Page 37 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
Vaughan grimaced. Agreement was hardly the same thing as actually wanting it.
He should say no. The word was on the tip of his tongue. But he had to admit, the idea of having a wife handed to him on a silver platter made him pause. He didn’t want to go through the hassle of meeting and wooing another appropriate young lady, and Carlisle’s proposal would save him from having to do that.
“Don’t you think it would cause more scandal if I were to become betrothed to Lady Emma, rather than less?” he asked.
Carlisle shrugged. “Who knows what the ton will say?”
Vaughan murmured his agreement. Society was not always predictable.
“Lady Carlisle pointed out that marrying Emma may put a stop to any gossip that Violet jilted you because of a character flaw,” Carlisle said. “It’s possible that some gossips will say she did it because she learned you are cruel, or something similar. Becoming engaged to Emma will head that gossip off.”
He made a reasonable point.
Vaughan glanced at his brandy decanter but decided he didn’t need more alcohol to addle his mind right now.
“I understand if you aren’t interested in the match,” Carlisle said, leaning forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. “It would be unconventional, and despite their similarities, Emma and Violet do not have the same level of attraction. I told Lady Carlisle that I would talk to you, and now I have, so my duty is discharged.”
Vaughan scratched his jaw and considered what Carlisle was and wasn’t saying. He didn’t think the idea of marrying Emma would have the same appeal as marrying Violet did.
For some reason, that bothered Vaughan. He understood where it was coming from—hell, he’d wanted to marry Violetrather than Emma—but he was wrong to make it sound as though Emma was lesser.
She wasn’t.
She was infinitely more interesting than Violet, and therein lay the problem. He was drawn to her in a way he didn’t want to be drawn to his future wife. The attraction was inconvenient, but it didn’t necessarily need to be a deterrent.
If he housed her somewhere far away from him and only spent the minimum necessary time with her to get her with child, surely he could put distance between them before he developed any finer feelings.
It would be very convenient to not have to find a replacement bride.
“I need to speak with Lady Emma,” Vaughan said.
Emma curled more tightlyin on herself, clutching the book in her hands. She was re-readingEmma, one of her favorite novels by Jane Austen, and silently mourning the fact she might never have a Mr. Knightley of her own.
“Emma.” Her mother was breathless as she appeared in the doorway. “The Duke of Ashford is here, and he’s asking for you.”
Emma’s lips parted. “Excuse me?”
“Come quickly,” Lady Carlisle urged. “He’s in the drawing room.”
Emma put the book on a nearby table, stood, and shook out her skirts. Whatever the duke wanted to speak with her about, she feared it wouldn’t be good. After all, if he’d rejected her father’s offer out of hand, he wouldn’t need to see her personally, would he?
She followed her mother into the corridor and down the stairs. Perhaps the duke was here to express his displeasure at the fact anyone could think she’d be an appropriate replacement for Violet.
They entered the drawing room, and Emma’s stomach twisted as her gaze landed on him. She’d forgotten how handsome he was. His stormy eyes held hers captive as he approached.
He turned to her mother. “Lady Carlisle, may I talk with Lady Emma privately?”
Emma’s mother blanched. “T-that…,” she sputtered.
“You could summon Daisy,” Emma said softly.
Lady Carlisle’s eyes narrowed, but she stepped outside, leaving the door wide open, and spoke with Samuels in hushed tones. Emma stared down at her hands, afraid of what she might see if she looked at the duke.
Disdain? Or worse?
A minute stretched by in excruciating silence, and then Daisy moved briskly into the room and sat on a chair in the far corner.
“You may have twenty minutes,” Lady Carlisle said before drawing the door closed but not latching it shut.
