Page 15 of His Duchess' Mischief

Scowling to himself, he huffed loudly, pushing the unpleasant image away as he strode toward the church, attempting to focus on the day ahead.

The truth of the matter was that this marriage was a nuisance. He had no desire to take a wife, but if he did not, he would lose his inheritance.

His solicitor had been very clear when he had read his father’s will that if Seth did not take a wife, he would lose the estate and all of his other properties.

My father knew me better than I thought.

The late Duke doubtless saw Seth’s propensity for solitude after Gordon’s death as a weakness and added such terms to force him into Society.

It was vexing, but not insurmountable. Once the ceremony was over, he could continue as before. Nothing would change.

His mind drifted to the tiny woman he had just left, her small body beneath his, wide blue eyes glaring up at him with an air of defiance he had not expected.

She might have been frightened of him, but she was not cowed by him like so many debutantes. There was a fire there, burning quietly in the depths of that sapphire gaze.

Seth reached the door to the church, nodding to an acquaintance as he made his way into the gloom within, the stained glass casting dappled shapes across the floor.

She will learn her place and keep it.

Fire can be extinguished. Mine certainly was.

Alicia walked down the gravel path to the church, the sickness that she had been trying to suppress coming to the fore as she saw the little building ahead. She could see several dark shapes gathering inside.

The church waspacked.

“So many people,” she said weakly.

Her father, who was walking at a leisurely, almost disinterested pace beside her, harrumphed. “Of course. I want the world to know that you have made a good match just as your sister did.”

Alicia scowled. She felt like a chess piece being moved across a board she could not see.

Her father’s bushy eyebrows were set in a frown as he watched the church, and she could already hear the rumble of voices.

She was not sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly was not the large congregation waiting for her. She had pictured a small, intimate ceremony, and now, she was on display in front of almost one hundred strangers.

The stone church was beautiful, neat, and secluded, with wildflowers growing around the sides. Their bright petals bobbed in the breeze, mocking her miserable mood.

As she walked, her train snagged on the stones behind her, and she hoped they would rip the fabric to shreds by the end of the day. She wished Jane were beside her instead of their father, her whole body beginning to shake with nerves.

They reached the entrance of the church, where the Earl gave her a single nod before leaving her alone.

It was as if a chasm opened beneath her feet when he walked away.

Could I run? Perhaps there is a horse here and I could escape and run as fast and as far as I can.

But it would be folly. If the Duke did not find her, her father would, and there would be hell to pay for such insubordination. She was not ignorant of how fortunate she’d been that most ofhis wrath and attention had been directed at Jane during their childhood.

Her sister had put up with a great deal in the face of their father’s unpredictable moods. Alicia knew if she were to defy him now, the consequences would be swift and brutal.

Clutching her skirt, she heard the shuffle of feet and creaking of wood as the congregation rose to greet her.

She placed one foot in front of the other, trying to shut out everything around her, especially the dark, solitary figure at the head of the aisle.

The Duke radiated authority. There wasn’t a flicker of emotion on his handsome face, his lips pursed, his gaze sharp and brooding.

He followed her every move like a cat might watch a mouse.

Finally, after what felt like five lifetimes, she came to stand beside him. There was no groomsman; the space behind him was empty.

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