Page 130 of His Duchess in Disguise
“I would be pleased, Your Grace,” Emma replied, stifling a yawn. “It has been a very long morning, and I should help my maid with the packing.”
“That it has been, Miss Hoskins.” The Duke then rose, drew out her chair, and offered her his arm. “You are all welcome to remain in the hall. But My Lady wishes to withdraw, and I have much to attend before we leave. Carry on.” He waved a hand carelessly.
When they reached her door, Emma turned to him. “I am grateful to you, Your Grace. Please do not think that I am not. But you are not yet bound to this step.”
“Oh, but I am, Miss Hoskins. I have asked you; you have said yes, and I am now honor-bound to follow through. Now, we even have witnesses to our troth, and Captain Arnault has kindly vouched for your identity. Even if I were not bound by honor, I think that this is the best thing I have done in years. Make haste with your packing; I hope to leave within the hour. I do not trust that either Mr. Nob or Mr. Willoughby will be content to chase my game for very long.”
“Oh, dear!” Emma said. “That could be very bad.”
“It could, indeed. But I would have you safely wed before this duel.”
Emma giggled. She knew she should not, but she simply could not help herself. “Your Grace, while I hate to put a spoke in a plan that is so patently for my benefit, I do not think we can be wed in the next seven days. There is not time to read the banns, and unless you plan to emulate Icarus and fly, I cannot think how we could possibly arrive in Gretna Green in less than a week.”
The Duke looked at her in surprise. “Beg pardon?”
“Your Grace, think about it. It is more than 300 miles to Gretna Green from here. Even traveling on the Mail, which is the fastest coach available, it will take at least five days of hard travel. How soon is it that you are supposed to meet with the Earl?
“In seven days’ time. May I come in for a moment?”
“Is that not somewhat irregular, Your Grace?” Emma asked.
“Somewhat. But a chance to speak without witnesses. Perhaps you will grant me this irregularity?”
Emma opened the door and gestured the Duke to come in. Once the door was closed, he moved to one of the wingback chairs and sat.
“You are, indeed, correct, my very astute and bookish fiancée. Gretna Green is much too far away for us to reach in a timely fashion. However, Bristol is not. Perhaps you have heard of shipboard weddings?”
“When the participants are at sea, yes, Your Grace.”
“The term ‘at sea’ can be very flexible, Miss Hoskins. As it happens, I know a captain of a sailing vessel, a member of my former command, who would be willing to do me a favor. If we stand offshore, we will then be under his jurisdiction, and we can be wed well before the week is out. However, we shall give out the information that we will be off to Gretna Green. It will misdirect any wrongdoers, I hope, and allow us to arrive at our destination. I will meet Percy in Bristol. It will allow you and me a chance to get away safely should matters go awry.”
“I think I understand.” Emma pondered this for a moment. “I will be wed truly? It will not be a sham?”
“There are many things that I would do to spite or defeat the pusillanimous Percy Harlow, for all that he is the Earl of Cleweme. He did not come into the position honorably, nor do I think that his proposal of marriage to you is honorable.” The Duke paused for thought.
“What do you suspect about his proposal, Your Grace?”
“Nothing in particular, but everything in general. Harlow rarely does anything unless it can further his personal gain. He fights his best battles in the political arena, but he is not without skill in personal combat. The outcome of this duel is by no means certain. That is why I have irritated my barrister by making certain that whether you are wed to me or no, you shall have an income and a place to live.”
“Your Grace! Have you indeed done so?”
“I have. Take no fear; I have tied it up in such a way that neither your father nor any future husband, other than myself, can touch the trust I have established. Barring the exigencies of fortune, you should be well taken care of even into old age should I fall to Percy’s hand.”
“Your Grace, I don’t know what to say.”
“Then say nothing. Or, yes, do say something.” The Duke looked at Emma with boyish honesty. “Do you find me repulsive or frightening, Miss Hoskins?”
“Oh, no, Your Grace! Quite the contrary.” She paused, looked at him closely. “Are you fishing for a compliment?”
The Duke colored from his neckcloth up to his hairline. “Of course not. Well, maybe a little. But I just want to be sure that I am not forcing something on you that you do not want. My fancy is sufficiently caught that I will settle the trust upon you, regardless. I think you are owed that much, just for being the brave, resourceful person that you are. Someone should have noticed your father’s behavior long before this and done something about it.”
“That is a very interesting attitude, Your Grace, and a very unusual one. Most of my life, I have been shunted to the back corners of just about everything.”
“Is there no one to champion you, Emma?”
“I’ve had to learn to be my own champion, Your Grace. I have no brothers, and my father found my presence unbearable. I am surprised that he troubled himself to hire someone to look for me.”
“I’m afraid that was probably the Earl’s doing. Word came up from the innkeeper this morning that some of the bank drafts the investigator used to pay for his meal and his room were counterfeit. Captain Arnault is having a word with him, even as we speak. I suspect that the fellow is having a very bad hour of it and that he might not have the opportunity to go shooting for pheasants or rabbits.”
