, but exonerate both you and him. I am the evil spinster. The duke is the vicious beast. Two awful things canceling each other out. Father will be pitied as the single father who did his best, and you will look like a pure, white doe that was just saved from a sacrifice to evil. I have no doubt that you will have suitors calling on your doorstep within a month.”

“But, Vinnie,” Rebecca sighed, helping her sister out of her gown and then into her nightgown. “What this will do to you. If the Duke does not agree to marry you, then Papa will have no choice but to force you out of our home. You will have nowhere else to go.”

Lavinia wrenched the pins from her hair, then shook out her curls roughly, grabbing fistfuls of the strands only to give them an extra yank. She then turned around and placed her hands on Rebecca’s shoulders. She tried to muster a small smile, but the result was a pitiful imitation.

“Your happiness and future are protected, my darling,” she said tenderly, looking Rebecca in the eye. “Do not worry for me. Whatever shall befall me is my burden and mine alone. I knew what I was risking.” She paused, took another breath, and then continued, “I do not approve of your recent behavior, I want you to understand that. Your view of the world is so small, Rebecca. I want you to promise that you will learn to enlarge it. But regardless of this, I still love you.Verymuch. And I will always do what I must to keep you and Agnes happy.”

Rebecca let out a sob and then fell into Lavinia’s arms, squeezing her tight. Lavinia returned the embrace, blinking back tears as she held her little sister. It could very well be the last time she would be able to do so.

“I love you, Vinnie,” Rebecca sobbed into her sister’s chest. “I’m so sorry for being awful. Please,pleaseforgive me.”

“Of course, I do,” Lavinia whispered, sniffling. “Just remember what I said. And promise that you will strive to gather more compassion.”

“I promise,” Rebecca replied through broken breaths.

The sisters were so focused on their moment of both rejoicing and sorrow that they hadn’t heard the door open, and their youngest sister’s naked feet padding across the floor.

“Vinnie? Becs?” Agnes asked, her soft voice full of concern.

“Oh,” Lavinia sighed, gently letting go of Rebecca. She quickly swiped her thumb under both eyes and forced a smile as she looked down at Agnes.

Even though she was fifteen, Agnes was still quite shorter than her or Rebecca and had yet to hit her growth spurt.

“It’s all right, darling,” Lavinia promised her, walking to her with an outstretched hand. Agnes took it readily and went to wrap her arms around her oldest sister’s waist.

“Something bad happened at the ball, didn’t it?” Agnes asked, looking up at Lavinia with her cheek still pressed to her sternum.

“It was… not ideal,” Lavinia confessed, stroking her little sister’s copper hair. She should have been in bed hours ago, and probably was. Her father’s angry, booming voice had probably awoken her.

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