Page 4 of My Dangerous Duke

Edna laughed as she lifted herself off of the bed and smoothed her expensive teal silk gown down her person.

“Why would they?” Edna asked, “You would only have messed it up if you had known. I will call for your lady’s maid so get down quickly.”

Something was not right. Edna was too gleeful about what she knew. But where would she run to? Where could she hide? Knowing she had no choice but to deal with what was waiting forher downstairs, Eleanor flew into action. Frightened or not, she decided she wasnotgoing to let her parents see her as such.

“Ah, here is our little, sleeping pup!” Edna exclaimed in a mocking tone as Eleanor walked into the drawing room. She clapped her hands in excitement above her plate of breakfast, which made their parents laugh.

“Good morning, little dove,” Victor added, looking up at Eleanor gleefully as his big fingers continued to pull the flesh of his morning kippers off of their bones. “We have wonderful news for you today.”

“Sit, Eleanor, sit,” Laura insisted, fluttering her hand toward the seat between her and her husband. “Your father has done somethingpositivelyamazing for you!”

The sinking feeling Eleanor had felt in her stomach earlier only grew worse as she took her seat, but she kept her chin up high and smiled as prettily at her father as she could.

“Do not keep me in suspense,” she pleaded, trying to cover her dread with an excited tone, “Please, Papa, I am aching to know!”

“You are to be married!” Victor boomed, shooting to his feet in excitement as he triumphantly thumped his fist against the table. As he did so, Laura let out a sound of glee as she clapped her hands, and Edna started to hum as she danced two pieces of toast across her plate.

Whatever warmth Eleanor had been able to retain drained out of her right then.

“What?” She managed to breathe.

“Oh, I am so thrilled for you, darling,” her mother gushed, reaching over to grasp her hand. “Your father has caught you the best husband! You are set forlife!Your troubles,ourtroubles, are officially over!”

“No.” The word came out of Eleanor’s lips before she could stop it, ceasing the celebrations immediately. “I have not chosen anyone,” Eleanor continued, refusing to back down. “My husband will be my choice, just as Edna was allowed to choose hers. That is what you always–”

“You will not be ungrateful for this,” her father bellowed suddenly; his feigned kindness was now gone. “Edna was wise with her time and her choices. It has been two years now and you have failed to do the same.”

“Do notdarebe petulant, child,” Laura hissed suddenly, coming to her husband’s defense. “You have no idea the lengths your father has gone to accomplish this arrangement.”

“I will not marry a man I do not know. I will marry for love!” Eleanor shouted suddenly, coming to her feet with a sudden gust of rage. “It is you that seek the social graces of theTon,not me,” she continued, “I will not tie myself to a man simply for social or financial gain, I refuse!”

“You have no choice!” Victor boomed, rising to his feet so fast that his rotund belly pushed over the nearby coffee pot. Eleanor’s eyes moved to the black stain spreading across the white lace tablecloth and felt as if it was her own soul being blotted out by darkness.

The strength in her legs waned, her knees began to tremble, and as her father’s wrath filled the room, Eleanor felt her body lower back down into her chair. Tears pricked at her honey eyes as Eleanor looked down at her plate; her head hanging above it as if she were waiting for the guillotine.

A few more tense, silent moments passed before Victor’s ruddy complexion paled and he slowly lowered himself back down into his cushioned chair. With two meaty fingers, he beckoned a servant forth, and the family sat in further silence as the dirty tablecloth was quickly but carefully removed and taken away.

“This was an ugly morning,” Victor announced, his deep tone calmer, but still ringing with annoyance. “Let us not all it continue into the evening. Eleanor, look at me.”

Eleanor fought the urge to spit in her papa’s direction and forced her head to turn toward him. What gross, awful creature had her father chained her to for his social gain?

“A recent turn of events has made it possible to accept an arrangement with the Duke of Larsen,” he stated, his tone pragmatic and unemotional.

This brought up Eleanor short, and she straightened her posture a bit.TheDuke of Larsen? Rumors about the heartless man flashed in her mind. How could be possible that such a man would want to marry her?

“I do understand that you had hoped to marry for something…” Her father continued, fluttering his fingers in the air- “That was more of a fairytale, but life is not such. Not for us. The man is extremely wealthy, well-respected, and powerful. He will make a formidable husband for you.”

“Not to mention devilishly handsome,” Edna jabbed in, resuming her earlier antics, “He has been the man to catch the last ten Seasons! And you have him, little sister.”

Eleanor caught her sister’s smug smile droop a little as she picked up her teacup and added, “Be grateful. Some of us were not that lucky.”

“I suppose I am just confused,” Eleanor admitted, still trying to grasp the dizzying array of events. “I do not know the duke,” she continued gently, “the duke does not know me. Why would he want to marry me if he does not know me?”

“You must not worry yourself about such things, dear,” Laura insisted, touching her fingertips to her perfectly styled hair. “Arranged marriages are a successful, longstanding tradition among our people, and you should simply thank your father for accomplishing such a match.”

“Indeed,” her father agreed, his voice finally settling down into its usual timber. He stood from the table again, this time more elegantly, and gave a single nod toward his family.

“Now,” he continued, his gaze focusing in on Eleanor, “I have an appointment with your betrothed at White’s in an hour, then he shall be joining us for dinner. I expect that by his arrival, your temperament will be much improved.”

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