Page 45 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford
Bettina dropped her head into her hands and began to sob and Rachel, believing this was the end of the matter, began to move away. Lord Carmichael, however, gestured for her to stay and, albeit a little unwillingly, Rachel stayed exactly where she was.
“You may cry for as long as you wish but we will stay here until I hear you tell me that you understand,” Lord Carmichael stated, his voice low and hard with determination. “Bettina, do you understand everything that I have told you?”
With a sudden, strange swiftness – a swiftness which told Rachel that Bettina had not been truly upset – Bettina lifted her head, dropped her hand and with a glower, nodded.
“Speak aloud,” came the command and with a heavy sigh, Bettina flung out one hand towards Rachel.
“I understand,” she stated, her brow now heavily furrowed. “I will show delight towards Rachel and her engagement.”
“And you will not say a word about your displeasure,” Lord Carmichael continued, as Bettina nodded sullenly. “Do not think that I will show you any sort of favour, Bettina. I speak quite truthfully. If I hear a single word, a single whisper, then I will make arrangements to have you taken back to the estate at once – and I will think twice before I take you back to London again.”
Rachel watched as Bettina swallowed hard and this time, when her eyes filled with tears, Rachel believed them to be entirely genuine.
“Now, Rachel,” her father said, turning to her with a smile which was quite at odds with all that he had just said. “Let us go to the drawing room with your mother and discuss all that has just taken place and the arrangements which now need to be made – including the ball!” The frown returned as he looked again to Bettina. “You, Bettina, will spend some time in reflection and contemplation alone. We will see you for dinner but not before.”
Rachel opened her mouth to say something but was quickly led away by her father and mother, though she turned her head to look at Bettina as they made their way past. The sullen expression on her sister’s face, the scowl which curled one side of her lip and the darkness in her features told Rachel that all was not well. She had no doubt that her father’s threats had been quite genuine but whether Bettina did as he had demanded or not, that was all still to be seen.
***
“I have something I must tell you.”
Miss Renfrew laughed and caught Rachel’s hand. “Good evening to you also, my dear friend! You look… ” Her smile faded. “Rather pale. Is everything quite all right?”
“I am engaged.” The words began to tumble out of her mouth as she saw shock ripple across Miss Renfrew’s expression. “The Duke and I were in conversation in the carriage as it arrived at my father’s house. He caught my hand, lifted it to his lips and pressed a kiss to it just as my father opened the door and saw us in such a position. I did not know what was going to happen – I thought, mayhap, that the Duke would beg my father’s pardon but instead, he proposed!”
Miss Renfrew caught her breath, her eyes flaring wide as though, for the very first time, she had realized exactly what it was that Rachel had been saying.
“I had no other choice but to accept… but this was never meant to happen, Grace! What am I to do? I do not think I can become a Duchess!”
Miss Renfrew pressed Rachel’s hand, her smile spreading wide across her face. “This is wonderful! Of course you can be a Duchess! Whatever are you worrying about?” The more she looked into Rachel’s face, the more she seemingly began to realize what was happening within Rachel’s heart and with a slight widening to her eyes, she squeezed Rachel’s hand tightly again. “You are in love with him?”
“In love?” Rachel shook her head, her throat constricting. “No, I cannot be in love with him but there is… there is certainly something within my heart, certainly.”
“But why should that concern you?” Miss Renfrew asked, quietly, her eyes searching Rachel’s. “It is quite all right for you to feel something for the gentleman. That is a good thing, is it not?”
“Not if it is not returned. I shall be broken-hearted but yet married to the Duke of Longford! He only proposed because my father found us in such a position…” she trailed off, suddenly remembering what Lord Wrexham had said. “Though mayhap I can hope that he does not entirely dislike me.”
“Dislike you?” Miss Renfrew laughed and shook her head. “My dear friend, I am sure that the Duke of Longford cares for you. I have seen how he looks at you, how he considers you and how appreciative and grateful he is for you. There must be a genuine consideration there, I am sure of it. And now that this issue with Lord Chiddick is –”
“Hush, please!” Interrupting her friend, Rachel looked all around, afraid that Lord Chiddick was nearby and might overhear them. “That is not yet dealt with.”
“But you told the Duke of it and he accepts it? He believes it?”
Rachel nodded. “He does. Lord Chiddick might well be the one responsible for causing the accident which took away the life of the Duke’s father. The Duke told me that Lord Chiddick is the heir.”
“To the Dukedom?”
Rachel nodded, seeing how her friend bit her lip. “The Duke, Lord Wrexham and I – and you also, if you wish – are to speak this evening about what we are to do next. Our engagement has also not been told to anyone else as yet. The Duke wants to throw an engagement ball and we shall announce it then.” Her lips curved in a soft smile. “In truth, I believe that he saw just how overcome with surprise I was and wanted to make sure that I had some time to consider it all.”
“Which is yet another way of showing you just how much he cares for you, albeit without saying a word,” Miss Renfrew smiled, though her eyes flickered with concern. “Yes, I should like to be a part of that discussion if I can. Anything I can to do to be of assistance, I shall do it.”
“And be near Lord Wrexham,” Rachel added, seeing her friend’s cheeks immediately flush. “Thank you, my friend.”
“You must be careful, however,” Miss Renfrew added, coming to stand a little closer to her, her voice lowering. “If Lord Chiddick discovers you are engaged to the Duke, then does that not pose another problem?”
“Problem?” Rachel repeated, as her friend nodded. “In what way?”
“You are to marry the Duke. You will be his Duchess and, as such, the one to provide the heir,” Miss Renfrew said, quietly. “Might you not be putting yourself in danger also?”
