Page 8 of The Matchmaker Meets her Duke
The butler from last night appeared at the front door and was shoved aside by Earl Danvers. The Earl’s face was flushed red, and he walked toward Emmet with tightly clenched fists. Well, he could hardly expect a warm welcome.
Pandora followed closely behind him, dressed in a light-pink morning gown that emphasized the slimness of her waist in comparison to her generous hips and breasts. His eyes wandered over her as he studiously ignored her brother’s approach. He had seldom seen her in daylight, and the sun gleamed off her sleep-mussed black hair. He realized with a jolt that she had been crying and felt a surge of guilt through his breast. He hated seeing a woman cry. Even one that deserved it for her interference.
He was here to make amends, at least. Perhaps he could put a smile on her face. Edward approached, and Emmett favored him with a slight bow, more than his station required, but it helped to show his contrition. Not that Edward looked in any mood to accept an apology. He pulled himself to a stop inches from Emmett, absolutely trembling with rage. Emmett couldn’t help but smirk. It was clear he was Pandora’s sibling, they both had the same crease in their brows when vexed.
“You dare show your face in here after assaulting my sister?” said Edward.
Emmett rubbed his eyebrow. “I never assaulted her. But yes, I’ve come to make things right.”
“There is nothing to be done for her now! Except for a duel.”
Emmett raised an eyebrow. “You want me to duel your sister?”
Edward turned a deeper shade of red. “You will duel me! Tomorrow at dawn, here. Choose your second.”
Pandora caught her brother’s shoulder. “Edward, no! Withdraw your challenge at once!” He flung his sister’s hand away and poked Emmett in the chest. Emmett reflexively caught his hand and squeezed hard. Edward flinched but made no move to withdraw.
“Do you accept?” asked Edward. Emmett looked to Pandora. She stood to the side, a look of consternation sketched across her pretty face. At least she was pleasant to look at, and he couldn’t deny that he found her attractive. He could do this. He took a deep breath and released Edward’s hand.
“There is another option,” he said, not breaking eye contact with Pandora. Confusion clouded her eyes for a moment before they widened with alarm.
“No,” said Pandora in a whisper.
“Yes, it is the only way to restore your honor.”
Edward looked from Emmett to Pandora. “What is the only option?”
“Marriage,” said Pandora and Emmett in unison. Pandora flushed and looked away, and Emmett turned his determined gaze back to her brother.
Edward gaped at him. “You… and Pandora? No, not on your life.”
Emmett crossed his arms and tightened his jaw. “Marrying her will restore all which I have inadvertently taken. I had not intended to lay hands on her in such a way.” Well, that was a lie, but Edward hardly had to know the full truth. “It was most unbecoming of me, and my own honor won’t allow me to sleep until I’ve made this right.”
He brushed past the shocked Edward and gathered Pandora’s hands in his own. She was silent, still, and looked up at him with those big blue eyes that seemed to be pieces of the sky in the face of a doll.
“Lady Pandora. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“You don’t have to do this,” said Pandora in that same, barely audible whisper.
He attempted to smile at her, but he was sure it came out as a grimace. “I assure you, I do. Besides, you promised you would help me find a wife.”
That brought some life back into her. Color flared in her cheeks and her spine stiffened as her hands tightened on his. “That is not what I meant when I made that promise.”
“Promise? Marriage? What on Earth are you talking about?” asked Edward with a baffled expression.
Pandora sighed. “Edward, he knows. About Lady Datura.”
Edward gasped. “How? You’ve been so careful.”
Emmett shrugged. “I am an observant man. It was a particular turn of phrase that caught my ear at a party one night.‘A rake most wretched deserves the worst.’You might have been quoting Lady Datura, certainly. But you said it with such conviction that it raised my suspicion.”
Pandora’s eyes narrowed. “Which is when you blackmailed me into helping you find a replacement for Lady Miriam.”
“Yes, and now I’ve found one. You.”
“I don’t need your pity,” said Pandora in a chill voice.
“No, but you do need my hand and my protection. My honor won’t take no for an answer.” Pandora hesitated, and Emmett continued. “I know I am hardly your ideal match. This is not my idea of a proper match, either. But marriage needn’t be difficult for us. We will have a marriage of convenience. Once I have an heir, you are free to do as you please.”
