Page 61 of Her Seven Nights with the Duke

Guilt filled him as he ran outside. He should’ve let her go when she tried to get away from him. It was the only way he could ensure that her stepfather did not harm her.

No, that’s not true.

He shook his head. The man delighted in hitting women weaker than him. He would have tried to hurt her no matter what had happened today.

Samuel’s face set with determination. This would be the last time he would allow the Viscount to raise his hand to Nora. Never again would she be subjected to the kind of punishment he had constantly inflicted on her.

Samuel

He reached their carriage just as Lord Worlington pushed Nora towards it.

“Get in, you stupid girl. I should have known you would find a way to embarrass me no matter how much I tried to drill it into your head not to do so. I warned you of the consequences of your actions, but you didn’t listen, and now whatever happens is on you.”

He raised his hand to hit her just as Samuel rushed towards him and punched him in the chin, causing him to lose his balance and fall over.

The Viscountess rushed towards them, her arms stretched out to help her husband up to his feet, but he brushed her away, looking at her with scorn.

“Get off me, woman. This is all your doing. You should have been harsher with her and taught her how a woman should behave. Instead, you would rather chase after me and try to control everything I do,” he bellowed, standing to his feet.

He stared at the Duke, his glare faltering the moment he saw the murderous glint in Samuel’s eyes. Samuel regarded the pair with irritation. The mother for caring too much about a man who would hurt her daughter and the man for hitting Nora.

His hands clenched into fists, and he watched as the Viscount took a step back.

What a weakling of a man.

He calmed himself, looking at Nora, who stood with her hands wrapped around herself as though she would rather be anywhere but there. Regret and guilt filled him once again. This was not how he had expected things to play out when he planned the dinner party.

He shook his head. None of it mattered anymore. He would make it right one way or another.

“I will be coming by the estate tomorrow to speak with you. If I see any hair out of place or missing from her head, I will make sure you pay dearly for it. Are we clear?” he growled, glaring at the Viscount, who looked like he was barely managing to hold himself back from punching Samuel.

“You had better be there tomorrow like you have said,” the Viscount said instead, climbing into the carriage after ushering Nora and the Viscountess in.

Nora remained silent as the carriage drove them home. Even her mother, who was often given to tears and pleading, knew to remain silent. The air between them was charged as Timothy massaged his chin where Samuel had punched him.

He laughed suddenly, the sound causing her to jump as he leaned forward to stare at her. “How cunning you are. I never would have expected this from you, with how you behave.”

He laughed again, clapping his hands maniacally as Nora looked at her mother, who was watching him, not knowing how to respond to his sudden outburst of laughter.

“This is actually working in our favor, my dear. You did the right thing, and I must say that you have made me proud tonight. I have never been so impressed as I am now,” he said, laughing once again, only stopping when he winced from the pain in his jaw.

“Perhaps I should be angry that he hit me, but I cannot be, not when you will be marrying a duke and making me a lot of money. My coffers have never had such a prospect of looking so abundant before.”

The Viscount cackled once again, leaning back into his seat as the Viscountess wrapped her hand around Nora’s.

Nora looked down at their intertwined hands as her stomach dropped. This was so much worse than marrying whatever old baron the Viscount had chosen for her. He only intended to use the Duke as a means to make money. She could not allow it.

What can I do?

The Viscount was so much stronger than her, and now that everyone knew they had been caught in a terrible position, it would ruin her if the Duke did not marry her. She doubted the Baron would be eager to marry her when he found out her reputation had truly been ruined.

She could only imagine Lord Worlington’s reaction if things did not go the way he wanted them to.

The Viscount laughed once again, looking up at the ceiling of the carriage, his fingers calculating some imaginary sum.

“I do not care how it came to be or how you managed to lure him into the study with you, but marrying a duke is definitely better than the baron I had planned to marry you off to, no matter how ill-mannered of a man the Duke is.”

He glowered before bursting into laughter once again, the sound grating on Nora’s ears as the carriage drove them back home.

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