Page 3 of Wedded to the Ruthless Duke

“Determined not to have me as her daughter, do you mean?”

“Is it truly so awful?” Diana whispered with horror in her tone, her cheeks pinkening. “I’m so sorry, Grace. It is unkind indeed.”

“It cannot be changed.” Grace did her best to shrug and pretend it did not matter. “We all have our trials in life, our obstacles to overcome. Unfortunately, mine is my mother.”

“I think we need a little distraction, don’t you?” Celia suddenly offered up. She moved to Grace’s side and elbowed her. “As much as good claret can distract you for a while, it has its consequences with headaches the next day.”

“Hmm, perhaps you are right.” Grace stared down into the reddish liquid. “Oh well, perhaps it’s worth the headache tonight.” She knocked back more of the wine, happy to take the role of jester and make those around her giggle as she drained the glass. The empty glass was swiftly taken from her, however, before she could ask for a refill. Celia held it at some distance.

“You think too much of what your mother thinks,” Celia insisted with a wave of her hand. “It’s high time you thought of something else for a while.”

“A distraction?” Violet suggested. “A good idea indeed. What did you have in mind, sister?”

“Well, you remember the dares I gave you all, do you not?” Celia looked around them all, arching her perfect eyebrows with a glint in her eyes.

“Oh, those dares.” Diana blushed a deep scarlet with her words. “I am not looking forward to going through with mine.”

“Mine turned out to be the best thing that happened to me,” Violet confessed with a giggle.

Grace couldn’t help smiling. It was true indeed that the dare Celia had given her own sister had led to Violet marrying the man she was now so in love with. Just like Eleanor’s tale of love, the dare had somehow started a journey which had led to complete happiness.

“Not every dare can go as well as yours did, or yours,” Grace added, glancing at Eleanor.

“It was hardly a smooth journey,” Eleanor protested as Violet nodded in agreement. “Yet Celia is right. Perhaps it is time, Grace, that you were to do your own dare.”

Grace swallowed around a sudden lump in her throat. She could remember distinctly unfurling the piece of paper that Celia had handed to her, reading the scribbled note there on the page.

It had filled her with so much nervousness at the time that she had promptly hoped they would all just forget about it. Of course, they hadn’t.

“Do you remember your dare?” Violet asked.

“No,” Grace lied.

“Grace…” Celia’s warning tone was mischievous. “Even if you couldn’t remember it, I remember what I put on all the papers. I could recite them all, so we can figure out which one was yours.”

“Fine.” Grace sighed heavily. “The dare was… to kiss a gentleman.”

There was stunned silence for a second. It was broken first by Violet, who swung around to her sister and swiped her on the shoulder in reprimand.

“How could you do that to Grace?” Violet asked.

“She needed a little shaking up.” Celia waved a hand at Grace. “She doesn’t know her own beauty and could do with a gentleman to boost her confidence.”

“What confidence?” Grace murmured though no one really heard her.

“Was that exactly what was written on the page?” Diana asked in amazement. “To kiss a gentleman?”

“Not only that.” Celia continued to smile with that same glint in her eye. “Grace?” she prompted her on.

“Fine.” Grace sighed again. “It was to steal a kiss from a gentleman under the moonlight.”

“Well, at least you made it romantic too,” Eleanor added with a laugh.

“Some romance if I’ll be attacking a gentleman with my lips.” Grace’s joke made them all laugh again before Eleanor nudged her with her elbow.

“Why not give it a go?” she whispered. “Why not make tonight that night?”

“Because it’s a ridiculous idea!” Grace laughed, brushing off the idea.

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