Page 46 of The Wrong Duke

“I only wished you’d told me of your plan in advance, as I might have urged Lord Malnor to head in that direction. A good thing the storm was so unforgiving, as Lord Winstead and his son were forced to return early. Again, bravo, Amelia. Bravo.”

Ah, now she understood.

It was on account of her returning from the forest with Lord Malnor. When she did, having left the Duke behind, it appeared to those watching that Lord Malnor had been the one to find her. And even the affable lord, knowing not of the Duke’s presence in the cabin, had believed that he’d been the one to save her... even though the storm had well and truly passed, and there was no need for her to be saved. But the gesture was the same, and the moment the two had emerged from the forest, it was nothing but praise for the brave lord and worry for the foolish young lady who was lucky that such a strong, handsome man had found her when he did.

If this was just a few hours ago, Amelia might have rebuked her father’s notion. She might have told him that she hadn’t gotten herself trapped on purpose, and really, all Lord Malnor had done was walk her home. If this was just a few hours ago, she certainly would have tried to temper her father’s excitement because she could see from the excitable look in his eyes that this visit was about more than a chance to congratulate her on her devilish ways.

Instead of any of that, all she was able to offer was a soft, “Oh. Right.”

“No need to be so modest,” her father continued. “You took my instruction, and you went beyond anything that even I might have conceived. And I must say...” He stood over her, still rubbing his hands together, a look of pure greed written across his visage. “I’m even thinking that I owe you an apology.”

Amelia blinked. “You — you do?”

He chuckled. “I doubted you, Amelia. All this time, I thought you were working against me. And I know, I know you promised me that you were not, but can you blame me with the way you have behaved? As if you were trying to thwart me. But now I see that you were just bidding your time. A tiger in the grass, so to speak.”

“Yes, well... I suppose I got lucky with the storm.”

“And you played it perfectly. I’ve just been speaking with the Marquess too, and —”

“You were?” she blurted before she could stop herself. Panic set in, fear that her father might have taken this single instance and used it to finally strike the deal he’d been meaning to since this whole charade began.

His nostrils flared; her father hated being interrupted. But his mood was such that this time, he chose to let it go. “I did. And he was most glad that you’re all right. He could not have sounded happier. I get the feeling that he’s become quite taken with you.”

She sighed with relief but then noticed her father eyeing her and forced a smile. “I guess we’ll have a lot to talk about over supper then, won’t we?”

“Ah yes...” He grimaced. “About that.” He looked to where she was sitting on the edge of the bed and raised an eyebrow. It took Amelia a moment to understand what he was suggesting, but then she was quick to shuffle across, so he might sit. Which he did do, beside her, but not so close that they were touching, or he might risk doing so. “I’m afraid that supper has been cancelled.”

“What?” Amelia blurted again, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

“After the storm and what happened with you...” Her father shook his head. “Plus, Lord Wexley’s son sprained his ankle in the storm, and Lord Chalmers sustained a cut to his cheek from a falling branch. The entire thing...” He exhaled and shook his head again. “The storm has made a mess of things, so I made the decision to cancel the final night so that they might go home and attend to their injuries.” He didn’t sound happy about it.

Amelia, on the other hand, was thrilled. The last thing she had wanted to do was sit through another long evening, feigning interest, forcing herself to engage when she would have much rather had been in her room, mourning the day’s outcome while assessing where she was to go from here.

And what was more, with this new twist concerning herself and Lord Malnor, Amelia would have had to work extra hard to keep his affections. The Duke wouldn’t have been there to intercede. Her father would have been egging them on. And with the way she was feeling, Amelia wasn’t entirely sure how she might have behaved, what she might have said, and the fallout that was sure to follow.

But she didn’t tell her father any of that.

“That’s a shame,” she said instead, forcing herself to sound upset.

“It is...” Her father eyed her skeptically. “But not to worry, for when God closes a door, he opens a window.” His eyes then flashed, and Amelia’s stomach sank because that could only mean more bad news. “Mr. Gregory!” he then barked.

Suddenly, one of the manor’s many servants, Mr. Gregory, appeared in the doorway. He held in his hands a large, flat cardboard box with a ribbon wrapped about it. He hesitated as he appeared, and her father waved the man in.

“What’s going on?” Amelia asked, eyeing the box.

“As you know, the Galentine Ball is in a few night’s time,” he explained as he collected the box from Mr. Gregroy and then shooed him away. “And as it so happens, Lord Wexley’s estate is just down the road. Seeing as we were forced to cancel tonight, I suggested to Lord Wexley that he host us and the others that evening and the following morning. We may get ready there, perhaps sup before we leave, and then retire for the night as one of his guests. Personally, I loathe his manor. It’s cold and ancient and has an odor to it that Lord Wexley claims he can’t smell, but I know he must.” Her father undid the bow atop the box. “Nevertheless, it will be a perfect opportunity.”

“An opportunity...?” A lump formed in her throat as she eyed the box. “For what?”

“For a final push.” Her father’s eyes widened with excitement, and he looked at her. “Not that a push will be required, mind you. Not after we had this unexpected delivery.” He lifted the box and placed it on her lap.

Amelia didn’t move to open it. “What — what is it?”

“Again, Amelia, I must admit that I’ve underestimated you. All this time I thought Lord Malnor to find you uninteresting, but clearly, he has become as besotted as I could have hoped.” A beat. “Open the box.”

Her hands shook as she lifted the lid with no idea what the box might contain but knowing it had to be bad. However, once she lifted the lid and saw what was inside, Amelia couldn’t help but gasp. Why, for a moment she forgot entirely what her father was saying and gave herself over to excitement.

“Where... how... who?” she gasped to herself.

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