Page 79 of The Untamed Duke
“I’m sure I don’t know.” Grace turned toward Ivy, who’d finished her letter and was folding it with a little frown. “Is everything all right?”
Ivy waved her hand, almost distractedly. “Oh yes. Sebastian says all the arrangements for the repairs are made, although the note doesn’t indicate whether he retained the architect he hoped for. Shall we all go inside, Grace?” Ivy prodded gently. “The parlor is far more comfortable than the courtyard.”
“I told the earl his assistance was unnecessary,” Tristan inserted, voice low with agitation as they entered the manor and made their way down the center hall. Sinking onto the settee beside Grace when they reached the parlor, the viscount announced, “As Grace and I will marry soon, it is my responsibility to take care of the estate’s needs.”
Grace stared at the handsome young man for a moment, searching for words. Several things swelled inside her. An urge to take charge of her own life. Anger. Frustration. An unwillingness of allowing anyone or anything to stop her from obtaining whatshewanted.
“Tristan.” Her voice was strong. Steady. Resolute. “I will never,nevermarry you.”
Tristan frowned. “Of course, you will. How else will you survive otherwise? I know you, my dear. You would not wish to be a burden on your cousin. The only other option is marriage. You know how much I care for you, Grace. I love you.”
She regarded him, then softly asked, “Tell me something, Tristan. Would you have gone into my stables to rescue my horses?”
His hesitation was answer enough although he tried covering it. “Not immediately. I would assess the situation, of course, but, after all, a horse can be replaced and…”
“Someday, Tristan, you will love someone so much you will do anything for her. Even if it places you in grave danger. Nicholas did not hesitate. He ran into those stables without thought. It is how I know he loves me, even if he doesn’t yet realize it.” Grace bounced up from the settee, desperate to place some distance between them. “I cannot marry you because, you see, I love Nicholas too. With all my heart, I love him.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. A smile of relief and gladness lit her face while Tristan scowled as if swallowing something very bitter.
“You are overwrought, Grace,” he said, watching as she went to stand by the window and fingered the curtains. “Admiration for Richeforte’s heroic effort has clouded your judgment. You can’t possibly love him. You barely know him. And even if you do care for him, he’ll never love you in return. It’s not his way.” A hand raked through his chocolate brown hair in frustration. “Hell, do you know Celia is in love with him, too? As tempted as I am in helping my sister obtain what she wants, I’ve steered her away. Do you know why? Because Nicholas doesn’t care for innocence in any form or shy glances from blushing maidens. He uses women, tosses them aside the moment they no longer amuse him or when they demand too much of him. Don’t you understand, Grace? He is not a man you should want, unless you are as wicked as he is.”
Turning from the window, Grace leveled a steady glare on Tristan. “But you see, I am as wicked.”
Tristan was momentarily confused. As her words sunk in, his jaw clenched with understanding and sudden anger. “Grace. I am pleading with you. Do not do this. You must marry me to retain ownership of Bellmar Abbey. Richeforte holds the encumbrance. He agreed he will sell only to me. When you are my wife, I will gift it to you.”
“I overheard the two of you that day at Calmont Downs, Tristan,” Grace replied calmly. “When you devised your plot in Lord Calmont’s library. I know everything you demanded of him. I made my own arrangement with the duke.”
Ivy was silent until this point. Now, she gaped at Grace. “What have you done?”
“The details are inconsequential, but soon I will have all of Bellmar Abbey.”
“This is madness!” Tristan growled. “Nicholas won’t marry you, Grace. It’s the only way you can hold Bellmar, and he’ll never— “
“I’ve no delusions of marriage. I know full well what he is. I knew when I proposed our arrangement.”
“I’ll kill him for this,” Tristan vowed. “I’ll kill the bastard. If Ravenswood doesn’t do it first.”
“And you’ll destroy any affection I hold for you if you interfere, Tristan.” Grace fixed the viscount with a calm stare. “No matter the right or wrong of it, the impossibility of it. The scandal of it. The hopelessness of it. Nicholas is my choice. I won’t have any other, nor will I change my mind. No matter what happens.”
* * *
Tristan attempted talkingGrace into marriage for the better part of that afternoon and evening. At dinner, he pleaded. During dessert and tea on the terrace, he raged. And before she escaped to her bedroom for the night, he played on her sympathies. Grace remained unswayed. When he disappeared into the library with a bottle of brandy, muttering curses beneath his breath, she sighed in relief. For three days, she endured much of the same, even with Ivy’s interference on her behalf. And finally, Tristan caved in reluctant defeat. Sullen and angry. Heartbroken.
Knocking on Ivy’s bedroom door late the evening before their departure, Grace questioned the intelligence of her plans. Before riding into Oakmont, carrying his borrowed books and riding his horse, she needed guidance on the planned assault of Nicholas’s heart. She would tell Ivy how the evilness of the old Duke of Richeforte’s actions affected them all. And reveal the extent of the bargain with Nicholas and what she'd wagered against her home.
Omitting the intimate details, Grace told Ivy everything.
Her cousin sat back against the bed pillows with a frown. “Their quarrel was so bitter. No one suspected the old duke was involved in the sordid affair. I always believed Lady Marilee was pregnant by an unknown man, one she could not name. She was rumored to be quite promiscuous, and Sebastian was blind with infatuation for her. How terrible that Richeforte’s own father could be so cruel toward him. Sebastian was far more upset over Nicholas's betrayal than Marilee’s unfaithfulness. Which doesn’t speak well for the lady.” Ivy gently enfolded Grace’s hand in hers. “I hope the damage between them is erased when the truth comes to light.”
“There must be some manner of reconciliation, regardless of what happens between Nicholas and myself. Promise you’ll say nothing. Nicholas should be the one to tell Sebastian.” Grace rubbed her eyes, yawning. She’d had little sleep over the past few nights, mourning both the loss of Llyr and Nicholas’s leaving Bellmar Abbey. “And say nothing of my arrangement with Nicholas. I must sort this out myself. Without fear that Sebastian will challenge Nicholas to a second duel.”
“If he learns you’ve gone to Oakmont, Sebastian will come for you there. Are you sure of this, Grace? If Richeforte will not marry you, you are risking your reputation. You’ll never be able to show your face in polite society again without being known as one of his mistresses. You are far too innocent and sweet to be one of their numbers.”
“I’ve weighed the risks. I cannot spend the rest of my life wishing that I tried winning his heart. I hope Sebastian allows me the honor of fighting my own battles.” Grace gave Ivy a quick embrace of gratitude along with a sad smile. “And I pray Nicholas realizes he loves me as I love him.”
Chapter 32
Heartache is for fools
