Page 91 of A Rake's Redemption
Alex felt a small twinge of hope. “Did my brother say the only right thing for me to do was marry her?”
Caroline looked even more miserable and shook her head. “George said you’re a philandering rakehell, set on cuckolding every nobleman in sight, and not fit to be part of Society.”
Alex hardly dared to ask, but he had to know. “Did Inis say anything?”
“Yes.” Caroline managed a small smile. “In spite of everything, she told her uncle she did not want to leave.”
A surge of warmth flooded thorough him. Inis didn’t want to leave. “She wants to marry me, then?”
Caroline gave him a wry look. “She said she was happy working with your horses and wanted to continue doing so.”
Alex smiled for the first time that morning. “If she wants to keep working withmyhorses, that means she’s forgiven me.”
Caroline studied the rug. “That might be a moot issue.”
“Why?”
She looked up. “George told the duke he was going to toss you out of the house, and that the horses were his.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “I am not particularly surprised about the house. I have offered to move before, but the horses—at least Xenos and Goldie—are mine. I have the papers.”
“Then you’d better move them to my father’s stables while you decide what to do,” Caroline said.
Alex nodded. “That’s a good idea. They’ll be safe here until I can send for them. Right now, I have to convince Inis that Iwantto marry her, if she will only have me.”
Caroline chewed her lip. “That might be a moot issue also.”
Alex’s sudden elation backfired, leaving him feel like he’d swallowed hot coal. “Why?”
“Her uncle took her back to Ireland. The betrothal to the earl’s son is still valid.”
…
Inis closed the book she’d been attempting to read and placed it on the small table by her chair in her uncle’s library. She closed her eyes and laid her head back, not able to concentrate. Unable to relax, she rose and started pacing the room.
Since she’d been brought back to Dublin a week ago, the duke had not allowed her out of the house. Her restlessness grew worse with each passing day. Banns for her upcoming wedding were to be posted this Sunday. Her uncle had refused to listen to any of her pleas, even when she’d finally admitted she was no longer chaste. He’d used that against her, saying the sooner she married the better, in case a bairn were to appear in a few months.
A bairn. Foolishly, Inis had not considered the possibility of that outcome. Her courses were not due for another two weeks, so she had no way of knowing yet, but the idea of Silas Desmond claiming to be the father made her bile rise. The very thought of sharing the same bed with the sniveling idiot also made her nauseous.
She needed help. Uncle Robert would not listen to reason. A priest—especially if her uncle gave a large donation—would be only too happy to perform the wedding of a duke’s niece to an earl’s son. It would give the man something to crow about.
A vision of the faerie mound floated through her mind. She recalled how the doe had appeared in the middle of the day and had seemed to lead her to that patch of primroses. She remembered thinking she heard a child’s laughter, but no one was about. Maybe, if she could get to the faerie mound, the Fae would help once again.
She might persuade her uncle to let her go for a walk, provided she had an escort. Knowing him, though, the escort would consist of several well-armed soldiers trailing after her. She couldn’t very well talk to faeries—or even try to summon them—with her uncle’s men watching her. She thought about the window in her bedchamber. She hadn’t seen any guards posted below it.
Uncle Robert had removed the rope she’d used to escape last time, and he probably didn’t think she’d chance climbing out of a second-story window without one. Her thoughts turned to the wardrobe. There were plenty of gowns in it that had sleeves that could be tied together. The bed sheets would work, too. She began to smile. Once night fell, she would shimmy down to the ground and pay a visit to the faerie mound. Legend had it that the Sidhe did come out to romp and play after midnight.
The sound of the gong in the foyer brought her out of reverie. She heard the sound of low, rumbling voices and wondered if the earl was at the door again. Silas had only called on her once, and she’d pleaded a headache and cut the visit as short as she could. He hadn’t seemed to care that much. He’d smirked and made some snide remark about getting to know hermuch, much betteronce she was his wife. But Silas’s father was more determined. He probably wanted to make sure Uncle Robert didn’t change his mind about the increased amount of the dowry offered after Inis’s rude behavior of running away.
Inis listened to the sounds of boots in the hall. When they didn’t stop at the parlor and continued on toward where she was in the library, she looked around for a place to hide. Her uncle conducted business in the library, and the blasted earl probably wanted the dowry papers drawn up. She had no desire to see either the earl or Silas, so she jumped behind the spiral wrought-iron staircase that led to the second floor and ducked behind some boxes just as the door opened.
Chairs scraped the floor and someone cleared his throat. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Your Grace.”
Inis froze at the sound of that voice. Alex.Alex is here.
“I only asked you into the library because I don’t want the servants listening,” the duke replied. “You have five minutes to say what you want to say.”
“Fair enough,” Alex said. “I want to marry your niece.”
