Page 15 of Married to the Icy Duke
Charlotte was not sure she liked the condescension in his voice, but decided not to complain.
“Now, perhaps, we might hear an explanation for what is going on,” Gabriel said at last, his voice steely. He’d thrown on a blue and green jacket, Charlotte noticed. Orion colors, contrasting the black-and-red that the Devils often wore. Rather pointed, she thought.
“Explanation? I thought I was clear,” the duke responded coolly, striding away from the window. He came to stand in the middle of the room, but made no move to sit. “I made a proposal of marriage to Lady Charlotte last night. She was unsure as to how to answer, and I told her I would expect her answer tomorrow. Today, rather. So, here I am.”
There was a long silence. Everyone was looking at Charlotte. She cleared her throat and met the duke’s eye as evenly as she could.
“I did not think,” she said carefully, “that you meant it.”
His smudgy black eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. “Lady Charlotte, let me assure you that I amnotin the habit of saying things I do not mean.”
“Yes, well, you must admit that it was all done in a rather unorthodox manner,” Charlotte responded shortly. She did not particularly want her brother to hear how the duke had dragged her off to a secluded room and then prevented her from leaving. No harm had been done, of course, but she knew that Gabriel would fly into a rage if he heard.
The duke only smiled, his eyes—well,eye—giving away nothing.
“My apologies,” he said softly. “But I am here now, and ready to receive your answer. Perhaps this might speed up your decision.”
He withdrew a neatly folded paper from the inside of his jacket and tossed it onto a nearby table.
Charlotte recognized the title of a particularly popular gossip column. It was especially cruel and had been the first to print the story of her ‘vicious attack’ on Sir Peter.
Before she could say a word, Thalia spoke up.
“We don’t read those rags in this house, Your Grace,” she said firmly, meeting the duke’s eye and holding it. “These gossip columns have written all kinds of lies and malicious nonsense about my sister-in-law, and we do not read them.”
The duke bowed, snatching up the paper in one smooth movement. “Forgive me, Your Grace. I shall summarize, then—the article discusses Lady Charlotte’s surprising appearance from underneath a table at the party last night. A small detail that has been left out is that she was retrieving my nephew, who had escaped and became overwhelmed by the crowds. I am very grateful to Lady Charlotte for her intervention, but there is no denying that this paper is another nail in the coffin of her reputation.”
“I should be very careful if I were you,” Gabriel said, his voice low and menacing.
The duke met his eye and grinned. “I have been called many things, sir, but nevercareful. I can promise you this, however. If Lady Charlotte agreed to my proposal, I could makethis,” he waved the folded scandal sheet in the air, “all go away. You’ll notice that I am rarely mentioned in these gossip columns. Don’t you wonder why?”
“Bribes, of course,” Gabriel growled.
“And threats, yes,” the duke agreed. “Well, Lady Charlotte, what do you say?”
A silence fell over the room. Charlotte stared up at the duke, her heart pounding. She had hoped to meet him with cool composure, with none of the heart-fluttering and breathlessness she’d felt previously.
Apparently not. Once again, prickles ran up and down her spine, and she felt the strangest urge to move closer to him. The sensation came out of nowhere, but it was a powerful one.
It is because he is handsome,she told herself firmly. Society, as a whole, didnotin fact seem to consider the duke to be handsome, which seemed very odd to Charlotte. After all, the man was a remarkable specimen, taller and stronger than just about every other man she’d seen. And his face, while not perfect, wasintriguing.
But that meant nothing, of course.
A silence had fallen over the room. She knew without looking that both Gabriel and Thalia were staring at her, waiting for her response.
She opened her mouth, and the response came before she could think.
“Yes,” she heard herself say. “Yes, I accept.”
Thalia sucked in a sharp breath, clapping a hand across her mouth. In a trice, Gabriel stood beside her.
“Charlotte,” he said quietly, his voice grim. “Do you understand what you are doing? You are acceptingthe Duke of Arkleyas your husband.”
“Well, am I likely to find another one?” Charlotte snapped back.
Perhaps a more benevolent guest would pretend not to be listening to what was clearly meant to be a private conversation. Not the duke, however, who stood there, visibly interested.
“You don’t need to get married, not if you don’t wish it,” Gabriel said firmly.
