Page 32 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
“You cannot simply ask him to swap from one sister to another,” Sophie said. “He will think you’ve lost your mind.”
Emma already thought her mother was mad.
“There’s no way the duke will want to marry me,” she said. “For one, if he found me as ‘suitable’ as Violet, then he would have pursued me from the beginning, yet he did not. Secondly, if he were to marry me, my mere existence would constantly remind him of Violet and the fact that she jilted him.”
Emma poured herself more tea, ignoring the rattle of the teapot as her hands shook. She wanted to believe that her mother couldn’t possibly be serious about this, but based on her expression, she was, and Emma had a terrible feeling about it.
“I agree with Emma,” Lord Carlisle said as he scooped strawberry jam onto his toast and spread it thickly. “The dukeis unlikely to want to bind himself to us after what Violet has done.”
Lady Carlisle narrowed her eyes at him. “Think of it this way: every man wants a wife who is attractive, of good breeding, and who can manage his home and bear him a child.”
“Do they?” Sophie muttered.
Lady Carlisle ignored her. “Emma fulfills all of those criteria. She is the daughter of an earl, pretty enough, well-versed in household management, and of child-bearing age and healthy constitution.”
Emma sipped her tea, grateful for the soothing warmth on the parched inside of her mouth. Her mother made her sound like a horse. She half expected her to mention that she had all her teeth and good vision too. She was a person, not a broodmare.
“I am not the same as Violet,” Emma said. She knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Men fought to court Violet, while they would merely settle for her. “A fact of which I’m sure the duke is very well aware.”
“And considering the situation, it is also a fact that is sure to please him,” Lady Carlisle retorted without taking her gaze off her husband. “My lord, if he were to wed Emma, it would save him from having to go through the process of finding another wife, and it may help repair the damage to his reputation.”
Lord Carlisle bit into his toast, chewed, and swallowed before replying. “How so?”
“There may be rumors that Violet ran off with another man because of a flaw or shortcoming of the duke. If Emma were to marry him, that would assure society that there is no reason to shun or be wary of him.”
Emma pursed her lips. She rather thought that no one would shun a duke regardless of what rumors might surround him. Ifanyone was to bear the brunt of the scandal, it would be they and Violet, not the Duke of Ashford.
“I take your point,” Lord Carlisle said. “The idea has merit, but I still don’t think that Ashford will want anything to do with us. He was quite upset when I spoke to him.”
Emma felt a pang of sympathy. She hadn’t spared much thought for the duke’s emotions, more concerned with her family’s well-being and the repercussions for them. Still, the duke had wanted Violet to be his wife. He’d been as charmed by her as any other man of the ton, and learning of her defection must have hurt.
“Was he heartbroken?” Sophie asked.
“Of course not,” their father said dismissively. “He didn’t love her. Don’t be so fanciful.”
Emma met Sophie’s eyes, and an unspoken thought passed between them. Even if the duke had not been in love with Violet, he’d probably been infatuated. Men didn’t like to speak of such things, but both his heart and his ego were probably bruised.
“If Ashford were to agree, would you be satisfied with an arrangement between him and Emma?” Lady Carlisle asked her husband.
Lord Carlisle nodded. “Such an engagement would certainly help restore our standing.”
Emma’s stomach roiled, threatening to eject the eggs sitting like a rock in her gut. She didn’t want to marry the Duke of Ashford. He’d been cold toward her for their entire acquaintance with the exception of those stolen moments in the office at Mayhew House.
Moreover, she didn’t want to marry someone who did not want to marry her. She wanted love. She wanted to be wanted. Was that too much to ask?
“Then if we can make it happen, would you approve?” Lady Carlisle said.
“Yes,” Lord Carlisle answered.
Emma placed her hands on the table. “I don’t want to marry the duke.”
Her mother leveled her with a look. “You should have thought about that before you planted silly ideas about love into your sister’s head.”
“That’s not fair,” Emma exclaimed. “I didn’t make Violet elope with Mr. Mayhew. I shouldn’t be punished for something she did.”
Especially not when her damn sister would get the happily-ever-after that Emma had always wanted. It was like Violet was being rewarded for her poor behavior while Emma had to pay for it.
Lady Carlisle laughed mirthlessly. “How do you expect to find someone else to marry you if no one in the ton will even be seen speaking with us?”
