Page 54 of A Gamble with the Rakish Duke
But what of technique? It was a shame that his father had put a halt to all of his music lessons when he was young.
There were days when Oliver found sheet music tucked haphazardly in her desk drawer. There were torn pages. Some were stashed in the most unlikely places. It was almost as if she no longer cared to conceal her pastime.
One evening, he had returned from a late night with Philip and their other friends to hear the melody drifting from the music room.
This time, it was haunting. The emotions were so raw that he had to clench his fists to stop himself from knocking on the door—from demanding what was going on.
Something was happening to the Duchess.
And he had to know what.
Days later, Alexandra seemed to have returned from the land of the dead. She was again cheerful, effortlessly navigating theton.
Her grace and refined manners had attracted several ardent admirers, men and women alike. However, the shadow of her father still loomed large. He moved in the same circlesdespite his predilection for vice in unsavory places. Therefore, Alexandra still felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she attended soirées.
For good reason.
In this particular gathering, her father stood in a corner with two men his age. He seemed to be deep in conversation with the other men, and she could not help but wonder if he also owed them money.
Her heart sank further into her stomach. She was working hard, coming up with music to entertain and inspire, simply because she wanted to pay off his debts, and here he was, looking like he had nothing bothering him.
Then, he turned toward her. His eyes widened, first with annoyance, and then with a strange kind of glee.
“Father,” she said, startled by the way he was looking at her.
“Your Grace,” he replied mockingly.
Afraid that he would cause a scandal in someone else’s home, Alexandra closed the distance between them.
“I am trying to collect money to pay off your debts, Father. It will be a slow process toward freedom for you and me, but we will manage somehow,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“That is all you can do, you little chit? I’ve warned you. I don’t know where you get your money from, but it can’t be from your dear husband. Do you want me to go to him and ask him if he knows what you have been doing?”
His response shocked her. She had expected him to threaten her in places like Devil’s Draw, but not here. Not with members of thetonpresent. He had always charmed his ‘peers,’ as he would call them.
There was nothing else she could do but to distance herself from him. Barely holding back tears, she whirled around and walked away from him, only to be accosted by a woman.
“How are you settling into your life as a duchess?” Lady Harriet, a well-known gossip, asked her with a grin.
“I’ve learned to settle in as best as I can,” Alexandra said noncommittally, but her heart was still pounding from the encounter she just had with her father.
Lady Harriet seemed unconvinced and unsatisfied. She raised an eyebrow at Alexandra. “I hear married life is an even more challenging commitment, especially when your husband had been, erm, a notorious rake. Your Grace, how do you manage?” she probed, her voice irritatingly high-pitched.
Alexandra was about to retort, but she noticed that her husband had returned to her side.
Oliver could not help but admire the way his wife plastered on a patient smile, not taking Lady Harriet’s bait.
“Why, Lady Harriet, I believe in letting people believe what they want. It gives me more peace. I can say anything I want tonight, but I won’t please everyone with my answers.”
Lady Harriet laughed, but her eyes showed a hint of uncertainty. Oliver knew that she did not get what she wanted from Alexandra.
There was also unease on Alexandra’s face. The attention had been wonderful at first, but she had gotten tired of it.
“Come, my love,” he said softly, providing her with an escape.
She raised an eyebrow at the term of endearment. They had not mentioned that word in private and were only ever formal in public.
“Let me introduce you to someone.”
