Page 52 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

Her eyes darted toward the door, and she wondered if she could make it there in time. As if knowing what she was thinking, Timothy chuckled and shook his head. From his jacket pocket, he pulled out a key.

“I promise to unlock it for you if you’ll only hear me out,” he urged.

“How did you get that?” Lavinia asked, eyeing the brass.

“I have my ways,” Timothy replied smoothly. His eyes then darkened. “Sit.”

Stiffly, Lavinia took a seat in the chair beside him and accepted the glass.

“To our friendship,” Timothy toasted. “Forever may it reign.”

Lavinia said nothing but raised her tumbler in a toast. She took a small sip of the drink, and it burned her throat instantly. Brandy was not her drink of choice, preferring wine, but she’d tasted it before, and it had not been like this. There was something bitter lying under the sweet notes of the liquor.

“Ah, see,” Timothy praised. “This isn’t so bad, is it?” He reached out, his fingers touching the bottom of her glass, and tipped it up so that more would flow into her mouth.

He only stopped when Lavinia let out a sputtering cough.

“Do you remember when we were children, Vinnie?” he went on as Lavinia touched her fingertips to her mouth. Her lips felt oddly numb, and a fresh wave of alarm washed through her.

“We would play on my parents’ lawn together, pretending to be married. Rebecca would be our officiant, and Agnes would pretend to be your father, cheering us on.”

Lavinia tried to speak, but her tongue felt large and foreign in her mouth. The sensation of sleepiness began to course through her, and she struggled to draw in a full breath.

“I always resented my father for squandering my inheritance.” Timothy sighed. “If he hadn’t, that wedding would have been real someday. But he dried our coffers before he died, leaving me no choice but to marry into wealth. Unfortunately, your father’s wasn’t vast enough to make up for my father’s debts, and I had to look elsewhere.”

He gave her a sad look. “You have no idea how heartbroken I was that I had to marry Emily instead of you. But as you grew up and became averse to marriage in general, I started to think that things would work out. I would have you both. One for money. One for love. I was certain that after some time, you and I would finally admit our feelings for one another. It was all going to be perfect.”

Lavinia tried to speak again, but her words came out as an unintelligible mix of unsuited syllables. She felt her panic take full flight then, and she tried to rise from the chair. Immediately, her legs began to tremble, and she fell back into her seat.

“Now, now, don’t move,” Timothy soothed, leaning toward her to press his hands into her thighs. “The tonic is swift. You will hurt yourself if you try to stand.”

He reached up to her face then, tucking one of her curls behind her ear. The edges of Lavinia’s vision began to turn a fuzzy black as she looked at him, terrified.

“You almost ruined everything by marrying that beast,” he whispered, shaking his head subtly. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m going to fix everything.”

“Aaarrtthhh heeelllppp,”Lavinia groaned in a weak, barely intelligible voice as her vision went completely black.

“Shhhh. It’s alright,” Timothy soothed, picking her up. “I’ve got you now. Everything is going to be exactly as it is meant to be.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

“Susan, have you seen Lavinia?” Arthur asked.

It had been nearly an hour since he’d left the armory to search for his wife, and he couldn’t find her anywhere.

Susan turned to him with a shrug. “Last I saw her she was looking for you so the two of you could deliver your toast,” she replied. “Which you should do soon. I, for one, am growing tired of these little treats being passed around, and I’m sure our guests feel the same.”

“I cannot find her anywhere,” Arthur replied, ignoring her jibe.

Susan rolled her eyes, clearly unconcerned. “I’m sure she is just upstairs, taking a nap,” she replied. “The first ball is always the most daunting to host. Perhaps she just needed a moment.”

“I just checked up there,” Arthur replied, shaking his head. “She’s not in her quarters, nor in any of the bedchambers.”

For the first time, Susan’s face showed concern. She passed her glass to Joshua and told him she would return shortly.

“Come, I shall help you look. Which rooms haven’t you checked yet?” she asked.

“I’ve checked every one,” Arthur growled, growing irritated. “Save for my study, but I had it locked.”

---