Page 46 of Trapped with the Forbidden Duke
The Duke sighed. “Lady Edwina, do you understand how bad your brother’s accounts are? When you and Lady Isabel ventured out earlier today, I visited your accountant. I have learned the full, harrowing state of your financial affairs. At least, that is the case with official creditors. Heaven knows what sort of unwritten debts he has.”
That thought had already plagued Edwina’s nightmares a thousand times.
She swallowed, her brow furrowed. “It is not right that our accountant revealed such sensitive information. You are a stranger and have no right to?—”
“A stranger?” The Duke’s eyebrows rose in affront. “I am your brother’s business partner. I am hardly a stranger.” He stood up and walked past Edwina, but he paused in the doorway, glancing back at her. “And besides, I am a duke. I can get whatever I want.”
He left the room, but Edwina refused to let him win this time. She followed him into the hallway. He was already making his way to his temporary chambers.
“Your power gives you too much entitlement, Your Grace.”
“And yet is it not fortunate that I found out the truth?” he retorted, rounding on her. “I thought that Nicholas was struggling, but not to such an extent. Do you know how truly close you are to poverty, Lady Edwina?”
“I thought we were not strangers,” she murmured, her eyes falling to his lips. “Yet, you address me so formally.”
“Would you prefer that I call you by your Christian name?” he asked.
She nodded her head.
He blinked, caught off-guard. “Fine then, Edwina. Your brother has almost run your family into the ground. His addiction has corroded this estate and your finances, and the cracks are showing. Soon enough, it will fall apart entirely.”
“But… the venture… the income?—”
“Is a start, but I underestimated the gravity of the situation. That income might take a year or two to land you back on a solid footing where you will not be scrambling to pay one maid, let alone a full staff, as your house requires.”
Edwina’s breath caught, and she found herself unable to speak for a moment.
“I am due to depart shortly,” the Duke continued, “but how can I, knowing what I am leaving you in?” His voice was softer now. “I understand that you wish to protect your brother, but he has not protectedyou. You thought that covering up your brother’s addiction protected your family, but it has done the opposite. So, protect themtrulyand accept the help you need now.”
“What more can be done?” Edwina asked, meaning it as a challenge.
But the Duke already had an answer.
“There is only one way to ensure that your family is not completely destroyed.” He paused. “Marry me, Edwina.”
Edwina could only stare at him. She opened and closed her mouth, fumbling for the right words.
“How can you make such a joke when you know the dire situation I am in?”
“It is no joke,” he said gravely. “I could provide Nicholas with an income beyond measure and secure him partnerships in no fewer than five prosperous enterprises. But tell me this—has the man been sufficiently chastened? What is to prevent him from succumbing once more to his vices and squandering every last penny? And pray, where does that leaveyouin the end?”
His question—all of them, in fact—caught her off-guard. It was not something she had truly thought of.
Nicholas was angry at the changes in the house and the Duke’s presence, but he had said nothing about the income. Was that why?
Furniture could not pay for his addiction, but the income could.
“I have heard enough stories of soldiers addicted to opium, and they are not pretty. You think he will get better if he sees how much pain he puts you through, but that is not always the case?—”
“I know that,” she snapped.
“These men cannot run households, much less take care of their unwed sisters. Edwina, I know the thought terrifies you, but if you marry me, I will ensure that Nicholas is moved to the countryside to recover. With round-the-clock care. I will also make sure that all your debts are settled—but not until he has proven himself indefinitely reformed.
“It would give me the means to provide for you, to see that you are secure. Think about it. Even if I do solely focus on Nicholas’s rehabilitation, you would be left quite alone. Even with your aunt’s presence, the ton would chew you up and spit you out. Marry me, and allow my name and title to protect you.”
“A marriage of convenience,” Edwina murmured, putting the pieces together.
Their interrupted kiss in the parlor flashed through her mind.
