Page 10 of The Matchmaker Meets her Duke
Pandora examined her pale face in the mirror and tried to smile again. Her attempt was hardly becoming. She should be happy, this was a far better match than she could have ever imagined for herself. A Duke with hundreds of acres of land, and a marriage of convenience that promised her freedom to move through society. So why was she so miserable? She snorted, drawing a disapproving glance from her maids. She knew why.
Emmett had sought to ruin her reputation and then saved her from his own actions by marrying her. She was marrying a man she didn’t know, whose actions were a mystery. What the future could bring was impossible to foretell, but she knew in her heart that there would be little happiness between the two of them. She inhaled sharply and stood. No more moping. She could do this. There would be no tears on her wedding day this time.
The wedding took place in the small church in the village just outside Willcrow Manor. There were few attendees, just their families as witnesses and Vicar Lovell.
Pandora had never met the Dowager Duchess of Willcrow before, nor Emmett’s sister Rose. To say they were unhappy about this marriage was an understatement. Rose in particular looked sour when they were introduced in the chapel before the ceremony.
Pandora stood at the altar, thoughts wandering as the Vicar talked over her head. Emmett stood opposite, eyes distant as the Vicar spoke. He looked handsome in his form-fitting waistcoat and starched cravat. A small blessing, at least he was pleasant to look at.
She resisted the urge to sigh as she caught Rose fidgeting out of the corner of her eye. It must look terrible from her perspective. A Duke marrying an Earl’s spinster sister to save her honor, after she wandered through the gardens unchaperoned. No doubt Rose thought Pandora had planned the entire thing to ensnare her brother. As if she could be so conniving.
At nineteen years of age, Rose was still young. Pandora doubted she knew much of marriage or making difficult choices. She had been so innocent, once. The first time she stood at an altar.
Her hands tightened on Emmett’s, and the distant look in his eyes vanished as he turned his attention to her. The look he gave her was intense but unreadable. Curiosity lit within her.What could be going through his mind?He had surprised her with this talk of honor, given his penchant for seducing women.Was he regretting his choice?
Regret. Not an emotion she would allow herself. With each word and pass of his hand, the Vicar sealed her fate. And then it was finished. Emmett took her hand in his, and together they walked from the church into the weak mid-morning sun. A line of coaches stood waiting to take them to breakfast at Willcrow Manor, and Emmett helped her into the first one without a word.
The rest of the day passed with agonizing slowness. Breakfast started as a silent affair, both sides of the table unwilling to engage in even the usual conversation about the weather. Crumbs fell to her plate as she tore a piece of bread into tiny chunks as she listened to the stilted conversation.
“Tell me, Lady Rose, have you been enjoying the weather this spring? A tad cold for my taste, but at least it is sunny,” said Edward over the lip of his teacup.
Rose tore her gaze away from Lord Riverton and glanced at Edward before looking down at her plate. “It has been pleasant enough, My Lord.”
Edward leaned forward. “Pleasant enough for a walk around the Manor, no doubt. Willcrow Estate is well appointed.”
Pandora shot her brother a confused look, but he didn’t notice, eyes fixed on the lovely young Rose.Surely, he isn’t interested inher. Edward was a sworn bachelor and protested loudly whenever Pandora mentioned marriage.
Rose answered with an indistinct mutter, earning a glare from her grandmother, the Dowager. But Rose paid her even less mind as she gazed across the breakfast table at Lord Riverton.
An amused smile crossed Pandora’s face before she could stop herself. Her inner matchmaker laughed at the tangle. A newlywed couple who disliked each other, an Earl interested in Pandora’s sister-in-law, and the sister-in-law interested in her husband’s best friend. And not a good match among them.
Edward made a few more pitiful attempts to draw Rose into conversation before trailing off into silence. The rest of the meal was awkward. Lord Riverton kept shooting little glares at Pandora when he thought she wasn’t looking, and her new husband hadn’t looked up from his plate once. Pandora sipped her tea. What a life she had to look forward to.
Edward returned home to Danvers Manor, and Pandora was left to Emmett and his family. Her husband retired to the library with Lord Riverton, and Pandora followed his grandmother Agatha to the drawing room. Rose trailed behind them, her expression still sour.
Pandora seated herself on the edge of a chaise lounge and picked up a book from a side table without bothering to look at the title. But before she could open it, Agatha leaned forward from her couch and cleared her throat.
“We are finally alone now, Child. I’ll have the truth from you,” said Agatha with a stern look on her lined face. Pandora blinked at the Dowager, panic surging in her breast. How much had Emmett told her? He had promised to keep her secret, but–
“I’m not sure I know what you mean, Your Grace,” said Pandora.
Agatha snorted. “None of that, now. You may think you are clever, but when you get to my age, you learn a thing or two about people. It was the Viscountess, wasn’t it?”
“I’m… sorry?” said Pandora helplessly.
“Edna Brexley! The Dowager Viscountess of Riverton. That rascal Ashton’s grandmother. She’s the one who put you up to this whole marriage sham. I know it!”
“I’ve never even met the Dowager Viscountess. I don’t know who she is.”
Agatha waved the objection away with a gloved hand. “Nonsense, I’m sure with those parties you’ve thrown you’ve met everyone of note in this part of England.”
Pandora shook her head. “Hardly. I’m just the younger sister of an Earl. Not anyone of note. I throw my parties, yes, but the guest list is carefully selected.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard. You aim to rival Almack’s. Or had aimed. I doubt Emmett will be letting you throw any matchmaking events under his roof.”
Pandora’s back stiffened. “As his wife, I am fully expected to host gatherings.”
“Of Emmett’s circle of respectable peers, not yours. My boy has been through a lot, and I can tell you, he has no love lost for matchmakers.”
