Page 8 of A Bride for the Wicked Duke

“I am,” Aurelia said, forcing a smile. “So please, whatever it is you have intended for Eveline, I ask that you consider delaying it. For a week at the very least, as that is all the time I will need to find a suitor.”

Daniel scoffed. “What makes you so certain?”

“Just a feeling,” she said.

Her mother beamed, rose from her chair, and swept toward Aurelia, pulling her into a hug. “Aurelia, I am so...” She held her close, kissing her on top of the head. “So proud of you. You have no idea how much.”

“Anything I can do,” she said.

“Hhhmmm...” Her mother pulled back, raised an eyebrow, and looked her daughter over. “Perhaps you might spend this week slimming down, then? If you wish to find a suitor, best that you shed a few of those extra pounds, no?”

Aurelia’s face dropped.My mother might be looking at me as if I have stolen her daughter’s skin, but at least I can be certain she is the same woman who raised me. Some things never change.

ChapterThree

"How about him?” Rosalind said, indicating across the ball room to Lord Alderwin. He was a slightly older gentleman who was not exactly hard on the eyes, but it made little difference as Aurelia knew the man well enough, the things people said of him, how he had a reputation for cruelty and sadism among those ladies unlucky enough to find themselves in his path.

“Pass,” Aurelia said. “And really, Rosalind? Do you think so little of me.”

“That is not --”

“What of Lord Chesterfield?” Eveline took Aurelia by the arm and steered her direction ahead, nodding with her head at the back of Lord Chesterfield. He was the complete opposite to Lord Alderwin; young and dashing, fit and athletic, and truthfully a little too handsome for his own good.

Aurelia clicked her tongue. “Perhaps, only I fear he will spend our entire marriage in front of the mirror. Truly, he is so vain that even Narcissus would blush.”

“He is rather pretty, isn’t he,” Eveline agreed, her expression turning dreamy.

“And broke,” Rosalind said. “Everyone knows it.”

“There you have it,” Aurelia said. “Lord Chesterfield is out.”

“Lord Lakeview?” Rosalind was again steering Aurelia’s attention further into the ball room, this time onto that of Lord Lakeview. He was of average height, his features plain, his reputation middling. But he was also known to be wealthy, and to be in search of a bride who he might shower with this wealth. “I have heard he is quite kind,” Rosalind pushed. “At the very least, he should be considered worth approaching.”

“I guess...”

“I still think you should try Lord Chesterfield,” Eveline continued, her gaze still very much stuck on the handsome lord. “So what if he is poor? You two could simply run away together. No one would begrudge you.”

Aurelia laughed. “I will consider it.”

“Is there anyone else?” Rosalind continued, pulling Aurelia’s gaze from Lord Chesterfield. “You really must get a move on, Aurelia. Time is not your friend.”

“What’s the rush?” Eveline asked. “We have all night. And these things are not to be hurried.”

To this, Aurelia and Rosalind looked at one another but said nothing. They knew well enough why time was of the essence, but had not shared the full details of this endeavor with Eveline as Aurelia did not think she needed to be told.Let her simply assume that I have changed my mind of my own accord, and that I am not doing this for her. If she found out the truth, I dare say she would do everything she could to stop me. Just to prove that she could, if for no other reason.

Having said all of that, it was not as if Rosalind knew the whole story, as Aurelia had not shared with her that His Grace was the one whom she had met with last week. As far as Rosalind knew, the owner of Aurelia’s family’s debts was nothing more than a loan shark who had no connection to the peerage whatsoever.Hopefully, she will never find out.

Regardless of who she owed the debt to, the result was the same, which was why Aurelia had come to tonight’s ball with one goal in mind: to find a husband. Easier said than done.

They had been at it for an hour now, standing toward the back of the ball room, surveying the attendees, searching for the perfect man who Aurelia might deigned to be worthy of her hand. So far, and needless to say, it was not going well.

“What of Lord Harrow?” Rosalind asked. “He has been watching us all night.”

“Who?” Aurelia followed her friend’s gaze and shuddered when she saw to whom her friend was suggesting. He was a spindly man, possessed of a beak-like nose and beady eyes, greasy hair, and a smile on his lips that made her skin crawl. Yes, he was watching the three of them with keen interest, but that was not exactly a point in his favor. “I would rather take a long walk off a short cliff.”

“Ha!” Eveline laughed.

“He is...” She shuddered, daring one more look at the man – who was still watching them – before turning away. “... creepy. And I do wish he would stop staring.”

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