Page 60 of Her Wicked Duke
“Mama!” Anne cried.
Anger, frustration, dismay—they all clashed inside her.
“What will the Dowager Duchess think?” Annette lamented, collapsing into the nearest chair.
Matthew paced furiously. Mary looked torn over who to comfort.
“Mama!” Anne shouted. “Will youstopthis and listen to me?!”
The room fell silent.
Only Christian had properly raised his voice to their parents. Now that Anne was doing the same, especially amid a heinous scandal, everyone stared at her in shock.
She stood up from the window seat, her hands balled into fists. “It was all a lie, Mama! The rumors are not true. The courtship was not real either!”
The truth that she had prepared to reveal so many times but had not been able to finally came out. She sighed deeply.
“I have been receiving letters from a man of the ton. However, they have grown increasingly concerning, threatening, and obsessive. He has stalked me throughout this Season, knowing the men I speak to, the parties I have attended, and the gowns I have worn.
“Christian asked Alexander to look after me while he went on his tour. I also asked Alexander for his protection, his accompaniment to every event, thinking it would dissuade my stalker from pursuing me. He decided to openly court me, thinking it would dissuade my stalker further. However, it has turned badly for us, and the friends I thought I had seem to have turned against me and created this mess.”
She looked at each shocked face, mostly her parents’ and Patrick’s, as Mary knew half of the story already.
“All Alexander wanted to do was fulfill his promise to Christian and protect me. That isall. He has not ruined me, nor?—”
“I would argue he has ruined you!” her father exclaimed. “No matter the truth, my dear girl, he has brought scandal upon you. The rumors still circulate about—about?—”
“Anne,” Annette cut in, her voice stern, scolding. “Why did you not come to me about this? Why did you not tell me about the letters?”
Anne flushed. “I—well, Mama, I was worried. You want me to be happily married, and I was afraid you might see the stalker’s advances as positive attention.”
“I admit I would have first asked why you feelstalked, but if you felt in danger to the point of Christian asking Alexander to protect you, then I would have listened!”
Anne felt that her actions weren’t entirely unjustified, given her mother’s admission of trying to turn the stalker’s attention into a positive thing, but her mother’s consideration of her feelings made her feel more comforted.
She toyed with a frill on her dress. She could not bring herself to confess that she was starting to love Alexander. What did her family think of him now? The letters and stalker existed, yes, but what about the rumors of what they did in the dark alcoves at the parties they attended? The false stories and the ones that were rather close to the truth?
She was, as her father said, still quite ruined. But it was not Alexander’s fault.
“Anne.” Mary’s voice was soft. “I know you will not want to consider this, but I have read one of the letters, and I see it is indeed written by the hand of a man with a good education. You already said he is a man of the ton, so how do you know that the Duke has not been sending those letters in order to manipulate you?”
Patrick rose from the window seat and went to stand beside his wife. “Mary could be right,” he said empathetically. “I heard in my gentlemen’s club about the Duke’s dalliances. He is not without a bad reputation, and for good reason. He is not friendly nor kind, and he would not protect you unless there was something in it for himself.”
Anne couldn’t deny that Patrick spoke truthfully about the Duke. Hehadwanted a reward for each event they had attended. Every kiss made up for an event, every touch was for a conversation endured, every teasing word was for the fawning women he did not complain about.
He had dutifully protected her because he gained something in return. He had not merely done it out of the goodness of his heart, but because he saw gain in it. InAnne.
Doubts began to cloud her heart, and she wished they did not. She needed to talk to him.
“The letters began as soon as the Season started, didn’t it?” Mary asked. “That is what I remember you saying.”
“Well, yes, but?—”
“And you pulled out of the previous Season because of the previous letters,” she continued. “Which began around the time Alexander would have returned from France with his grandmother.”
“But—”
“Anne, I know this might be terrible news,” Patrick interjected, “but please believe me when I say that he is an insufferable man. The ton talks about him, and those stories have proven true. He is ruthless and dangerous. A heartless man who only looks out for himself.”
