Page 62 of The Duke and the Unwanted Bride

“I told you, I am happy for the both of you. Why would I do such a thing? No, I do not want to hear it.” She looked away. “You have gone too far today, Niece. I would ask that you either apologize or leave.”

Hannah remained composed, her tone dispassionate, for she would not be guilted into pitying her aunt. “I know it was you, Aunt Teresa. My sister told me.”

“Lies!”

“I know it was you,” she repeated. “You can fake outrage. You can pretend otherwise. But that will not change the truth. You have sought to undermine my marriage to His Grace, and you have done so for no other reason than to take revenge for an incident that was nobody’s fault.”

Still looking away, Hannah could see her aunt’s chin begin to wobble. “I… I did not mean?—”

“I do not want to hear excuses,” she said evenly. “I do not care for them. What I want is for you to do as I have asked and quash the malicious rumors that you started. Is that understood?”

Teresa forced herself to look at her. “I did not mean it.”

“You will quash these rumors,” Hannah insisted. “You will tell everybody you spoke with that you lied.”

“It got out of hand,” Teresa begged. “I was only speaking out of turn, and I… I… I got carried away and?—”

“And now you will do everything you can to right this wrong.”

She bowed her head. “I am sorry.”

“I do not care for your apology. I only care that you do what is right here. Will you do that?”

Teresa did not respond.

“Aunty?”

“Alright…” She sniffed. “Please, do not tell your father. If he finds out…” Her chin continued to wobble, and Hannah almost felt sorry for her.

“I will keep it to myself if you do as I have asked. If you don’t, you are not the only one capable of spreading false rumors.”

Teresa winced. “I am so sorry, Hannah. God, I am so—” She sniffed. “Please, forgive me.”

As a little girl, Hannah had both respected and feared her aunt. Not that the Dowager Viscountess was a scary woman per se, but she had inspired the type of fear that little girls often had for powerful figures in their lives. Seeing the way she argued and stood up to Lord Ramsbury, it had instilled in Hannah this beliefthat her aunt was this all-encompassing figure like a mountain that God himself could not shift.

Marriage to Frederick had changed all of that. It had changed Hannah.

She now knew what true strength looked like. What was more, she not only knew how to stand up to it but also how to embody it herself. The way she had spoken to her aunt just now was similar to how she imagined Frederick might have done it. She was, after all, a duchess, and despite her aunt being older than her—a figure of authority even—she needed to know that actions like this would not be tolerated.

Why, Hannah was so thrilled with how their discussion had turned out that she could not wait to tell Frederick. Surely, he would be proud of her.

“And one more thing,” she added. “In a day or two, you will receive an invitation to dinner with me and Frederick. And you will accept it.”

Her aunt winced. “Of course. I would never… it would be an honor.”

“My husband will know what you did, but he will not mention it, and nor shall you. You will be pleasant and polite, and we will finally put this little incident behind us for good. Understood?”

“Thank you…” Teresa bowed her head, looking utterly ashamed. “I look forward to it.”

“My father and mother, too, shall attend. It will be a reunion, one where I expect the very best behavior.” A raised eyebrow.

Her aunt nodded. “Anything. Anything at all.”

“Wonderful…” Hannah exhaled in relief and smiled gaily, as if their conversation had been a most pleasant one. “By the way, this tea is divine.” She reached for her cup and took a sip. “What leaves are you using?”

Her aunt did not answer, her head still bowed, mortified by the looks of things. And so she should be. She had tried to break Hannah and Frederick’s marriage, thinking it a weak, brittle thing. But she had thoroughly underestimated them—a mistake that she would not make again.

Their marriage was strong. It was near perfect. And with this now behind them, it had the chance to finally blossom.

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