Page 19 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
His asking to meet with her father could mean only one thing: he’d come to request Violet’s hand in marriage.
Vaughan passeda bouquet of roses to a flustered Lady Carlisle, who’d arrived on the doorstep of Carlisle House at the same time he did.
“Lady Carlisle,” he said. “Can you make sure these are taken to Lady Violet? I need to speak with the earl in private.”
“Of course.” Lady Carlisle took the bouquet and blinked at him owlishly. “Lord Carlisle will be in his office. Would you like me to get him for you?”
Vaughan shook his head. “I can show myself in.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice rose in pitch.
He frowned. Did she consider it inappropriate to allow a duke to wander freely in their house? He’d rather thought dukes could do whatever they pleased.
“Very,” he said and swept inside, walking past the wide-eyed butler and toward the ground-floor room he knew that Lord Carlisle kept as an office.
He was aware he was behaving abruptly, but if his encounters with both Lady Emma and Lady Violet at Lord Mayhew’s home had taught him anything, it was that he needed to act quickly.
There was no reason to delay moving forward with Lady Violet. He’d recognized from the outset that they were well suited. She would not bother him after they were married; she would be more than able to entertain herself.
Besides, the sooner they were wed, the sooner he could escape his inexplicable draw to the intriguing Lady Emma. Staying far away from anyone he might be romantically interested in was at the top of his priorities list.
Vaughan knocked on the solid wooden door. He couldn’t hear anything from within—probably because of the thickness of the door and the fact that it was firmly closed.
A moment later, it swung inward, and Vaughan met Lord Carlisle’s piercing gaze.
“Ashford,” he said, his polished vowels as aristocratic as his high cheekbones and thick gray hair. “Are you here about my daughter?”
“I am,” Vaughan said, noticing that Carlisle did not ask which daughter.
“Very well. Come in.” He stepped aside and went to a crystal decanter atop a small writing desk set against one wall. “Brandy?”
“No, thank you.” One brandy was unlikely to dull his wits, but he didn’t want to take the chance.
“Please, sit.” Carlisle gestured at the elegantly carved wooden chair on the visitor’s side of his desk.
Vaughan took the seat, wishing it had upholstery that he could rub his damp palms on.
Lord Carlisle sat in his own chair, which was much larger and made of black leather. Vaughan briefly wondered if the two chairs had been chosen strategically to put the earl at an advantage over whomever he was meeting with.
“I understand you’ve been courting Violet,” Carlisle said.
“Yes. I believe she’s an excellent match, and I would like to ask her to be my duchess.” Vaughan was proud of how steady he sounded.
Carlisle smiled, and there was something a little smug about it. “She will make a fine duchess, and I am happy to give you my blessing. I looked you up as soon as I heard you were sniffing around, so I know you aren’t a fortune hunter or considered to be a scoundrel. In fact, I couldn’t have found a better match for her myself.”
Ah, yes. The earl was definitely pleased to have a duke joining the family.
“I assume we can come to an agreement on the details later?” Vaughan asked, referring to the dowry and any settlements made upon Violet.
“Absolutely. I’m sure you are eager to speak with Violet first.” Carlisle stood and came around the desk. “Follow me to the drawing room. I assume my wife will have already summoned her.”
Lord Carlisle led Vaughan to the room he’d been ushered to when calling on Violet previously. Their surroundings were very feminine, from the pale pink patterned wallpaper to the strong floral scent that hung in the air.
Violet rose from a chair and curtseyed as he entered.
“Lady Violet,” he said in greeting. “It’s lovely to see you again so soon.”
Her skirt swished around her ankles as she moved toward him. “I could say the same, Your Grace. After seeing you this afternoon, I did not expect to have the honor of a call today.”
