Page 62 of Her Seven Nights with the Duke

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Idon’t know how else to tell you this, but I do not think you can be like your father even if you tried,” Benedict said, handing Samuel a glass of alcohol.

Samuel took a sip as he heaved a sigh. The party had ended moments after his outburst, as Benedict and his mother ushered the last of the guests out of the house. They had been buzzing with excitement, desperate to get more information.

The dinner party had turned out to be the most entertaining thing that had happened in a while, and those who had missed it would soon hear about it from their friends, filled with deep regret for missing out on what turned out to be theater.

Samuel did not care much about any of that. He had meant it when he said he did not care about the opinions of the members of the ton, although he knew it would not be the same for Nora. Although she was strong, she was also a lady, and that meant that she would face more judgment from people than he would—not that he would ever let it get to that.

Samuel sighed as he stared out the window. Benedict clapped him on the back before taking a seat. He had turned out to be like his father, after all. He had hurt a man in the throes of passion. Losing himself because he fell in love with Nora had been one of the reasons that had stopped him from wishing to have a wife. He had seen what love did to people, and now he’d experienced it firsthand.

“Samuel, I need you to know that I am not saying this to console you as a friend, but anyone in your shoes would have done the same thing. You were only trying to protect Nora from that monster. That doesn’t make you like your father. Instead, it suggests that you are different from the kind of man he was.”

He nodded, although he could not bring himself to accept his friend’s words. It made sense that he would protect the person he loved no matter what. However, his father had been prone to violence and cruelty. It would only take so little for him to begin to toe the line and continue the legacy his father had left behind.

“I don’t know, Benedict. I have never felt such rage as I did at that moment. It was like something took over me and I couldn’t stop myself even if I tried to,” he said, looking down at his hand.

His knuckles were bruised from the heavy blow he landed to Lord Worlington’s chin. He should’ve been able to stop himself and Lord Worlington with his words, but instead, he had done more than that, and that was unforgivable.

A knock sounded at the door that had been left slightly ajar, and the Dowager Duchess walked in, wearing a small smile.

“Can I please speak with my son a moment, Benedict?” she asked, walking into the center of the room.

“Certainly, Your Grace,” Benedict said, getting up from the chair to excuse them.

Samuel’s jaw ticked wildly as he waited for his mother to tell him exactly what he knew to be true. He was turning into his father.

Instead, she remained standing in front of him, peering down at him until he was forced to look up at her.

“I don’t wish to speak to you, Mother,” he said, still angry at her and also self-conscious.

She was the only one who knew exactly what had transpired with his father. Although he had told Benedict about it, his friend had not been there to witness it directly.

“It will only be a minute, I promise,” she said, taking the seat opposite him.

She stared at him for moments until he wondered what it was she saw as she looked at him.

“The note you received. It was from Lady Marina,” she said, looking away from him as she blushed.

Samuel stared at her in shock. It was the first time he had seen her look so vulnerable. However, it did not come as a surprise to him that she had been the one responsible for it.

“I cannot say that I am surprised, Mother. I suspected that you had something to do with it,” he said.

She sat up straight, heaving a sigh. “It was the only way I could think to get you what you needed even though you have been fighting me on it. I was actually planning to make you get caught in a scandal with Lady Marina.”

“When I first heard the sound and whispers that you had been caught with a lady in the study, I thought it was her, and for a moment, although I did not wish to trick you into marriage, I was content to have done what needed to be done to ensure that you would be married.”

Samuel stared at her, utterly speechless. He had thought that she only wished to set him up with Lady Marina so he would be forced to speak with her. He hadn’t thought that she would go this far.

“I never would have believed that you would go as far as risking the family’s reputation to get your way,” he said, unable to understand why she couldn’t just let him do things the way he wanted.

“I thought you were determined to never marry, and I did what I believed needed to be done,” she said, standing up from her seat and walking over to the window. “I know that you are a truegentleman and you would never have allowed a lady to come to ruin, so I had counted on that to ensure that you would be married before winter came.”

She turned to face him now, her eyes boring into his. “I had never expected that you would fall in love.” She waved her hands in the air.

“Love is a fickle and foolish thing, and I believe it will fade away with time. However, I suppose I should be content that you will at least marry,” she said.

“You do not approve of my choice of a wife, I know that,” he said. “But Nora will make an excellent duchess.”

---