Page 48 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford
“Wonderful news,” Lord Chiddick murmured, looking down at the dance card. “Capital. Splendid. Truly splendid.” With a smile, he handed the dance card back to Miss Grifford and then took Miss Renfrew’s before turning to take his leave.
“Let me fetch you all a drink,” he said, putting a hand to Andrew’s shoulder. “This is a call for celebration!”
Before Andrew could find an excuse, a way to say no, his cousin was gone, leaving him to look around the small, gathered group, catching fear in Miss Grifford’s eyes.
“I will not drink it,” he promised, as she swallowed tightly and nodded. “I know better than that.” Taking her hand, he pressed it lightly. “You will not lose me.”
She smiled at him then, relief in her expression as she nodded. “I trust you. Let us pray that all will turn out just as we hope.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Do not expectmeto congratulate you.”
Rachel pulled her gloves a little higher and did her best to ignore her sister, offering her only a small smile when she came to stand in front of her. They were just about to enter the Duke’s townhouse and were waiting for their mother and father to enter before them. Rachel’s stomach was already a little tense, aware that this was the moment that everyone in thetonwould be looking at her, waiting for her reaction as they heard news about her engagement to the Duke.
Bettina was not making things any easier for Rachel and she was doing her best to ignore all the whispered words that came from her sister.
“Just know that every smile will be forced, every word will be a pretense and every nod of agreement will be false.”
“Bettina, I do not care.” Finding herself a little exasperated, Rachel lifted her head and looked straight back at her sister. “Do you understand? I do not care.” Rather than feeling intimidated, rather than feeling frustrated and upset, Rachel found herself shrugging, her mind caught up with a good many other things rather than her sister’s discontent over Rachel’s engagement. “I have very little interest in your opinion on my engagement.”
“You can pretend all you like but I know very well that you care what I think,” came the harsh reply, though Bettina kept her voice low, clearly a little concerned that their father would overhear her. “Your Duke is nothing but a beast. He has nothing but discontent and anger in his expressionand, no doubt, in his character. He has kept himself away from society, has pulled himself back from everyone in thetonand has chosen you for his bride, no doubt, simply because you will not be likely tocomplain at his discontent and melancholy. You are nothing but grateful for his consideration but I can promise you, your marriage will be nothing but pain and sorrow and you will come to regret marrying the Duke of Longford.”
Rachel turned to her sister, grateful that the cool evening air was brushing against the heat in her cheeks. “Do not misunderstand me when I tell you that I do not care about your opinion, Bettina. I truly do not. I have no interest in what you have to say to me, I have no interest in your opinion of the Duke or of my acceptance of him. You may think of him in one way but I can assure you that you are wrong.Iam glad that you are wrong for it means that you have no true understanding of the Duke’s character whereas I certainly do. I do not care about whether you approve of it, whether you are truly delighted by it or whether you have any interest in it! I am happy to be marrying the Duke of Longford and I know that I will have a happy future with him, regardless of what you think.”
Bettina said nothing. Her mouth opened and then closed again, her face rather pale as her shoulders dropped, seemingly a little stunned by all that Rachel had said. Without another word, Rachel followed after her parents as they made their way into the house, her head lifted and a smile on her face as she waited expectantly to meet the Duke of Longford.
She did not have to wait long. His smiling face was present at the door, one hand reaching out to her, though he made sure to greet her mother and father first. When her hand went into his, Rachel’s heart swelled with the warmth of affection and she let out a long, slow breath, glad now to once more be in his company. What she had said to Bettina was quite true; she did not care about her sister’s words or opinions. The only thing that mattered was the Duke himself.
“How glad I am to see you,” he murmured, turning to put her hand on his arm. “Shall we all make our way inside? I have not yet to make the announcement but I shall, very soon.”
She nodded, looking up at him as her mother and father both expressed their agreement. “Are you quite sure?”
He nodded. “Yes, of course. I have spoken to the staff at length and they are fully aware of what is expected. Should anything untoward occur, they are to go to speak to Lord Wrexham so that I will not be interrupted.”
Understanding what he meant – and that he did not want to speak too openly in front of her parents, Rachel pressed her hand to his arm a little more heavily for a moment, seeing his smile flicker for a moment. Obviously, there was a great deal of concern about this evening and though he was putting on a jovial expression, Rachel could almost feel the ripple of tension in his frame.
“Lord Wrexham and Miss Renfrew are already present this evening,” he told her quietly, as they came to the ballroom door. “Now, shall we enter?”
Rachel nodded, aware of how quickly her heart started hammering as they approached the door. The footmen opened it, Rachel glanced up at the Duke and then, they stepped inside.
The crowd and the hubbub which had been going on around them slowly began to quieten as every guest turned their attention to their host. Rachel snatched in quick breaths, swallowing hard as the Duke cleared his throat, ready to make the announcement.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and thank you for attending this evening.” The Duke turned his head to look at Rachel, smiling as he did so. “I should like to begin this evening with an announcement. I have recently proposed to Miss Rachel Grifford and, much to my delight, she has accepted and we shall soon marry.”
There was not even a whisper as silence fell right across the room. Rachel had expected that someone would applaud, that someone might rush forward to congratulate them but instead, there was nothing but silence. It was as though every single person in the room was overcome with shock and surprise, staring back at Rachel and the Duke without saying a single word or making even the smallest noise.
Sweat broke out across her forehead. She did not know what to do. Should she just stand here and hope that, soon, someone would say something? Or ought she to fill the silence herself?
“My hearty congratulations!”
Looking around, Rachel caught Lord Chiddick stepping out of the crowd, a broad smile on his face as he began to applaud. This seemed to spark the rest of the crowd into action for they all began to clap along with him, with a few cheers and cries of delight coming thereafter. Rachel let out a slow breath and sent a grateful smile to Lord Chiddick, only to realize what it was she was doing. She was thanking the very gentleman who wanted to get rid of the Duke of Longford!
“Thank you, cousin.” The Duke nodded in Lord Chiddick’s direction though Rachel noticed how a muscle in his jaw tightened as he shook Lord Chiddick’s hand. “Now, do excuse me. I must dance with my betrothed.”
“How about I fetch you both some refreshment?” Lord Chiddick asked, his smile still on his face. “It would be my pleasure to lead this room in a toast to celebrate your engagement.”
“How very kind,” Rachel murmured, as the Duke began to lead her away, giving his cousin nothing more than a tiny nod. The music began and they began to dance, leaving Rachel with a lump in her throat rather than enjoying the dance in any way.
