Page 53 of His Duchess' Wicked List

“Of course,” Daniel replied, trying to sound jovial.

Christopher clapped him on the back, quite hard. Harder than he usually did. Daniel tried to smile at him, but he was certain it was a grimace. They stared at each other for a moment, before Christopher laughed, striding into the house.

Daniel gazed after him. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t wait for this infernal house party to be finally over and done with. He couldn’t leave until it was. He was the host. That would be the height of rudeness. His mother would never let him hear the end of it. He couldn’t pursue Maddie. Not yet, at any rate.

He glowered as he thought of the Dowager Duchess. He had a bone to pick with her, and now was the time to do it before this ridiculous business got out of hand entirely. His mother would have him engaged and dragging Lady Augusta to the altar before the day was out if he let her.

He strode back into the house, following his cousin. His heart seized again as he thought of Maddie. She ran away, and he hadn’t been able to stop her—but he had meant what he said to her.

Itwasn’tover. And she could only run so far. He would sort this mess out once and for all. One step at a time.

Maddie sat in the window alcove in the drawing room in her family’s London residence, listlessly staring out the window as her mother and sister sat with their embroidery patches on the sofa.

A week had passed since she had fled Stansgate, feigning illness. The house party had broken up two days ago. Her family was back home now… and so was everyone else. She knew that Selina’s family was back in London. Lord Christopher had told her when he had called on her yesterday, casually mentioning that the Duke was there as well.

He is only a few streets away from me. And yet, he has not attempted to see me at all.

She tried not to let that knowledge affect her, but it was so hard. Ever since her family had returned from Stansgate, her mother had been talking nonstop about the “twin courtships.”

Augusta looked bored but resigned to her fate. She would often walk out of the room when the wedding talk grew too much. But Maddie tried to endure it. She didn’t know what else to do. She felt as helpless as a piece of driftwood floating down a river.

“I was thinking,” Lady Ollerton said in a high-pitched voice, “that we could perhaps have a double wedding, girls? What do you both think?”

Augusta rolled her eyes. “How original, Mama. As if that hasn’t been done a hundred times before.”

Lady Ollerton sighed dramatically. “Augusta, just because something is fashionable, does not make it gauche. I think it a charming practice.” She turned to Maddie. “What do you think, dearest?”

“About what?” Maddie blinked rapidly.

Her mother put down her embroidery patch, clearly irritated. “Honestly, Maddie, you are even more distracted than you usually are since our return from Stansgate! Are you not interested in taking part in your wedding preparations at all?”

Maddie’s heart clenched. “There is no wedding to prepare, Mama. At least, not for me. Lord Christopher is courting me, to be sure, but he has not proposed. I am not even engaged.”

“Neither am I,” Augusta chimed in. “As much as you and the Dowager Duchess conspire to unite me and the Duke, it is idle chatter, as far as I can tell.” She paused. “He hasn’t said he wants to court me at all. Heisn’tcourting me. Tell me, how on earth have you jumped to planning weddings, Mama?”

“The Dowager Duchess assures me she has it in hand,” Lady Ollerton argued, looking a bit perturbed. “She says he will come around to the idea. He is just a bit stubborn. That is all.”

“Stubborn?” Augusta’s voice was full of derision. “I would say that he is showing you both, in a passive way, that he has no interest in marrying me at all. Or anyone, for that matter.”

Maddie’s heart lurched. Her sister spoke the truth—more than she even knew.

“The Dowager Duchess announced his intentions towards you in front of everybody, Augusta,” Lady Ollerton pointed out, pursing her lips. “She said that he asked her if he could formally court you. You heard it yourself.”

Augusta sighed irritably. “The Dowager Duchess just said that. She seized the moment because she wanted to trump Lord Christopher’s announcement that he wished to court Maddie.” She paused, her eyes flicking to her sister. “And to make sure that no one was talking about what had been written in that scandal sheet, of course.”

Maddie froze. She could feel Augusta’s eyes on her, staring at her speculatively. Did her sister suspect that she was one of the parties involved? Or even that the Duke was involved in it with her as well?

Oh, if you only knew the half of it, Sister.

Their mother cleared her throat. “Speaking of scandal sheets,” she continued, gazing at Augusta, “there has been something written aboutyouthis week as well, my dear. A mention about your previous scandal.”

Augusta’s jaw dropped. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Maddie felt her heart start to pound with dread.

“Well, go on,” Augusta said, eventually, her face impassive. “Tell me what it says.”

Lady Ollerton took a deep breath. “It says that there is a whisper that you and the Duke of Everly may be engaged soon,” she replied. “And that the author hopes that you will not leave the groom at the altar this time around.”

Augusta stood up, throwing her embroidery patch on the sofa, before marching out of the room.

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