Page 21 of Married to a Wicked Duke
“Grandmother,” Frederick snapped, “the man just tripped, that’s all.” He lowered his voice, pinning the Dowager Duchess with hard eyes. “Hardly worth making a scene over, wouldn’t you agree?”
His grandmother exchanged glances with Lady Hilt.
“All right, Volk,” Frederick said before either lady could respond, “let’s get you outside.” He wrapped an arm around the man’s waist and turned him away from the barrage of critical eyes.
Behind him, Frederick heard his grandmother clear her throat. “Lady Juliet,” she said sweetly, “perhaps you might like to sing for us?”
Frederick guided the Earl towards the open side of the marquee. “I think you could use a bit of fresh air, My Lord.” He let him out into the garden and planted him on a bench under the oak tree. “Why don’t you have a little rest?”
Lord Volk closed his eyes, and for a moment Frederick was worried he was going to tip backward onto the lawn. But the Earl righted himself. He opened his eyes and reached up to pat Frederick on the cheek. “You’re a good lad, Brownwood. A damn good lad.”
Frederick heard a smattering of applause coming from inside the tent, followed by the opening strains of Lady Juliet’s performance. He couldn’t deny she had a fine voice, but it was soured somewhat by his knowledge of her character. He had exactly zero desire to return to the marquee and listen to her sing.
Satisfied the Earl was not about to end up faceplanting in the rose bushes, he made his way across the dark garden, seeking solitude. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Veronica emerging from the marquee and making her way towards her father.
Once he had reached the wild bottom end of the garden, Frederick released a long breath. He was utterly exhausted. In the past three days, he had endured more socializing than he had in months. He was more than ready to disappear upstairs.
I just have to get through this cursed fireworks display. And then I can disappear into my room and do my best to pretend this whole event never happened.
To think, his grandmother wished to see him married. Did she honestly imagine such a thing to be a good idea? He was not the kind of man to take his wife out to the theatre, or to dinner parties, or really anywhere at all. Given the choice, he would stay away from the eyes of society whenever possible. The only life he could offer his Duchess would be a lonely one, in which she would spend her days without her husband’s company. He had no intention of putting anyone through that.
Frederick heard the crackling of twigs and groaned inwardly. He had not imagined that any of his admirers would want to come traipsing through the wilderness out here in their fine silk gowns. Besides, he could still hear Lady Juliet’s warbling and had assumed her entourage would be too enthralled in the performance to seek him out. He had imagined—naively, he saw now—that he would be safe out here in the darkness. Frederick felt something turn over his stomach. Something far too close to dread.
The footsteps came closer and a face emerged from the dark. “Your Grace?”
And at the sight of Veronica Caster emerging from the shadows, Frederick realized it was not dread he was feeling, but something else entirely…
ChapterNine
“Forgive the interruption,” said Veronica tentatively. There was a look of faint warmth on the Duke’s face right now, but she knew all too well how easily he could be set off into a rage. “May I join you for a moment?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
Half surprised by his acquiescence, Veronica perched daringly on the bench beside him. She knew it could be considered scandalous if they were caught alone together in the darkness. No, they were still in view of the marquee, she decided. Still in view of her father. Not that he was generally the most reliable of witnesses.
“I wished to thank you,” she said. “For standing up for my father back there. And for taking care of him.” She sighed. “I know he can be rather… a handful.”
The Duke shook his head dismissively. “It was nothing. Really.” He glanced down. “In fact, he rather helped me too.”
Veronica looked at him in surprise. “He did? How?”
The Duke was silent for a few moments. Just when Veronica thought he was not going to answer, he said, “He understood me. Sometimes it does not feel that there are many people in the world who do.”
Veronica’s lips parted, unsure what to say. Sometimes she felt the same way: that no one really understood her. Most ladies in her social circle wanted nothing more than a husband with a lofty title. To wish for a successful career as an artist, and a husband who loved her for who she was, made her something of an outlier. She could relate to the sense of loneliness she heard in the Duke’s words.
She gave him a tiny smile. “I’m glad Papa was able to help you.” She sighed. “He’s a good man, you know. Deep down. He has just… made some rather dreadful decisions. And he does not always have the strength to rectify them.”
The Duke nodded. “Yes. I can see that. He has far more decency in him than many others in theton.”
Veronica gave him a smile of gratitude. It was not often she heard people speak highly of her father. The words left a warmth in her chest. She turned away but could still feel his eyes on her.
“You are wearing the earrings,” he said.
Veronica felt her cheeks color. “My grandmother insisted.” In truth, she had felt uncomfortable wearing such valuable jewelry to the party. She knew they just highlighted the plainness of her gown. Made her look like she was trying to be something she was not. She had even asked Sarah to style her hair to cover her ears. She was surprised the Duke had noticed her wearing them.
“They were my mother’s,” he said.
“Oh.” Veronica brought a hand to her mouth. “I did not realize. Forgive me, that was terribly insensitive of me.” Her hand flew instinctively to her ears. “I—”
