Page 36 of A Virgin for the Duke of Ash

“Oh dear,” she heard her grandmother say fretfully. “I had not thought that dear Evie would be so nervous.”

“You have to forgive my betrothed,” Daniel cut in with a hint of laughter in his voice. “But it is, of course, normal to be in a celebratory mood in anticipation of our nuptials.”

At that moment, Evie wished that somehow, someway, the ground would just open up beneath her feet and swallow her whole.

Why oh why did she keep making a fool of herself before this man?

CHAPTER 13

Is the thought of marrying me that awful that she would need to down an entire glass to get through the mere announcement of it?

Daniel’s fingers tightened around the fragile stem of his glass, even as he maintained a calm and unaffected smile, even going so far as to fake his amusement at the sight of Evie downing an entire glass of wine.

How could he not have known that she needed the liquor to bolster her courage?

But how could he blame her as well? If he had been in her place, he might have finished off the entire bottle himself. In fact, he might even want to continue numbing himself once they finished with this farce.

“Oh, I knew it!” Lady Wellington crowed. “Saw that spark last year with my own two eyes!”

“Grandmama, you could not have!” Evie protested.

“Oh, nonsense!” The Dowager Countess shook her head and patted her granddaughter’s hand. “That was precisely why I put you two to work together on the treasure hunt.”

Caroline turned towards Evie with a wide smile. “Us older ladies can spot these things from a mile away,” she told her confidently. “That is why I had the servants move your things to the room closest to Daniel’s.”

Both she and Lady Wellington shared a look, as if they were congratulating themselves on a job well done.

“Well, your efforts have been wasted on that account,” Daniel announced. “She has already claimedmyrooms for her own.”

Both older ladies gasped.

“You do not say!” Lady Wellington choked out, turning to her granddaughter for an explanation. “Well, Evie, dear, what have you to say for this?”

“Grandmama, I?—”

“There is no need to chastise her, My Lady,” he interjected smoothly. “She simply prefers my rooms. Naturally, I shall let her keep it. I already had the servants move my things to the tower.”

“The tower,” Caroline muttered under her breath.

It was so soft that Evie and Lady Wellington failed to catch it, but Daniel had spent most of his life observing other people. It was a habit that was hard to break and one he had no intention of breaking anytime soon.

“Well, that is rather odd, but I suppose it is still appropriate,” Lady Wellington managed, although she did not look too convinced by his explanation. Her eyes swiveled back and forth between him and her granddaughter, as if she might pry any more information about this sudden news.

Daniel was not going to give her the opportunity to see through their ruse.

“Now that we have dispensed with all of that,” he announced, “the wedding will be taking place this week. I shall leave the preparations to you ladies.”

The Dowager Duchess was none too pleased with this particular arrangement. “This week? Why, that is hardly enough time to inform anyone?—”

“I do not want to have the wholetonshowing up at my doorstep for my wedding,” he warned her darkly.

She pursed her lips. “I understand, but?—”

This time, it was Evie who surprisingly stepped in.

“Your Grace, His Grace has assured me that he will obtain a special license for us to marry posthaste,” she reassured the older lady with a calm smile. “I, for one, agree with him that a more intimate ceremony would suit us far better than a grand one. After all, is not our union what truly matters? A few close friends and family would make for a lovelier celebration, I should think.”

The Dowager Duchess looked at her helplessly. “If you say so, my dear,” she conceded with a sigh. But then she added sharply, “He has not acted inappropriately towards you, has he?”

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