Page 44 of Every Rake Has A Silver Lining

Ha!She couldn’t restrain the smile demanding to make an entrance.

“This isnotfunny!” he said through gritted teeth.

He was right, of course. “Come! We must see if we can be of use.”

As she edged past him, he grasped her wrist. “Wait. You’re much too put together. Take your hair down.”

“What? This is not the time to think of ourselves.”

“Do you want my parents to believe this sham or not? Do you even care? They are good people. Whatever your feelings for me, I’m asking you to consider them.”

She wrenched her arm from his grasp. After marching back into the room, she quickly pulled the pins from her hair, letting it fall in messy waves against her back and shoulders.

“There,” she said. “For your family.” Still, when his gazeraked over her, her mind drifted back to the feel of his lips on her wrist, and her heart raced.

Unfettered, she strode past him and followed the sounds of excited voices. A cluster of people—footmen, maids, and Simon’s father—gathered outside the ducal bedchamber in the far wing.

Memories of her mother came flooding back. The difficult birth and the death of both mother and child. “Isn’t it too soon?” Charlotte asked, a wave of fear tightening her lungs. She shouldn’t have been so quick to judge Simon.

Mr. Beckham took her hands in his. “Babies come when they wish. My wife said it may be due to all the excitement Her Grace has gone through these past days.” His eyes held a note of apology that Charlotte’s rushed wedding played a part in Honoria’s distress.

Simon appeared at her side. “Did someone send for a doctor?”

Mr. Beckham nodded. “His Grace sent word for someone named Ashton. I presume he’s a physician.”

Simon’s eyes glazed over. He swayed, and if Charlotte hadn’t spent the last four hours in his presence, she would swear he was foxed. “Where’s Drake?”

Inclining his head toward the closed door, Mr. Beckham said, “Inside. Although I expect your mother will throw him out at any moment.”

A moan, starting low and growing in intensity, reverberated through the walls into the hallway. The door opened, and as if fulfilling Mr. Beckham’s prediction, Mrs. Beckham pushed Burwood from the room.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace, but you should wait outside. You’re upsetting Her Grace.” She closed the door with a firmclick.

Poor Drake. At the moment, she couldn’t think of him as the duke. Only a man who dearly loved his wife and worried for her safety and that of his child. His eyes were haunted, like a cornered animal, wanting to fight but not knowing exactly how.

Charlotte understood that feeling. “Your Grace. Drake.” She touched him on the sleeve, and his gaze lifted to hers, pleading and frantic. “May I see her?”

The weak smile he offered didn’t meet his eyes. “I think she’d like that. She didn’t want to bother you, all things considered.” His gaze shot to Simon, and like Mr. Beckham’s, it held an apology.

“Simon,” she said to her husband. “Take care of him.”

The dolt gave a wooden nod.

Men!

When Charlotte stepped into the room, Mrs. Beckman gazed up from where she was wiping Honoria’s brow and motioned her over. “Look who’s here, Your Grace.”

Unlike Honoria, Charlotte wasn’t adept at providing soothing and reassuring words. Losing her mother at a young age had deprived Charlotte of a nurturing example, and she had no natural instinct for mothering. Oh, she would fight to the death to defend those she loved, but offering comfort was a foreign task. She thought back to when Anne’s recklessness had resulted in a horrible fall the previous year. Honoria had held the ninnyhammer’s hand and stroked her forehead.

So she took Honoria’s outstretched hand. “How are you feeling?”Drat.What a stupid question!

However, Honoria either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Which didn’t surprise Charlotte. “It’s not so terribly bad. There is rest in between the spasms. I’m sorry to interrupt your wedding day.”

“Nonsense,” Charlotte said and meant it. “I’m grateful the attention is on someone else instead of me.”

Honoria gave a weak laugh. “That sounds like something I would say.”

“I learned from the best.” Charlotte stroked Honoria’s hair. “The duke will be here soon.”

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