Page 62 of The Baron Takes a Bet
“Oh. Hmm, what a pity.”
It was clear that Aunt Marnie’s dismay was over the absence of the card game, not the death of Trembley’s father. Gavin cleared his throat, hoping to deter his aunt from speaking again by changing the subject.
“This is a potent vintage, isn’t it?” he asked, holding up his own glass. “Is it French, Silas?”
“I’m afraid so,” the duke said. “Although I’ve been more inclined to the Italian wines recently.”
“Posh, this is a fine vintage,” Marnie said with a hiccup, staring at Gavin.
“I always preferred French to Italian myself,” Clara said, glancing at her husband with a smile. “I’ve tried to prove French superiority, but Silas refuses to concede.”
The duke smirked back at his wife.
“Because you are wrong, my dear. Italian is better.”
Missing the obvious playful tone between the two, Aunt Marnie leaned forward.
“You should not be so opinionated, my dear,” she said to Clara. “It isn’t becoming of a wife.” She took a sip of wine before continuing. “And with all the annulment talk going around London these days, I would be worried if I were you.”
Clara smiled tightly, though her eyes bounced back and forth between Aunt Marnie and the duke. Gavin groaned inwardly. His aunt was getting in her cups. He needed to get see her out of the dining room under some sort of false cover.
“Aunt Marnie, would you mind—”
“Did you know that these two,” Aunt Marnie said, gesturing her glass at Gavin and Holly, “are getting an annulment? They have a lawyer and everything.”
Everyone around the table froze. Though Gavin had confided in his friends and Holly no doubted had done so with hers, it was an inappropriate thing to bring up during a dinner party.
“Aunt Marnie—”
“We are not seeking an annulment,” Holly said quietly but firmly, effectively silencing Gavin as everyone faced her.
Aunt Marnie hiccupped again, her brow scrunching.
“Yes you are.”
“No, we are not.”
“Yes, the lawyer said… um,” Aunt Marnie said, waving her hand to her left. “Armstrong, was it? He said that, um…”
“The lawyer’s suggestion was to claim fraud. We cannot. And as neither one of us is incompetent, we are unable to file.” She looked at Gavin. “As it is, there is no way to proceed.”
Everyone stared quietly at Holly while Gavin tried to settle his pounding heart. After a moment, Clara leaned forward.
“Obviously, we would all be very happy for you both if this was what you wanted.” She paused, staring at the both of them. “Isthis what you want?”
Gavin knew the question was directed at the both of them, but he waited for Holly to speak.
“Yes. Yes it is,” she said softly and picked up her fork, signaling the end of the topic.
Apparently Gavin’s grand plan of convincing her to stay married to him was not needed, for Holly had decided to do so on her own.
Chapter Thirteen
The remainder ofthe evening was spent in pleasant enough conversation without mentioning Holly and Gavin’s marriage again. It was as if the scene had never happened, but Holly knew a significant shift had taken place. She witnessed the intensity of Gavin’s stare once dinner finished and they readied for their departure. She gently pulled Derek away from the rest, as she was interested in learning the name of the American candy manufacturer he had mentioned so that she could order more lemony mints for Gavin as a surprise.
“Of course,” Derek said with a friendly smile. He dipped his head close to her ear. “I shall send over the package and the letter my brother wrote so that you can send for them straight away.”
“Thank you,” she said as he straightened back up.
