Page 47 of Wedded to the Scottish Duke

“Men,” she spat. She looked around, but they were completely secluded on this side of the carriage. There was no one there to disturb them. “You seduce, you take, and you disappear after tainting our lives.”

“What do you mean?”

There’s something more to this.

He didn’t doubt that for a second. He could see it in the firm set of her jaw and the way she looked away.

“What has happened to give ye such an ill impression of men?”

She tried to walk away, but he took hold of her arm again, just strong enough to keep her there. Startled, her lips parted as he pulled her against his side.

“We’ll be seen!”

“What are ye hiding?” he whispered. “What blaggard gave ye such an ill impression of men that ye now paint me black too?”

She hesitated. No longer did she try to tug away from his grasp but stayed perfectly still. His fingers splayed a little across her arm, showing her that she was safe. She looked down at his hand, but she seemed less than delighted by his touch. Her lip curved a little and then flattened.

“I first saw it years ago,” she whispered. “My cousin, Charlotte, was seduced by an older man.”

“I cannot imagine ye falling for such a trick.”

She looked up, her expression haunted. “He promised to marry her. He promised no one would know… When she fell pregnant, he sent her away to the country. It turned out, he was already married. He didn’t want a scandal. He sent her away to have the child alone. When she became sick, he sent no physician. He treated her as if she was a bug, just a beetle left to die now that he had had his fun playing with it.” She blinked, rather fast. “By the time we heard about poor Charlotte’s state, she had died—the child, too.”

Keith drew in a breath, feeling sick to his stomach. That a lady and her child were treated so cruelly was disgusting. Without thinking about it, his grip on Celia’s arm loosened until he was all but cradling her.

“And ye think every man would be so dismissive of a woman’s love as to abandon her? To leave her to her death?”

“He did,” Celia said, lifting her chin. “He had what he wanted. He took her to bed. He not only ruined her life, but he also stole it from her. To my mind, it was as good as murder.” She shook her head, looking away from him again. “How many times have I heard about the inconstancy of a man’s attention? Of how they get what they want and then leave?”

Something burned angrily in Keith’s chest. Yes, he’d had lovers, but he was not the conquering type. He didn’t push a woman into his bed and then leave. No, it was always mutual passion, mutual trust, then a mutual agreement that they’d each had enough.

“But why do I tell you this?” She freed her hand from his grip. “You only care to conquer one more lady, don’t you? Now you’ve had me, you’ll be onto the woman you will make your wife.”

“Careful, sweetheart.” He let her step away, turning to face the carriage door, even though the anger would no longer abate in his chest. It rose and swelled like a burning fire.

She stepped into the carriage. As she sat on the bench, he grabbed the door, refusing to let it close just yet.

“Celia…”

He couldn’t let her go like this. How could he let Celia, of all people, think that every man, especially him, would treat a woman in that way?

“I am sorry about what happened to yer cousin, but that is not who I am. It is not who I wish to be. I’m…”

He looked down at her gown, her curvacious body, and thought of how entangled they had been the day before.

He could have confessed everything to her then. In the midst of their passion, he could have whispered to her that marriage was not for him, for the right reasons, but how would that have helped matters?

“I’m… I’m trying to protect ye,” he insisted.

Her brow furrowed, and she actually scoffed at him.

“Protect me?” she repeated in plain dismissal. “I wasn’t aware I needed your protection.”

“Too late, ye have it.”

“Then I don’t need it anymore.” She took hold of the carriage door again. “Goodbye to you, Your Grace. I wish you well in your marriage. May it be Lady Alicia—then at least I can have some comfort in this affair.”

“What is that?” he asked dubiously as she closed the door and looked at him through the open window.

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