Page 149 of His Grace, the Duke
James inched around George until they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Do you know what it is Norland asks of us?”
James gave a curt nod. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“He wants to disclaim his titles and pass them to you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he muttered.
She raised a curious brow. “It is the dream of all second sons, is it not? To inherit all while an elder brother still lives? To rise to the top and become the rooster that crows.”
“Not all, Your Majesty,” he replied. “Second sons are... we are not all cut from the same cloth. I am pragmatic by nature, and a rule follower to a fault, so I never allowed myself to think such a thing would be possible. It is not done,” he said with a shrug. “And I am no such schemer that I would wish my brother’s demise. No matter what else he is, George is family. That means something to me. It means everything to me.”
She nodded slowly, lips pursed in contemplation. “And what would you do differently...ifsuch an honor were bestowed upon you?”
James took a deep breath, deciding his next words carefully. He would not lie to his Queen. “Nothing, Your Majesty,” he replied. “I would continue on my present course. Rents have never been higher, my granaries are full, the sheep are sheared. We’ve recently struck a lode of copper, which is promising. And I am in negotiations to expand my land holdings. I will change nothing about how I currently run the dukedom.”
The corner of the Queen’s mouth curled slightly. “You should know I do not take kindly to the idea of stirring scandal amongst the peerage. Thetonis ravenous enough without such bold provocations from me. But what you are asking of me now is to willfully pick up the spoon. What guarantee can you give me that one lord will succeed where the other has admittedly failed? For I will not be made a fool of a second time.”
It surprised James when George relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “Your Majesty, allow me to tell you a bit about my dear baby brother.”
70
Rosalie
It took everythingin Rosalie not to pace. She was back in the sanctuary with Burke and Tom and all the rest of the anxiously waiting guests. Practically no one had left, even when it became clear the wedding would not be continuing. Rosalie knew why they all stayed. They were hungry for gossip. They were hoping to see or hear something juicy—a dramatic reveal, a tearful admission, a happy renewal of sentiments that might lead George and Piety back down the aisle.
Vultures, the lot of them.
“It’s been a while,” Burke muttered, eyes narrowed on the side door. He didn’t seem able to look away from it, still waiting for James to reappear.
“James is not verbose, but George certainly is,” Tom replied, trying to keep calm for their sakes. “And so is the Queen. We must wait.”
“What does this mean?” she whispered for the third time.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. This was politics played at a level so far above her station. George wanted to willingly pass his title to James. It was unheard of. Titles werepassed at the moment of death, and not before... unless the bearer of the title was somehow incapacitated... or they so greatly offended the Crown as to have the honor stripped away. But in those cases, the entire family was typically dishonored. Might the Queen, in her annoyance, remove all titles from the Corbin family? Where would that leave James? Where would that leave the four of them?
“I doubt she’ll touch his titles,” Tom muttered. “James should still be a viscount, even if she takes the dukedom away.”
“This changes nothing between us,” Burke added firmly, sensing her unease.
But he knew that to be a lie as well as she. This would change everything. If James was now the duke, it placed him on a pedestal even higher than his previous post. His power would increase exponentially, yes... but so would the attention placed on him, and by extension all of them. Their risk of exposure would become that much greater.
If the Queen stripped the Corbins of all titles, would she leave their family estates intact? The land and the wealth was still theirs... right? Without his wealth, James would have nothing. Rosalie couldn’t bear the thought of watching him lose everything. And she was to blame. She told George to be bold. She told him to live his life on his own terms. But sheneverexpected him to interpret her words in such a way.
This was her fault. Either way, James would blame her for this. His rise or his fall would be due to her unintentional meddling. She sniffed back tears, refusing to feel sorry for herself. She didn’t deserve tears.
“Oh, here we go.” Burke stepped forward as the side door opened. He immediately fell back, hands out to his sides todrag Rosalie and Tom back with him as the Queen swept into the room, a flurry of ladies-in-waiting fluttering behind her.
Rosalie gasped, feeling Burke’s arm band around her middle. She held to him with both of her own, eyes wide as the Queen walked past close enough for Rosalie to smell the cloud of her heavy floral perfume.
The tail of the Queen’s handsome teal and cream gown whispered across the stone floor as she walked. She stopped before the altar and turned to face the assemblage. “There will be no wedding here today,” she announced to the room.
In the hush that followed, you could have heard a pin drop. Rosalie’s heart was in her throat. She couldn’t help herself when she slipped her hands in with Burke’s and Tom’s, giving them each a desperate squeeze.
“But just because there is no wedding,” the Queen called, “does not mean we have nothing to celebrate this day. For there is nothing more worthy of celebration than a life of loyalty, duty, and sacrifice... to one’s family, one’s people, and one’s Crown. These are gifts that must be cherished above all else. Let it be known that your Queen always rewards loyalty. Thus, it is my privilege to present to you all the Seventh Duke of Norland... His Grace, James Corbin.”
Rosalie watched, hands clutched tight by Burke and Tom, as James stepped through the open doorway. He walked right past them, offering the smallest of reassuring nods, before he came to stand before the Queen. A rush of excited whispers waved over the assembly.
