Page 64 of The Virgin Duchess

“Have you lost your mind?” Magnus closed in, the vein in his temple dancing as his anger grew. “This has been a secret of our family’s since its inception. You are trusting our fate with a stranger? Who else have you told?!”

Charlotte ducked back, but only for a moment. Steeling herself, she stood face to face with her brother, straightening her spine.

“I have guarded the secret as always, Brother. You do not need to worry. I assure you.”

Magnus only glared hard, crumbling the letter in his grip as he waved it in her face.

“You assure me? Charlotte, you hardly know anything about the world beyond this estate. Our entire family crumbles if this gets out. Do you have so little concern for that? For me?”

The hurt of his accusation hit Charlotte hard. Still, she wouldn’t allow herself to be manipulated by Magnus’s attempt to make her feel guilty. She knew what she was doing, and she had been soveryconscientious, so concerned about protecting the family that she married Frederick.

“How dare you. I have done everything I can to ensure our family’s wellbeing. I have married well and protected the truth of our abusive father’s dealing—becauseI care for you. Nearly every moment of my life, I have been careful, so wrapped up in ensuring our livelihood that I was miserable for years. Close up and sullen, having to sneak around in the night to see Cordelia because I wouldn’t be the monster our father was. And you want me to feelguiltyabout that? Like I haven’t done enough?”

“Charlotte,” Magnus attempted to soothe, stepping toward her with his hand outstretched.

“No.” She yanked her arm away. “I will not have you treating me as if I am still a child. I am a Duchess now, the Mistress of this estate, and I will tend to my business as I deem fit.”

Magnus recoiled, the hurt and fury plain on his face. Charlotte regretted her words only slightly, not wanting to injure Magnus or his pride but unwilling to allow him to treat her like she was an imbecile.

“Lotte, you do not know the intricacies, the lengths to which I was forced to go to ensure our family’s survival. You have not communicated any of this with me and do not have all the information to make a sound decision.”

She sliced a hand through the air, utterly finished with this conversation and the way Magnus refused to see her as an equal just because she was his younger sister.

“Enough. I will conduct my life as I please, Magnus. I wish to be kind to Cordelia and Kitty, something you have never understood. And I will trust whomever I deem worthy with their existence.” She rolled her eyes, scoffing. “Honestly, Frederick has known them for a fraction of the time you have and is ever more benevolent and kind.”

Magnus’s stare flared, and Charlotte had never seen her brother so furious in all her life.

“Need I remind you, Sister, thatIam the one who was sending money to them all these years. And your precious Frederick?” Magnus reached into his coat pocket, procuring another bit of paper and throwing it at her feet. “Let us see how well you think of him when you learn the truth.”

“What is this?” She furrowed her brow, letting the paper sit on the floor because she wouldn’t entertain another one of Magnus’s stunts.

“See for yourself.” He nodded down at the floor. “Your husband is responsible for ruining a lady who was forced to become a nun.”

Charlotte’s stomach dropped through the floor, dread washing over her so quickly it nearly knocked her to the ground. Shesucked in a shaky breath, reaching for the paper at her feet. When she held it open, Charlotte found a scandal sheet.

Her eyes roamed the page, and Magnus’s voice filled in the background, acting almost like a narrator to her thoughts.

“He left her with no other choice, and it is all laid out there in black and white. I told you previously, insisted, that your husband was a rake. And you yourself even mentioned it before your sudden marriage. You did not marry some reformed or misunderstood gentleman. He is a scoundrel and likely seeks to take our family for all that it’s worth by buttering you up.”

Fighting a swell of emotion that threatened to drown her, Charlotte shook her head, lowering the scandal sheet and crumpling it in her grip.

“You should know better than to trust these ridiculous things. They can print anything they want with no evidence.” Charlotte threw the paper to the side. “I don’t believe a word seen in these sheets, and nor should you. After everything that happened with Amelia, you still think they have any merit. That is utterly absurd.”

Magnus just glared at her. “After everything that happened with Amelia, you should remember that these rumors always come from somewhere, a nugget of truth. Do the investigation yourself. I will not bother you further.”

Moving so quickly that it shocked her, Magnus spun on his heel and left the room. Seconds passed, and then the door to theestate slammed, rocking the entire foundation. Charlotte stood in the drawing room alone, shaking from head to toe.

I do not believe it. I do not believe it. I donotbelieve it.

Chapter Thirty

Frederick hurried through the last moments of dressing, wishing to be down to receive Magnus alongside Charlotte,hisCharlotte. In truth, Frederick was not particularly enthusiastic about having to meet with her brother. He’d been very obvious with his dislike of their marriage since before it had happened.

While, of course, that didn’t mean her brother had said anything out loud, Magnus was plenty vocal with his expressions and mannerisms. He’d also been very particular about the types of questions he asked Frederick. Back then, it hadn’t made much sense to him. Still, now, Frederick understood that Magnus’s inquiries were a veiled assessment of his potential brother-in-law’s ability to keep the family secret.

Which Frederick had absolutely no intention of revealing.

His steps still light, Frederick hoped that his upbeat mood—thanks to the most incredible evening of his life—would beenough to carry him through a meeting with Magnus. Indeed, how could there be anything that could bring him down from the cloud of joy where he resided, memories of his sweet Charlotte’s perfect body and the bliss they’d shared still so fresh in his mind.

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