Page 30 of The Duke's Reluctant Muse
Elizabeth blinked, then flushed, turning her gaze away as she realized what her brother meant. Lady Ludlow, despite her marriage, was seeking out connections with other gentlemen.
“She has also an intimate friendship with the Earl of Gateshead.” The Duke shook his head, scowling heavily. “And it is because of that connection, she began to cause me difficulty.”
“It is quite disgraceful that she should be so close to her brother in law,” Lord Dennington muttered, as Elizabeth’s eyebrows lifted high. “I understand that she pretends to be as a sister ought to be but I am quite certain that everyone in society is well aware of the truth of it all.”
“Goodness.”
The Duke took a mouthful of whiskey, then came to sit beside her on the sofa, one hand going to settle on hers for a moment. “Forgive me for being indelicate, Elizabeth, but I must be truthful if you are to understand. I am sure that these… delicate matters are not particularly palatable but they must be known.”
Elizabeth nodded, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment as she fought back against the heat rising in her. “I understand.” She pulled her eyes back to his, managing to smile briefly. “Pray, do continue.”
The Duke glanced to Lord Dennington, who nodded, before lifting his hand from hers and then rising to his feet again,seeming unable to sit down and speak at length about this clearly difficult subject.
“The Earl of Gateshead – brother to the Marquess of Ludlow – sought a bride. And he decided upon my sister, Martha.”
Elizabeth’s eyes flared wide, a gasp catching in her throat.
“You can imagine my response.” The Duke’s lip curled. “I had no intention whatsoever of permitting Martha to have any connection to such a gentleman. I did make that quite clear to Lord Gateshead and he appeared quite displeased with me – not that I gave any consideration to his feelings, of course!”
“Of course not, why should you?” Elizabeth answered, as her brother nodded emphatically.
“Then,” the Duke continued, with a heavy sigh, “Lady Ludlow came to the fore. Her connection to Lord Gateshead was quite apparent and she gave me a good deal of encouragement as regarded the match. She told me that, given his own brother’s disinterest, she had taken it upon herself to help Lord Gateshead find a good match – but I did not believe her. The truth was, I was sure, that she wanted a young lady of suitable rank and standing but also someone who would be able to be easily pushed aside when required by Lady Ludlow herself. It was utterly despicable and I made it quite clear to Lady Ludlow that such a thing wouldnotoccur.”
“Goodness.”
The Duke closed his eyes, let out a slow breath and then threw back the rest of his whiskey before he continued.
“Then something took place which I had not expected.” Swallowing hard, he sank down into a chair and pushed one hand through his hair, his gaze on the floor. “Lady Ludlow and Lord Gateshead tried to force my hand.”
A knot tied itself in Elizabeth’s stomach. “They did something to Martha?”
“Theytriedto do so, yes,” the Duke told her, looking at her under heavy eyebrows. “I had attended a soiree at Vauxhall Gardens one afternoon. It was broad daylight, the sun was high in the sky and I had no concerns as regarded permitting Martha to step only a short distance away from me.” He shook his head, a hiss of breath escaping him. “I made certain to keep a close eye on her, however, a sudden distraction caused me to turn away for only a moment and when I looked back, she was gone. The gardens are vast, as I am sure you are aware, but I could not permit myself to panic for fear that someone would notice my concern and become aware that Martha was no longer in close company with me.”
Lord Dennington clicked his tongue. “I am sure that it must have been a moment of dread for you.”
“Indeed it was.”
Elizabeth’s hands tightened in her lap, as though she was reliving that exact moment with the Duke, as if she were herself in the gardens searching for Martha. “What did you do?”
The Duke looked back at her, his expression still grave. “I walked through the gathered crowd with a smile on my face and a growing fear in my heart,” he said, plainly. “I did not know what had become of her. It was only when I saw Lady Ludlow scurrying through the crowd that I began to realise. I followed her, of course, soon finding my sister in the grip of Lord Gateshead.” A dull red began to creep up his neck. “He had done nothing to her other than hold her fast and, from my hiding place, I watched as he and Lady Ludlow spoke in low tones. When she stepped away – no doubt to go in search of me, to declare that I had no other choice but to permit the marriage given the scandal that would have taken place had society known of my sister’s presence with Lord Gateshead – I acted quickly.”
“What did you do?” Hearing the quaver in her voice, Elizabeth gripped her fingers all the more tightly together. “She was saved, I understand.”
The Duke nodded. “Yes, she was. I rushed forward, pulled Martha to me with one hand and swung with the other. As Lord Gateshead was recovering, I turned to Martha and told her to run back to the carriage as quickly as she could – but without being seen – and to return home. She was white faced and trembling but she did as she was told, much to my relief.”
“And then you had Lord Gateshead to deal with.”
A taut smile crossed the Duke’s face. “Indeed. I will not pretend that I did not throw my fist in his face on more than one occasion, though I hope that does not make you think poorly of me, Elizabeth.”
She shook her head. “No, of course not. I quite understand.”
“I was filled with fury over what they had tried to do,” he continued, as though he had not quite heard her. “There came others from the soiree, of course, coming to see what had occurred. I could not say, of course, for it would have made the scandal fall upon Martha’s shoulders which was precisely the opposite of what I wanted to do.”
“And thus, it fell upon you?”
In answer to her question, both the Duke and her brother nodded.
“Lord Gateshead made out – along with Lady Ludlow thereafter – that Nottingham had been pursuing a connection with the lady and that Lord Gateshead had been forced to step in the way of it all.”
