Page 21 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

“You’ve been away from London too long, Your Grace,” Kenneth replied quickly. “Thetonwill believe anything they’re told if the story is repeated enough. You go to your friends. I go to mine. We spread from the source, and we are absolved.”

CHAPTERNINE

“Arthur, wake up.”

Arthur’s head jerked upwards, his neck screaming in pain at the sudden movement. When his mother had left with the carriage as soon as they’d gotten home, he’d sat on the chaise in the foray and waited for her to return. He must have fallen asleep.

He blinked against the harsh light coming in from the windows and saw his mother standing in front of him, wearing a different gown from last night.

As Arthur awakened, he remembered their tense conversation last night about his future with Rebecca. They hadn’t been arguing for long before his mother had suddenly left the room and then the house. He had been furious. With his mother. With Lavinia. With the entire situation.

“Where have you been?” he demanded to know, rubbing his sore neck. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been about you?”

“Clearly,” Marianne retorted dryly. “You were so asleep when I got home last night that you didn’t stir even when I tried to rouse you.”

“Where were you?” he repeated, ignoring her jab.

“At Donset Estate,” his mother replied, walking away from him and toward their dining room.

Arthur felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest, and he quickly followed her. “Why? What happened?” he asked.

“You and Rebecca will not marry,” his mother stated matter-of-factly as she walked into the dining room.

“Yes, that is obvious, but what of Lavinia? As I stated last night, a marriage will be the only way we survive this without anyone getting burned.”

“Yes,” Marianne agreed, taking her seat. She beckoned to a servant, who came forth to pour her tea and take her breakfast order.

“Lord Donset and I discussed that at length last night,” she continued after she finished with the servant. “While I was against the idea at the beginning, he has brought me around to your way of thinking.”

Something comprised of both relief and anger filled Arthur as he took this in. While he was relieved that he could save his family from any further scandal, he was also enraged that he would now be married to the woman who had betrayed him. He had grown to like her, even trust her a small amount, and then she had destroyed it.

“I do believe that that is the most reasonable solution,” Arthur replied, his tone somewhat defeated. He took a seat at his mother’s side and was quickly brought his usual breakfast of thinly sliced fried pork and three eggs.

“So, here is what shall happen now,” his mother continued. “After breakfast, you will go upstairs, bathe, and change, and we shall make our way to Donset Estate. Once there, you will formally propose to Miss Dennis, and her father and I shall begin to spread the news. You shall be married in two weeks’ time, and the three of us shall return to Whitekin. In a few weeks, any and all rumors will dissipate, and we can all continue with our lives.”

They did not speak much after that, and as Arthur ate his breakfast, he focused on his pain. It wasn’t just his neck that hurt him, but his head ached badly. His scar, in particular, seemed to throb, and he had to stop himself several times from touching it.

Lavinia had been clear from the beginning that she was trying to protect her sister, but he had stupidly started to believe that she actually saw past his deformity by the way she had defended him. But now it was clear. The pretty words, the playfulness—the kiss. It had all just been to get him away from her sister.

He finished his breakfast, barely tasting it, and then went to his quarters to quickly bathe and dress. Within thirty minutes, he met his mother downstairs, and they traveled to Donset Estate. They were shown into the drawing room, where they found Kenneth, Rebecca, Agnes, and Lavinia.

Lavinia looked at him directly, but he avoided her gaze and only placed a quick, chaste kiss on her hand, as he had with Rebecca and Agnes, and then took his seat.

“Well, we know why we are here,” Kenneth announced. “I have explained the situation to my daughters, and they are in agreement. We shall move forward with the new engagement.”

“Thank you, My Lord,” Arthur stated, raising his head to look at the man. “I appreciate your grace in this.”

Kenneth gave him a stout nod. “I know it is customary to hold a reception after the ceremony, but after discussion, Her Grace and I have agreed to forgo that tradition and just hold the sealing of the vows.”

“Yes,” Marianne agreed. “We will do what we can to steer the rumors from here on, but we won’t provide any fodder for new ones.”

“An excellent idea,” Arthur agreed coldly.

He finally looked over at Lavinia, and the look of hurt on her face almost made his anger fade. Almost. He waited for her to speak up and negate him as she usually had, but instead, she only stayed silent and lowered her eyes to the floor.

“That being said,” Marianne continued, pulling a dark blue velvet box out of her small reticule, “we can encourage the theme of romance in subtle ways. Rebecca, Arthur was meant to give this to you, but you successfully avoided the possibility of him doing so.”

Arthur watched his mother look pointedly at Rebecca, who paled considerably and looked down.

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