Page 24 of Married to a Wicked Duke
Frederick did not respond. After all, what was there to say? He had no doubt that Veronica Caster had had dreams of great romance, of an elusive marriage for love. Now, thanks to him, she would be denied such a wish. This was not the life that either of them had hoped for. But it was now reality. And now, not only was he about to be shoehorned into marriage, but he would have to put on a show for all these guests and pretend he was happy about the situation.
He caught sight of the Earl of Volk, still sitting on the bench beneath the oak tree. “I ought to speak to your father,” he told Veronica. “It is the decent thing to do.”
What would Lord Volk say about all this, Frederick wondered distantly? Would he be angry at the way things had unfolded? Or pleased his daughter had secured a good match—albeit in less than typical circumstances?
As it turned out, Lord Volk had little to say on the topic at all. When Frederick mumbled out his plans to make Lady Veronica his wife, the Earl’s vague nod made Frederick wonder if he had even been heard. He glanced at Veronica, who was hovering edgily at his shoulder.
“My Lord?” he pressed. “Did you understand what I just said?”
The Earl shook himself out of a daze. “Yes, yes,” he said. “Very good, Your Grace.” He reached up and patted Frederick on the arm. “My daughter will be lucky to have you.”
Frederick shook his head. Veronica was far from lucky, of course. But at least he had not been subjected to any hounding by his future father-in-law.
I am beginning to understand why Lady Hilt is taking charge of finding her granddaughters a husband…
“Thank you, Papa,” Veronica said in a tiny voice. She reached out a hand to help him to his feet. “You ought to come inside now. People will think something is wrong if you are not here for His Grace’s announcement.” Her words were heavy with sadness and resignation. Frederick found himself wishing he could take her pain away.
But how could he do that when her sadness came from the thought of marrying him?
Lady Hilt took her son-in-law’s elbow in a vise-like grip and steered him into the marquee. Frederick offered Veronica his arm. “We had best put on a show,” he murmured. “The last thing we want is for anyone to think there is anything scandalous about this.”
Veronica nodded, pressing her narrow fingers into the crook of his arm. “Thank you, Your Grace,” she murmured. Her blue eyes were still glistening, though the tears had stopped falling. Together, they stepped into the marquee. The guests were all filtering in, murmuring to one another. Frederick saw a few heads turn his and Veronica’s way.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” boomed his grandmother. “Once again, I thank you for attending this lovely celebration. I do hope you have all enjoyed yourself.” She was beaming, Frederick realized. Clearly, she had no qualms about sending him to the altar under duress; she was just pleased he would have himself a wife.
Almost as though she planned this…The thought swung at him suddenly. No, the notion was ridiculous. Wasn’t it? She and Lady Hilt had leaped out of the shadows at lightning speed, the moment he had pressed his body to Veronica’s.
Almost as though they were waiting for it to happen…
No. The thought is ludicrous. Isn’t it?
“I have received some wonderful news from my dear grandson, the Duke of Brownwood,” his grandmother sang. “We would like to share the happy news with you all tonight.” She looked pointedly at Frederick. “Your Grace?”
Frederick swallowed heavily, shaking away his suspicions. Whether his and Veronica’s grandmothers had engineered the situation or not mattered little. They had been caught, and that was all that was important.
He drew in a long breath, looking out over the crowd. This was it, he realized. The moment he spoke these words, he would be tying himself to Lady Veronica forever.
Who am I kidding? I tied myself to Lady Veronica the moment our grandmothers caught us in such a compromising position…
Yes, he could have walked away. Refused to marry her and let the rumors that would likely spread about her take their course. But he did not want to be that kind of man. Especially not when it came to Veronica Caster.
All eyes were on him. Expectant and impatient. He ought to make some sort of speech, he supposed. Something that made this look as though it were something other than a hurried coupling designed to cover up a scandal. But this already felt far too difficult. Besides, he hated all this pomposity and parading. Best to just get it over with.
“It is my great honor to announce my engagement to Lady Veronica Caster,” he blurted.
ChapterTen
The moment the Duke’s words spilled out—without even a hint of ceremony, Veronica noted—the marquee filled with excited chatter.
Veronica felt her eyes pulling toward the floor, but her grandmother’s elbow jabbing into her upper arm forced her to look up. Immediately, her gaze met Lady Juliet’s. A look of horror was painted across her rival’s face, and she glared at Veronica as though trying to turn her to stone. Beside Juliet, Lady Arabella glanced between them, wide-eyed. Veronica felt her grip on the Duke’s arm tighten without her having any thought of it.
He turned to her. “It’s all right,” he mouthed, his words going some small way toward steadying her.
“Are youcertainof this decision, Your Grace?” Lady Juliet spoke up boldly. Her words dripped with bitterness. Beside Veronica, the Dowager Marchioness shook her head, clearly appalled by Juliet’s brazenness.
The Duke looked at Lady Juliet squarely. “Yes, My Lady. Quite certain.” He held her gaze for a long second, and Juliet seemed to cower beneath it. Her shoulders hunched slightly, and she took a step backward.
“Very well,” she said tautly. The shocked expression on her face morphed into a syrupy smile. She pinned the couple with hard eyes that made Veronica’s stomach roll. “Then I wish you both a wholelifetimeof happiness. I am sure you will have nothing less.”
