Page 12 of Taken By the Beastly Duke

Would anyone find it odd if she were to put aside her garbs denoting spinsterhood and go for more fashionable styles?

Victoria could almost hear the tongues of members of thetonwagging now.

They had been unrelenting in their taunts when her sister had been spoken of as the darling of the ball, surely, they would seek revenge on her behalf if she were known to have usurped her fiancé who she didn’t even want.

She thought back to her interaction with the duke and how he had no less judged her thus. She wondered why he had even accepted her proposal.

He was of a higher station than her and had nothing to gain from allowing her to attempt changing his mind. He had no reason to humor her so why had he?

She had heard the moniker he had been given since returning from the war with the scar across his face; the Devil duke, just because he had shunned company, choosing solitude instead.

His name had been tagged with many false stories, obviously concocted by people who had nothing better to do than spread rumors.

The moniker was out of character with the man who had not outrightly laughed her to scorn or worse taken advantage of their seclusion.

She had noticed the look in his eye. He had wondered her insane for trapping herself with a man where no one would find them, but he had done nothing more than attempt to scare her off marrying him by showing her they would be intimate.

Did he think his scars made him less desirable?

She shook her head to stop the flood of memories of how solid he had been against her and how her blood had sung with liquid fire when he had kissed her.

For her plan to work, she had to make sure that no one caught wind of him asking for her sister’s hand or it would all crumble before it began.

She hurried back to the ball with her heart pounding an unsteady rhythm, hoping that her father had said nothing of the match yet.

ChapterFour

Victoria was no stranger to the demands of self sacrifice that had been ingrained in her from the first day Charity had set foot on earth wailing her outrage with red cheeks.

She had become an older sister to her and that responsibility had been cemented when her youngest sister arrived several years later on the same day she lost her mother as well, forcing her into the twin responsibility of being both an elder sister and a mother.

Sometimes she missed her mother but then she guessed that to birth such a beautiful creature that was Diana, certain sacrifices were to be made and it was quite unfortunate that her mother had paid for the ultimate price of all, she had paid with her life.

Charity had transformed from an adorable little baby with a sparkling smile to a beautiful lady that was toasted as a belle of the ton and for that she was grateful her sacrifices hadn’t been in vain.

Working to send her to one of the top finishing schools in England had been hard on Victoria but her hard work had been manifested in the toast that had come to her family on Charity’s etiquette and conversation skills.

But for all her numerous qualities, Charity was at heart a creature with a fragile heart and temperament and while Victoria knew that her sister's attractive qualities would attract many gentlemen suitors to their doorstep, she was also ready to make absolutely sure that Charity married a man who would take care of her fragile heart and treat her like the princess that she was.

While Victoria was acutely aware of the need for Charity to marry into a good title, she believed that a mindful attentive gentleman was the best for her mild tempered sister.

So far there were many options among Charity's numerous suitors but there the one suitor she was sure could never be an option was the scarred Duke of Devlin. Everything about the man exuded dark dominance and while she could not deny the man's overwhelming attractiveness she was very sure that he could not be the best man for her sister.

Unfortunately the man seemed to be inexplicably obstinate about the decision to marry her sister even though it was obvious for everyone to see that Charity was intimidated by the man's very presence. She had complained that she found the Duke's face chilling and distressing.

While she did not share that sentiment, she also believed that it was best for her sister's peace of mind, that she did not have to marry a man that caused her distress simply with his presence. She was going to do everything in her power to prevent that marriage from happening

Even if it meant offering herself as a replacement bride for the Duke. It was the least she could do for her little sister.

And it definitely did not have anything to do with how the closeness of the man did interesting things to her insides, how his scent had become an addiction and how much the thoughts of his drugging kisses had kept her awake.

It definitely had nothing to do with those, and she was going to repeat that mantra until she believed it, because she could remember the point when sacrifice become so delectably tempting. Well it could be, if the object of the sacrifice was a certain brooding duke.

He really is handsome.Her inner voice which she had been trying so hard to ignore added.

Stop it. She hissed internally.

And his shoulders…

---