Page 42 of Destined to be a Duchess
“I see.” Marianne furrowed her brow. “I had not known you were invited.”
“That makes two of us.” Gideon lowered his voice. “In his message, he claimed I had been sent an invitation months ago. Yet I am certain that no such letter was ever sent to me. I initially did not understand Hindborough’s intentions, but upon remembering that you and His Grace were in attendance …” His jaw ticked. “I believe he invited me as an extension of you, either out of curiosity, amusement, or something else entirely …”
So, Lady Eliana was not the only one playing games at Hagram Park. Marianne didn’t know enough about Lord Hindborough to guess his motivations properly. Anthony seemed to trust him. But perhaps he only trusted the marquess like a groomed and abused dog trusted its master.
“Another man might have graciously declined the offer. No one much likes being a second thought,” Gideon continued, sweeping back his damp golden hair. “But there have been some developments … with the search for evidence to prove your legitimacy …” He paused, scoffing. “We really should not be speaking of this here. Come, we will request a room to discuss things in private.”
Without stopping to ask Marianne her opinion, Gideon did just that. Not five minutes later, a befuddled Marianne found herself sitting in one of the secondary parlours of the manor, a footman positioned just outside the open door to act as chaperone.
Gideon remained standing, hovering by an empty hearth, halfway turned from her.
“The documents that the Duchess of Westden sought to retrieve from Brittany were finally delivered to her estate. She called me around not three days ago to show me the evidence of your christening, after which I travelled to the parish of Costessey to review the marriage record of your mother and father.” He nodded, admitting defeat.
“It seems everything is in order. YouareLady Marianne Chambers, the legitimate daughter of Nicholas Chambers, the would-have-been Earl of Foxburn.”
Marianne was unmoved, but she gave a smile for Gideon’s benefit. “I expect you thought I would be whooping for joy, but I did not require the documents to prove my heritage to myself. My mother’s words were enough. Still, I am grateful that you saw the task to its end and are willing to accept me—if youarewilling to accept me.”
“It seems we have little choice, do we?” Gideon did not look displeased by the news. In fact, it was the first time Mariannehad even seen him look halfway happy. “You and I shall travel down to London in the coming months to ensure everything is in order with the courts. I have already contacted a solicitor here on your behalf to get things moving along … But I must ask, what are your plans once the party here is concluded?”
“They are extremely vague,” Marianne admitted, clamping a hand over her relieved heart. “I expected to return to Moorhaven Manor, and yes, a trip to London was in the future, too, for that reason precisely.”
“I would prefer it if you came to live with us at Saltsman House. Frankly, Lavinia would not forgive me if I returned without you.”
Marianne bit her lower lip, overwhelmed by the offer. She wasn’t sure whether she was ready to leave Catherine and Anthony yet—even though it was only logical for her to join her own relatives at their estate instead. But blood accounted for only so much. She and Gideon were still strangers, while the Collines had started to feel like family.
“I will need some time to think about this,” she replied.
Gideon was dumbstruck. “If you must. With all this considered, you will understand why I have decided to remain at the house party for the next few days until it is over. My sister encouraged me to get to know you while I was here. For her sake, I should like to try.”
As part of his initial efforts, Gideon left the hearth and settled on the sofa opposite Marianne instead. She took a moment to observe him, wondering what he expected from her now that she was officially a member of his family. He didn’t strike her as the sort of man who easily made friends. His manner was cold and uninviting. Like Lavinia had suggested, it would take some time to uncover the man beneath.
“If there is anything you wish to know about me, I will do my best to answer your questions,” Marianne said, sincere in the offer. “We are cousins, but I would also like to be friends. In time, I want to know everything about you, especially regarding our family.”
“Friends.” Gideon kept his gaze on the floor. “Certainly. We could try.”
“Well …” Marianne cleared her throat, buying herself some time. “We don’t need to tryright now. We will have our whole lives to get to know one another.”
Her cousin smirked. “That’s a little presumptuous.”
“Heavens. I didn’t mean …” Marianne laughed nervously, glad that Gideon actually had a sense of humour if nothing else. “Not in that way. But since we are family, it seems we are stuck with one another.” She smiled. “I’m glad to be stuck with you—to have cousins to be stuck with. That’s all I meant.”
Gideon leaned forward, looking to continue their conversation. Almost as soon as his lips parted, his breath hitched instead, and he swivelled towards the door.
Marianne started, shooting into a panicked stand by his sudden change of demeanour. She soon understood why. There, standing in the doorway, was Anthony. He was wet from head to toe, face set in anger, a blood stain on the arm of his jacket …
“Your Grace! Are you hurt?” Marianne exclaimed, rushing over to him. She stopped a few steps away, recalling some of her manners. “What happened?”
Anthony blinked hard, finally tearing his gaze from Gideon. Marianne could only imagine his surprise at finding them together. A drop of rain fell from his hair onto his cheek, and he wiped it away on his shoulder. He pinched the blood-stained fabric on the other arm, shaking his head.
“This isn’t my blood. The marquess …” He turned suddenly pale. “He shot a stag in the forest. It bled on me as I helped load it into the cart on the way back.” He frowned and turned to Gideon. “Why are you here, Foxburn?”
“I shall let Marianne fill you in,” Gideon replied. He made his way to the door, side-stepping around Anthony, giving the duke a wide berth. “I’m overdue a rest after the journey here. If you’ll excuse me …”
He was excused, slipping out of the room and leaving Marianne to deal with Anthony alone. She leaned in, looking at the blood on his jacket.
“Do you not think I would tell you if it was mine?” Anthony sighed, angling his shoulder away from her. He pushed open the door behind him for propriety’s sake but remained standing at the entrance, blocking her way out. “What the devil was Gideon Manners doing here? Andwhywere you unchaperoned?”
“He was invited here by the marquess. And there was a footman at the door,” Marianne protested.
