Page 3 of Her Duke's Second Chance

She made a note to tell her sister, should she ever find her, about the serving girl; though she was quite sure Daisy would not take kindly to being compared to a maid. Her sister possessed a very romanticized view of her life, and it made her easy to mislead.

If Georgiana had known just how close Daisy had gotten to Lord Newston, she would have packed her off to Emberford Hall as fast as possible.

No use crying after spilled milk, is there?

Talking with Caroline helped her clarify in her own mind what she was going to do. Panic was useless if Daisy had already reached the point of no return. If she was now married to Lord Newston, or they had already consummated the marriage, there would be nothing further to be done but to make the best of it.

Still, her heart could not help breaking for Daisy. There was no doubt in her mind that Lord Newston would break her spirit with his rakish ways. He would be careless with Daisy’s feelings and take her for granted.

It had only been one year since Georgiana’s own wedding; a much less whimsical affair than her sister’s proposed nuptials. The entire thing had been arranged between the duke and her parents; Georgiana only had to show up at the altar.

Not really understanding—as nobody had bothered to explain—what was required of her after the ceremony, she had reacted in a manner that suggested the duke had tried to attack her. As aresult, he had stormed off, declaring that he was not an animal, and would not agree to be treated like one.

She had barely seen him since.

She did not know if that filled her with regret or relief. She teetered between the two emotions depending on the day. She told herself that her parents were quite happy with the money they had received, which meant she no longer had to worry about her family’s welfare.

Georgiana told herself repeatedly that one positive outcome should be enough.

However, she wanted more for Daisy. Her sister longed for a life of sunshine and happiness, being loved and cherished forever by the man of her dreams. She deserved a man who would give her that.

Feeling suddenly suffocated, she rose from the bench and wandered outside in search of fresh air.

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, paying no attention to the ambient noise of grooms shouting to each other, horses neighing, the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the inn’s roof, and the murmured conversations that surrounded her.

She did not realize that one of the voices was speaking directly to her until someone touched her shoulder.

Georgiana’s eyes flew open, and she looked up with a gasp, unaccustomed to being touched without permission.

Three men towered over her, leering as their eyes raked her frame. “What ye doin’ out here, princess? Do ye no’ like the smell o’ th’ inn?” a tall, broad-shouldered man with blackened teeth grinned at her.

“She prolly dinna like the smell.” A second man said and laughed. His menacing eyes were small and set too close together on his face, giving him a piggish appearance.

A third man hung back, hands folded, giggling inanely at everything the other two said.

Georgiana realized she might be in danger. She raised her chin and looked the two men in the eye.

“How dare you touch me?” she said coldly.

The large man threw back his head and laughed lustily, “Oh yer a real princess, eh? Ye think we are yer subjects?” He reached out and flicked her bosom. “We’ll show ye who’s yer master!”

She stumbled back in fear, her breath caught in her throat. “Leave me alone,” she said breathlessly, angry that she could not keep the fear from her voice.

The men laughed again taking a step closer to her, reaching for her with their grubby hands.

She looked around frantically, wondering who could come to her rescue. She uttered a small scream, lifting her hands to cover her face, realizing what a mistake it had been to travel alone.

“Step back. Now.” A man’s deep voice cut through the darkness.

Suddenly, she heard a thud and a groan of pain but did not dare uncover her eyes to see what was going on. She took another step back, leaning against the wall because her knees were too weak to support her.

The thuds and groans continued, and she realized it sounded as if somebody was striking flesh. She opened one eye and peered at her would-be attackers.

The large man with the black teeth was bent over double, clutching his stomach and groaning. The one with the small mean eyes was leaning against the wall, panting like a dog, a thin stream of blood seeping from his mouth.

The third man was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned, looking around in puzzlement, and spotted a familiar tall, bearded gentleman with dark hair and extremely broad shoulders.

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