Page 57 of His Duchess' Wicked List

Daniel grinned at his sister. He didn’t need any more encouragement. He rushed out the door, running down the street. Maddie’s house was three blocks away, but he didn’t care. He could have run across the whole of the city for her.

His heart contracted. Would she listen to him? Would she accept him? Or was it all too late?

CHAPTER 23

“Madeline? Are you listening, dear child?”

Maddie started guiltily at the sound of her mother’s voice. All eyes were on her. She must have drifted away again without even realizing it.

She blinked owlishly, gazing at them, sitting around the drawing room. The Dowager Duchess had arrived around half an hour ago, and she and Augusta had been summoned from their rooms to receive their visitor.

Her heart had been in her mouth, expecting that Lord Christopher would be there as well, but to her intense relief, he wasn’t.

Maddie felt a flash of guilt. She had promised her mama that she would encourage Lord Christopher and that she would encourage Augusta to marry the Duke. Something that shehadn’t done. She hadn’t even spoken to her sister about the Duke.

And as for Lord Christopher, she hadn’t had the chance to encourage him. She hadn’t seen him since the last time he had called on her, which was before she had made the promise to her mother.

She also hadn’t uttered a single word since she had entered the drawing room, aside from the pleasantries. Instead, she had been foolishly indulging in daydreaming about the Duke, as always.

She sighed deeply, trying to gather her thoughts. The Dowager Duchess and Lady Ollerton were sitting side by side on the sofa, looking at her pointedly. Lord Ollerton was in his usual armchair, looking a trifle bored. And Augusta looked rigid with boredom. Her sister was fiddling with the sleeve of her gown, her eyes glazed.

“I am sorry, Mama,” Maddie said, forcing herself to pay attention. “What were you saying?”

“I was asking for your opinion on the flowers, dear child.” Lady Ollerton frowned slightly. “To decorate the church. Her Grace has agreed with me that a double wedding would be charming.”

“I have always believed it is better to kill two birds with one stone,” the Dowager Duchess chimed in dryly. “It saves on cost as well.”

“Indeed,” Lady Ollerton agreed, laughing uncertainly. “You are right, of course, Your Grace. Prudence wins the day.” She turned back to Maddie. “We were thinking roses, lilies, and perhaps delphinium. Those three would look divine together in urns, scattered around the church.”

“That sounds perfectly lovely,” Maddie replied in a strained voice, her heart skipping a beat. “I can picture it now.”

Her heart skipped another beat. She didn’t want to think about flowers and the wedding breakfast menu or whether the fabric of her gown should be silk or lace. She didn’t want to imagine any of it. For if she did, then she would be forced to imagine Lord Christopher as the gentleman at the altar waiting for her, while the Duke waited for her sister by his side.

Somehow, in all the talk about sharing a wedding day with her sister, that thought had never occurred to her before now.

Oh, no.I must dissuade them from this talk about a double wedding. I do not think I could bear to walk down the aisle when he is standing there, waiting for someone else. When in my deepest heart, I want him to be waiting for me.

She felt a cold sweat break out over her body. She could feel Augusta’s eyes on her, looking concerned.

“And what is your opinion on the matter, Lady Augusta?” the Dowager Duchess asked, taking a sip of tea. “What flowers inspire you? What would you like to see on your wedding day?”

Augusta kept staring at Maddie. “I hardly know. Flowers are not my forte, Your Grace. I will leave it in the hands of those who are far superior in knowledge than I on the matter.”

The Dowager Duchess nodded, looking satisfied. “Then we shall have the roses, lilies, and delphinium. I shall arrange them myself.” She took another sip of tea. “There shall only be close family and friends at the church, of course, as tradition dictates. But what about the guests at the wedding breakfast? Shall we settle on a number?”

Maddie heard muffled voices in the hallway, beyond the closed drawing room door. Nobody else seemed to notice. They were all listening to the Dowager Duchess, or at least pretending to listen to her.

“I propose fifty guests,” Lady Ollerton said.

The Dowager Duchess frowned. “No, there should be more. Around seventy, at least. I shall make the grand hall at Stansgate available for it. And perhaps the ceremonies could take place in the Stansgate chapel as well?—”

She was unable to finish her sentence, for, at that moment, the drawing room door burst wide open.

The Duke was standing there. He was panting, as if he had been running.

Maddie’s heart leaped wildly. It was the first time she had seen him since the house party. As always, it was as if it had been a hundred years ago, rather than a few short days ago.

Stop it.You must try to temper your reaction to him! He is going to marry your sister. And you are going to marry his cousin!

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