Page 43 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

Immediately, Arthur turned, his strong arms wrapping around her and preventing her from falling into the nearby table of guests. A collective gasp went up around the table as Arthur halted her fall just a breath away from the table’s surface. Suddenly a burst of laughter left her lips, and she watched as Arthur’s wide eyes suddenly gleamed with curiosity.

“You are my hero, dear husband,” she stated loudly, caressing her gloved hand over his cheek.

Traces of a smile were starting to form on Arthur’s face when a lady at the table guffawed and whispered, “A hero of women? Can’t say I’ve heard the beast called that before.”

Unable to keep her tongue still, Lavinia righted herself and turned toward the table with a beaming but cold smile. “I assure you that my husband is more than just a hero of women, Madam,” she replied sweetly, staring the woman straight in the eye. “In fact, he saved all manner of lives in the war. Some of which you may know personally. Perhaps you should be thanking him instead of spreading slander.”

“Lavinia,” Arthur murmured, the strain on his face more apparent. “There’s no need.”

“Oh, but there is,” she whispered back, feeling like an alley cat ready for a spat.

“Forgive us, Your Graces,” a gentleman interjected, darting a glaring look at the offending woman. “My wife has been known to have a loose tongue. Especially when imbibing.”

“We are compassionate people,” Lavinia replied coolly. “Forgiveness is always given when asked for. But I beg you to leave such slander at home.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” the woman answered quickly, bowing her head. Then, as if she thought Lavinia wouldn’t hear, she murmured under her breath, “Though how are we to know otherwise? He barely socializes and has yet to prove us wrong.”

“That is something easily fixed,” Lavinia replied matter-of-factly, meeting the woman’s eyes. “We are planning a ball to celebrate our happy union, are we not, husband?”

She turned toward Arthur, whose lips were drawn into a smirk. His eyes were radiating warmth as he looked at her, making her giddy.

“Well, it is your duty as Duchess to arrange such things,” he agreed with a nod. “Yes, a ball for our dear neighbors and friends to help us celebrate.”

“A ball at the Duke’s estate?” one of the other women asked, her eyes lighting up. “Why, there hasn’t been one in ages!”

“I remember your father, Your Grace,” the elder gentleman beside the lady stated, looking at Arthur. “I seem to recall he had one of the finest collections of early hunting rifles.”

Arthur looked surprised for a moment, but he quickly gathered himself and agreed. “Yes, he did, and he passed them on to me,” he stated. “I would be happy to give a tour of his armory at our upcoming celebration.”

“You will find—if an invitation graces your doorstep—that we have a warm and welcoming home to open to our guests,” Lavinia added sweetly.

A rush of questions began coming from the ladies at the table, but Lavinia put up a hand and smiled at them serenely.

“Perhaps we could talk more later,” she told them, her other arm embracing Arthur’s. “But for now, we are here to enjoy ourselves, and my husband has promised to dance with me.”

Lavinia turned to Arthur, feeling full of spirited satisfaction for what she’d just done. “Will you be so kind, husband?” she asked with a smile.

Arthur grinned back at her as he subtly shook his head, his arm squeezing tight around hers. “Of course, my love,” he replied confidently. “Allow me to lead the way.”

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

“That was quite an impressive feat you accomplished back there, my Duchess,” Arthur stated, giving Lavinia a devilish grin.

Lavinia smirked back at him, the mischief in her eyes still glittering brightly back at him. As they danced, he subtly pulled her closer, liking the feel of her waist in his hands.

“It would appear that one of us has been named incorrectly, Duke. Perhaps it is I that is the beast, after all.”

Arthur chuckled, feeling better than he ever had in quite some time. “You are certainly full of surprises,” he teased. “Who knew that under that beautiful exterior of yours was the heart of a lioness?”

“I did try to warn you,” she teased back.

Arthur moved into the next step of their dance, twirling her artfully as other guests looked on. The whispers had stopped since they’d joined the dance floor. Lavinia’s voice and strong defensive words had echoed throughout the other tables, and now it seemed no one dared to say a bad word.

“You certainly did,” Arthur mused, pulling her back into his arms. “I may have to admit that I was wrong about my previous opinion of your manner, and I am not used to that. Normally, my judgment is quite accurate.”

“As I said earlier to our gossiping counterparts,” Lavinia replied, “forgiveness is always given when requested sincerely.

The sharp, tall edges of the wall Arthur had built so carefully around his heart began to soften and disappear as he looked at his new wife. He had never met a woman so brave, so fearless… so just. Perhaps he couldn’t have believed it before, but he was certainly becoming convinced right now.

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