Page 15 of The Duke and the Unwanted Bride

“An idiot,” he repeated. “A moron. The last man on this earth. You must if you thought a plan as blatantly obvious as this one would work.”

“I…” She had no idea what he was talking about. “What are you?—”

“Drop the act.”

He let go of her waist suddenly and stepped back. Hannah felt her stomach drop. The hunger in his eyes was gone, replaced with disgust and anger and disappointment, most of all.

“It is beneath us both.”

Hannah’s mind raced. “The act? What are you… I am not sure what… There is no act, Your Grace.”

He laughed. “And still you keep at it. I must give you full marks for your commitment. I would be impressed if I wasn’t so perturbed with this entire charade.”

The Duke knew what she had come here to do. Somehow, he had figured it out. And while a part of Hannah was almost relieved, seeing now that he had simply been playing with her, she was disappointed, for the thought of his lips on her own still lingered in her mind. And dammit if her heart wasn’t still racing.

Strange…

“Do not look so surprised.” He chuckled, thankfully misreading the look on her face. “Do you really think that I would have agreed to marry you in the first place if I did not know what I was getting myself into?”

“Getting yourself into?” she echoed. “I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.”

“Oh, I do not mean likethat,” he said acidly. “I know you are not so verbose as you are pretending to be. But you are trouble, Lady Hannah. There is a good reason you are still unwed, and it has everything to do with your character.”

Ah, now she understood. Not that this made her feel any better.

“How dare you!” she hissed. “That is not… that has nothing to do with… it is my choice that I have not married yet.”

He chuckled. “Whatever makes you feel better.”

“And what about you, then?” she accused. “If I am such a… a troublemaker, why have you agreed to this farce of a marriage? Surely, a duke like you can have his pick of any woman he desires.”

“I do.”

“Selina!” she tried. “Surely, Selina is a better option than I! And there is no reason you cannot go back to her. I know Aunt Teresa would?—”

“I do not care what Lady Langham wants. She slighted me. Calling my honor into question as she did, refusing to listen when I gave her every reason to.” His tone was cold. “No, there is nothing in this world that would make me reconsider marrying her daughter.”

Hannah’s world turned on her. This entire plan was folly! Even before she walked into this room, her plan had never stood a chance, the only possible outcome being her total and utter embarrassment.

“And what if I do not wish to marry you? Did you think of that?”

He chuckled coldly. “You ask the question as if I should care.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, fueled partly by her embarrassment and also by the total and utter contempt that he seemed to have toward her. This marriage, as far as he was concerned, had nothing to do with her. She was but a pawn on the chessboard for him to move around as he saw fit.

The Duke saw the look in her eyes and laughed. “Oh, do not give me that look. If anything, you should be thanking me for saving you from becoming a spinster, as would most likely have happened. Admit it.”

“I’d rather be a spinster than marry a scoundrel such as yourself. Honestly, it is no wonder that you have remained single this long. I suspect you had no choice in the matter.”

He frowned and tilted his head. “Is that what you have heard? That I am a scoundrel?”

The truth was, Hannah didn’t know much about the Duke. Rumors of a marriage from long ago that had ended when his wife died. The odd word spoken about his reputable character,the respect held for him among his peers, but nothing untoward or noteworthy. By all accounts, he was very much marriage material, and any lady would be glad to find herself in Hannah’s position.

Well, almost any lady.

“If the boot fits,” she said. “The way you were just behaving, I have half a mind to go and tell my father.”

He scoffed. “Oh, please. That was for show. I knew what you were doing…” He waved her off. “An interesting ploy, and quite the gamble, I must say. Tell me, Lady Hannah, what would you have done if I did not pull away?”

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