Page 38 of Her Beastly Duke
“All of London knows, Briar.”
“But what about the duke? Should we at least hear what he has to say?”
“No. He had ruined and humiliated you, and I forbid you to see him. Whatever his reason, it was never his intention to marry you, Briar. If he thought you could be the duchess of Berkley Estate, he would have come to see me rather than climbing through your window.”
Briar knew there would be no arguing with Duncan. He had already made up his mind. “You believe that Lord Carter knows of the unfortunate incident and is still prepared to court me?”
“I believe so. I do not need to tell you what an opportunity this is. You will learn that society is unforgiving, and the scandal means you will be treated like an outcast. Fortunately, the earl is wealthy enough and will use his means to shield you from the worst of it.”
“I see.”
“Do not be pigheaded about it, Briar. We do not have many options.”
“I agree to see Lord Carter. I will at least hear what he has to say, but I do not know him. We will see if he is sincere.”
“Very well. I will speak to Mama before she finds out from someone else.”
“I am worried she will not take this well, and she will confine herself again.”
“She will be disappointed, but Lord Carter’s continued interest will soothe her.”
With the matter settled, Duncan stood up and walked toward the door. He turned and said, “Do not worry, Briar. We will get through it.”
Briar did not see how. How was she going to court and marry Lord Carter when she was in love with Julius?
Julius returnedto the townhouse in the early hours and spent most of the first day taking laudanum. He did not want to take it, but after a few hours, the pain became unbearable. He felt much better this morning after the physician had seen him. Julius sat propped in bed, his feet elevated on several pillows. The physician instructed him to stay in bed if he wanted his knee to heal without leaving him with a limp. He wore a hard bandage to allow his bones to heal. He desperately wanted to go to Briar, yet he needed to follow the doctor’s advice. He already had one impediment and was not about to add a limp to create a list. He sent her a letter instead, but sadly, it was returned to him unopened.
Damn it!
He clenched his teeth and pummeled the pillow. For the love of … why couldn’t he get it right? Julius was convinced that Briar had not seen the letter. He did not doubt that Duncan had intercepted it because he was angry. Duncan’s duty was to protect Briar; the ensuing scandal would make him feel like a failure. Julius’s actions would tarnish the family name and affect Duncan’s prospect of finding a wife. Briar’s prospects were also greatly reduced, but eventually, they would weather the storm. Duncan should know that it made perfect sense for Julius tospeak with Briar, so why was he being stubborn about it? At least if he opened the letter and read its contents, he would see that Julius was declaring his true feelings, albeit late. Nonetheless, he was sincere. Julius sighed and tapped his finger against his thigh. He was to blame for the mess he found himself in, and he had to figure out how to get out of it.
It had taken him a couple of days to see this new reality. Of Briar being entirely out of his life. How did he get here? There were unspoken rules that said what he was supposed to do with his life, including who he should marry. He should have ignored them. The only person who should define and determine his destiny was Julius. He was responsible for how fruitful his life would be. Why should he choose to live on someone else’s terms rather than his own? Once he realized that Briar was special, he should have made his mind up to forgo the traditional expectations of happiness. There was no need to hold himself hostage to family traditions or the norms of society. He would live his life on his terms. He loved his brother, and Julius knew he meant well. Baxter would eventually accept Julius’s decision because he had grown to love Emmeline.
A knock on the door interrupted his musing.
“Come in,” Julius said.
Baxter entered the room and sat in the armchair, which had been positioned to face his bed.
“I saw Dr. Martin on his way out, and he gave me the prognosis. I am sure you are not pleased.”
“Frustrated in what I am, I have no choice but to take his advice. That is why I sent for you.”
“Is that all?”
“And to tell you how I ended up in this predicament.” Julius recounted the tale to Baxter.
“I know all about it.”
“How did you find out so quickly?”
Baxter stood up and handed Julius the paper he had in his hand. Julius had been so distracted that he failed to notice it.
Hello, my dear readers; I have the most salacious event to apprise you of. This one goes to the highest echelons of society. For those that may be miffed, I do not want to hear your tut-tutting. If you do not want to read my news, you should not buy the paper!
According to my sources, the Beastly Duke, who has only just returned to society, has compromised a certain Miss B. Some say he has acted like a beast in true fashion, crawling up trees and terraces in the dead of night to enter Miss B.'s bedroom. Yes! Bedroom. You heard it here first … It seems the Beastly Duke is quite smitten with Miss B, which leads me to wonder why he did not court her in the usual fashion. Could it be that he had no intention of making her his duchess, and will he discard her so quickly?
It is truly remarkable that the beast would be so bold as to use a window rather than the front door. No, dearest reader, I did not make this up. Merde! (I must polish my French). The life of a beast must be so difficult! Apparently, on his descent, the beast fell and injured himself, to the delight of his nosy fellow men. That is right, you heard me correctly … He now lies abed, and Miss B lies in ruin. What this writer wants to know is what the beast and Miss B will do now.
