Page 14 of Her Duke By Accident
“Jumping into a marriage does not avoid scandal, my lady. A courtship does.”
Alicia went red in the face. “This isnota courtship.”
“I thought you’d prefer this over a slimy baron, or a lord in financial ruin.”
“Not this again.”
“You should be proud,” he said. “You and your brother managed to do what no mama has. Trap me in a marriage.”
“Are you a rake?”
Matthew stopped in his tracks. As Alicia kept walking, he jogged to catch up, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was close enough to hear. “Am I arake?”
Alicia raised her hands defensively. “I’m just trying to understand you, Your Grace. I don’t understand your…” she struggled to find the right words, furrowing her brow, “… resistance to being married.”
“So you insult my dignity and propriety?”
Alicia couldn’t stop the irritation from pooling within her. “Don’t act like that’s not what you’ve been doing since we met.”
“I have reason to,” Matthew snapped back. “Who are you to question my motives?”
“Seems to me that I’ll be your wife, Your Grace,” she sarcastically replied.
Matthew glared at her. “Being a wife does not mean you will suddenly know my every thought.”
“I never thought I would,” she said. “I am not naive, Your Grace.”
“But you obviously are.”
“How?”
“Your first assumption as to why I was not eager like other bachelors to be wed was because I found other ways to use my free time,” he said.
“I think that to be a fair assumption, Your Grace.”
Matthew glowered. “I think itnotto be.”
“I believe,” she paused, hesitating to speak against him.
“Go ahead,” he snapped. “Tell me.”
Alicia took a deep breath. “I believe you are naive about women, Your Grace.”
“Oh, really?”
“You are naive enough to suspect every young lady to be out to trap you in a marriage,” she said with a shrug. “You are naive enough to believe that someone who had taken ill at a ball used it as a ruse to get you hooked.”
“Well, it worked for you, didn’t it?”
Alicia stopped walking once she was a few steps ahead of him.
The duke continued. “Good teaching your governess did. Taught you all the right ways to use yourself in order to further your family’s standing. To use yourself in all kinds of ways.”
“Howdareyou insinuate that again?” Alicia shouted, the anger rising like bile in her throat. “How dare you?”
Matthew shut his mouth as her voice rose amongst the crowded park. Nearby walkers of the ton cast a wary eye toward them, whispering amongst each other. Behind, the trio of chaperones quickened their pace to get closer, a look of worry on Owen’s face. Alicia met her mother’s eyes, who stood beside her brother, worry laced in her face. As more and more onlookers cast glances in their direction, Matthew suddenly grabbed Alicia’s hand, pulling her back toward him.
Alicia, flustered, stumbled in her path. “Your Grace?—”
