Page 7 of Wedded to the Beastly Duke
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Adam Hansen, the new Duke of Kant, elected to walk home. That had been a more challenging meeting than he had anticipated, and he needed the cool air to calm his thoughts.
Marriage was, unfortunately, a necessity if he was going to save his estate, but having met his prospective wife, he had a sneaking suspicion it was going to be even more unpleasant than he had imagined.
Although, he thought grimly, wiping his hand across his face, better the harpy than the crying damsel he had almost pledged himself to. Lady Emmeline had little to recommend her but her dowry, but it was better that way, and at least she would not flood the house with her tears.
Adam hated tears.
He also disliked overwrought displays of emotion in any respect. The fact that Lord Sunton had not revealed the true nature of his daughter, or her unwillingness to marry, had irritated him beyond belief.
Still, the end result was exactly as he needed it to be, and once they were married, he could use her dowry to save his estate. Once that was done, he would have succeeded in carrying out his duty. He would have done everything William had, no doubt, intended to do.
And if his new wife despised him, what did that matter?
He reached the small townhouse he rented while he stayed in town. The house in Grosvenor Square had to be sold to pay off the immediate debts, but he was more attached to Crowny Castle. That was where the last memories of his mother still resided.
“Welcome back, Your Grace,” Keaton, the butler, said as he took Adam’s coat. “Is there anything I can get you?”
My brother back.
That had been a constant refrain since Adam had returned. Better he was still in the Navy and his brother was still alive.
The claws of grief threatened to rip into him again, and he managed a brief smile. “No, thank you. Just brandy.”
“Very good, Your Grace. Will you be working in your library?”
Adam nodded and made his way through the small house. ‘Library’ was an optimistic term for the room in which he found himself, which sported perhaps a dozen books and a rickety table on which he did his accounts, and came to the conclusion that William must have been an avid gamester to squander such riches in such a short space of time.
Yet, although he was disappointed by the way William had systematically destroyed a fortune the Kant family had spent generations amassing, Adam still missed him. He missed the time when they were boys and ran across the estate together, climbing trees and fishing and doing everything together the way boys did when they had no responsibilities.
It was after that his father began to take an interest in William and dislike Adam. Everything had changed from that point on.
He rolled his shoulders, trying to settle into the uncomfortable chair, and when Keaton brought in the brandy, he accepted it with a distant smile.
“I will be leaving London soon,” he said. “And relinquishing this house.”
As a good butler should, Keaton showed no emotion at this news. “Oh?”
“The next time I return to London, I hope to find a house that will better suit myself and my wife.”
“Your wife, Your Grace?”
“Yes. I intend to marry in three days. I have the special license ready.” Adam patted his pocket. That had been an expense he had not been certain was worth it, but now he was glad he had gone to the trouble. “And from there, I intend to travel to Crowny Castle.”
“Very good, Your Grace. I shall inform the staff.”
“Thank you.” Adam hesitated, unused to this feeling of gratitude that washed over him. “I also wish to say… thank you. For your service.”
Keaton’s lined face creased into a smile. “It was an honor to serve your brother, and it is an honor to serve you, Your Grace.”
“I hope to soon repair the damage that recent events have wrought on our fortunes. This marriage is the first step in that direction.”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
“I am expecting a letter from the coroner,” Adam said, keeping his voice cold and unconcerned. “When it arrives, please forward it to me.”
“I believe it is already on your desk, Your Grace.”
