Page 16 of His Mad Duchess
Margaret’s mouth twitched. “Depends. Is it about honor and duty? Or the tragic horror of being forced to wed a half-mad wallflower?”
Sebastian’s lips quirked. “I hadn’t planned to use the word tragic. But if it makes you feel better, then yes. Dreadful ordeal. I’ll suffer heroically.”
Cecily cleared her throat. “I’m right here, you know.”
Neither of them looked at her.
Margaret’s eyes narrowed, still on him. “Why are you really doing this? Not the polite answer, the real one.”
Sebastian’s fingers drummed once on the chair arm. “Because leaving you to the ton’s teeth would be worse than marrying you. I also need to get my mother off my back.”
“You don’t even know me,” she said flatly.
“Don’t need to.” His tone stayed maddeningly calm. “I know enough. You didn’t drag me into that room, you didn’t bolt when the door stuck, and you looked more horrified than I did whenthey found us. You’re not a schemer, Lady Margaret, you’re just unlucky, sometimes.”
Margaret let out a brittle laugh. “That’s one word for it.”
“If you have a better one, I’m all ears.”
“Cursed.” She met his eyes dead-on, daring him to flinch. He didn’t.
“I don’t believe in curses,” Sebastian said mildly. “I believe in gossip and stupid people with big mouths. And I know how to shut both up.”
“By shackling yourself to me forever.” The words came out sharper than she intended. Her knuckles whitened on the mantel edge.
“I’ve done worse things with my time,” Sebastian said dryly. “I promise not to ruin too many of your evenings with my scandalous charm.”
“Scandalous charm?” Cecily muttered from the corner. “You’re practically a warning sermon in trousers.”
Sebastian flicked her a half-amused, half-exasperated glance. “Lady Cecily Moreland, do hush. I’m trying to negotiate my ruin here.”
Margaret pressed her lips together, fighting the startled snort that rose up. She failed, just a little. It cracked through the air.
He tilted his head, studying her. “You have a good laugh. That’s promising.”
“It’s not a good laugh,” she said quickly, bristling. “It’s nervous. Entirely situational. Don’t get used to it.”
“Noted.” He shifted forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped. “Look. I don’t want this either. I never planned to be cornered like some debutante at her first dance. But I won’t have them tearing you apart for something that wasn’t your doing. So here we are.”
“Here we are,” she echoed. Her throat felt raw, scraped by every word. “Trapped together. All for the sake of your spotless honor.”
“Spotless?” he barked a laugh. “God, no. I’ve just never ruined an innocent girl by accident before. Feels tacky.”
Cecily snorted. “Charming.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said gravely. “I do try.”
Margaret let her eyes fall shut for a moment. Then she lifted them again, meeting his stare with her chin up. “So, what happens now?”
Sebastian’s shoulders shifted, a faint, rueful shrug. “Now we do what decent people do when they’ve been caught being indecent while doing nothing indecent at all. We marry. Quickly.”
“How quickly?”
“A week. Less, if your aunt can manage it.”
“A week.” She tasted the words. Bitter but inevitable. “No fuss. No fuss suits me.”
“Good. I hate fuss.” His mouth quirked again into that irritating almost-smile. “Though I suspect your aunt will try to summon half the county to see her reputation patched up.”
