Page 15 of Wedded to the Forbidden Duke
“I cannot help but blame myself, I suppose,” Zachary fumed, as he threw another punch, which Ian uncannily dodged. “I have never begrudged you your dalliances with ladies?—”
Ian let out a bitter laugh. “I should hope not! Not when you have certainly dallied plenty yourself.”
“This is mysisterwe are talking about. My sister, who you have now nearly ruined. You know how quickly reputations are made and discarded in this city. You know how delicate the state of affairs is for a young, chaste unmarried woman, and still, you took advantage of her, ruined her honor?—”
“I ruined nothing.”
“It does not look like nothing!” Zachary snapped. “Taking an unmarried young lady into the gardens, at night, unchaperoned?—”
“Lindbury!” Ian finally let lose a punch of his own, if only to shock Zachary into his senses. The blow stopped Zachary for a moment. When he tried to throw another punch, Ian was able to grapple him easily.
“Let me go!”
“Not until you calm yourself. I did not take her anywhere.”
Zachary struggled. “You went with her into the gardens?—”
“Will you let me explain, or shall we trade more blows and continue to resolve absolutely nothing?”
After a moment, Zachary stopped struggling, and nodded. Ian released him. “Explain, but do it quickly, before I come to my senses and strike you again.”
“Strikeimplies you’d actually land a blow,” Ian said.
Zachary’s face twisted. “Do not test me, Harwick.”
Ian sighed. “There was nothing untoward, on either of our parts,” he said, as patiently as he could manage. “Lady Cecilia tripped, and I merely caught her before she dashed her brains out on the dirt. That is all anyone saw.”
“Unfortunately, that is not what they think they saw. And what they think they saw was a great deal more. You have disrespected my family most egregiously.”
“I hold your family in the highest regard, just as I hold you in the highest regard. You know what our friendship means to me, Lindbury. Think: whatever you may believe me capable of, do you really think I would denigrate the bond between you and me by destroying the life of your sister?”
Zachary looked at him in silence. Then, finally, he shook his head. “I do not know what to think,” he said, his voice deadly serious. “I do not know you anymore, Harwick. We duel at dawn, after which I never wish to see or speak to you again.”
“Duel?”
“What else do you expect me to do? In a situation such as this? As the man of the house—as Cecilia’s brother—honor demands that I take responsibility to rectify the crime, and so I challenge you to a duel.”
“Lindbury, do not be ridiculous.”
“Far from it, Your Grace,” Zachary said stiffly, stepping away from his friend’s extended hand. “In fact, I believe this is the most sensibly I have behaved since we first began our acquaintance.”
“So that is it?” Hurt clouded Ian’s vision, and he lowered his hand. “You are so swift to wish me dead?”
Zachary neither moved nor spoke. After a long moment, Ian sighed, and lowered his head. For such a fuss to rise up over nothing. He and Lady Cecilia had not even kissed; and for this, Zachary was willing to risk one or both of their lives.
And yet he could not argue. Zachary was right, he had to admit; what the people of thetonsaw mattered less than what they assumed. And if they assumed Lady Cecilia had done anything improper with a gentleman, it would be her reputation that was ruined, not his. A dual was the only way to settle things.
Unless…
It was hardly worth thinking about. Cecilia hated him; of his few certainties in the world, that was top of the list. Certainly, she hated him now more than ever; now, she had good reason to. But a duel would not fix things, not really. The damage was done; no amount of noble self-sacrifice on Zachary’s part could undo Ian’s decision to follow Lady Cecilia out of the ball. If either of them died, Lady Cecilia would still be ruined.
Which meant there was, really, only one thing he could do.
“Fetch your mother and sister,” he said quietly.
Zachary scoffed. “If you think for one moment, after the events of this night, that I would allow you anywhere near?—”
“Lindbury,” he said, his voice rising sharply. Zachary fell silent. “Fetch your mother and sister,” he repeated, firmly, urgently. “So we can tell them that Lady Cecilia and I are to marry.”
