Page 36 of The Unwanted Duchess

Even as they returned to Lady Samantha’s home, all that Graham could think about was how exquisite his hand felt on her waist.

He had to force himself to think about something else, anything else, and frankly, it was not working as well as he had hoped. From the moment she had told him exactly what she thought of him at the party, she had been on his mind and there was nothing that he could do about it.

“Your Grace?” Lady Samantha asked, and his attention snapped back to her.

“Yes?”

“Do you agree that it is a good idea?”

Graham knew that the better option was to tell her that he had not heard a word that she had said, but he did not wish to beimpolite, and he decided that she would mention it again if it were that important.

“Yes, of course,” he agreed. “It is as you wish.”

She smiled warmly at him, and he wondered exactly what he had agreed to, but he knew that he could not ask at that point. He was too far gone.

“I am truly not looking forward to this,” she sighed, her face falling. “I ought to apologize in advance for my father.”

“Am I to expect flattery or the opposite?”

“I do not know. That all depends on whether or not you agree with each and every thing he suggests.”

“The opposite, then. In any case, it is none of your concern. I have handled far worse than him, believe me.”

“I somehow doubt that.”

Graham laughed emptily. If only she knew.

Regardless, he had already seen a copy of the marriage contract that the Earl had drawn up, and he knew perfectly well that there would be amendments whether Lady Samantha’s father liked it or not.

“This is useless,” he sneered, slamming the page down on the gentleman’s desk.

“What is the matter with it?” the Earl asked. “I had a solicitor look it over. All of it is perfectly legal, and there is nothing to cause any sort of discomfort on your behalf.”

“The dowry. Where is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your daughter’s dowry. You are supposed to leave her a sum of money to care for herself. It is her right. Did you truly think that I would miss that? I am not the fool that you think I am, and I certainly am not the boy you expect me to be.”

“I do not know what you are talking about. I put the dowry clearly in the contract, so sign it, and we can be on our way with all of this. It has already taken long enough.”

“Point out that part to me. I do not know where it is.”

His eyes burned into the older man’s. Graham dared him to lie once more, and he was more than willing to go further than words. It was almost like a final laugh at his daughter’s expense, leaving her with nothing as far as he was concerned.

“Very well,” he chuckled. “You have caught me. It was harmless, Your Grace, I assure you.”

“How could it possibly be harmless to deprive your daughter of her dowry? How could you think that is the right thing to do?”

“It is not as though she needs it, and you would hardly notice it to begin with. You should have more than ample funds to care for her, should you not?”

Graham did, of course, have more than enough wealth for Lady Samantha; he had more than enough to satisfy any woman, including ones that enjoying spending.

“That is beside the point, and you know it. I do not care what your reasons are for withholding it, but you are not going to do that to her.”

“Had I known you were such a cheapskate, I might have refused to let you marry my daughter in the first place. I should have known that you wanted my money and nothing more.”

“Let me make this perfectly clear,” Graham said coldly, towering over the man. “I do not need your funds, nor care about the lack thereof. I have more than enough for any man. One that does not drink and gamble it away, that is. I cannot imagine that there is anything that you could possibly offer me that I would need or even want.”

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