Page 6 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“You did what you thought was right,” she nodded. “You were wrong to do it, but there is no changing that now. All that we can do is wait for all of this to pass.”
Beatrice agreed, not asking how long that might take. She regretted her actions, but there was no changing them.
Suddenly, the butler entered.
“The Duke of Pantheris, Ma’am,” he bowed, leaving at once.
Beatrice felt her heartbeat quicken at the sight of him. There was an air of seriousness about him, and he was most imposing. He looked at her with his yellowish eyes, and she felt as though she was trapped in place.
“Your Grace,” her mother greeted. “Please forgive my daughter. It was a foolish thing to do to say the least, and–”
“I understand, Lady Jennings,” he replied calmly. “Might I have a moment with your daughter alone? I shall also require a word with your husband, if he is here.”
“He is indeed,” she nodded.
Beatrice knew that the Duke’s arrival would lure her father out of his study.
Her mother left the room, but a maid remained in the corner to chaperone. The moment the door closed, the Duke cleared his throat, looking at her intensely. Beatrice trembled before him, for though he was not trying to intimidate her he was incredibly tall and broad.
“I have come to a conclusion,” he said simply.
“And what might that be?”
“You are more impulsive than you let on. This morning, and last night, I have heard rather a lot about you. People tell me you are a very quiet lady, one who has never thought very much about anything, or at least has never made such thoughts known.”
“It is the latter, for what it is worth,” she replied quietly. “Until the wedding, I never felt the need to say what I was thinking.”
“And yet, the one time that you did…”
She laughed sadly.
“Let it be a lesson that your words have an impact on others, whether you expect it or not.”
“Yes, well, I have certainly learned my lesson there.”
“Good, for I cannot allow my duchess to act so brazenly.”
She blinked, her eyes meeting his.
“Your duchess? Your Grace, I did not think that you were serious yesterday. We cannot marry.”
“But we must. As far as thetonknows, you are in love with me and ruined your friend’s wedding because of it. We cannot fight that, Lady Beatrice, but we can find a way through by agreeing with them. I told you this yesterday.”
“Yes, but it does not make any sense. I do not know you.”
“That matters very little. You and I will marry, thereby saving your reputation, and I shall take care of Lady Helena and the man she loves, so that she does not need to struggle. She can marry the father of her child, and our wedding will be of so much interest to thetonthat they will not care about the man Lady Helena ties herself to instead.”
Beatrice struggled to understand what was happening. His words made sense. Being a duke, she knew he was capable of using his influence to sway public opinion, but convincing others to believe they were in love would surely not be as easy as he seemed to think.
“Besides,” he continued, pulling the very same scandal sheet that she had read out of his pocket, “according to this, you know some other dukes and duchesses that can say a good word about us. Is that true?”
“Indeed. I have three good friends who are all married to dukes. You may not believe me when I say that I did not intend to marry one myself, but that is the truth.”
“I can believe it,” he laughed darkly. “If you did, such a display as the one you made yesterday would not be the way to go about it. Then again, you will marry me, and so if it were a plan of yours, it was successful.”
“It was certainly not a plan,” she said firmly. “I did not think about you once. All I cared about was Lady Helena. She is all that I am considering now. Are you certain that this will help her?”
“It is the only way,” he nodded.
