Page 10 of Her Cursed Duke
“How terrible. The poor man must be disheartened,” Agnes said, shaking her head as they moved toward the stage that had been prepared for a musical performance.
“And now, some of those people who have never had a single kind thought about him are vying for his attention,” Prudence commented, her eyes wandering back to the Duke, feeling upset at how eager he seemed to leave his present company. “I suppose we should not be surprised. Some people would do anything to raise their social standing.”
Prudence was disheartened as she recalled the lonely expression on the Duke’s face when she had approached him. It was oneshe knew all too well and had seen staring back at her when she looked in the mirror on some particularly empty days, where nothing she did could make her feel whole. He had even tried to convince her to leave his side, without being so forward about his intentions—possibly because he meant no harm, but rather preferred his own company above others’.
It led her to believe that he was much more thoughtful—at least—than people thought, and she wished she could help him but was unsure if she could or even how to do so.
On the other side of the garden, Aiden had managed to slip away from three sisters who seemed moments away from tearing at each other’s dresses in a bid to get his attention and swiftly moved among the crowd to put some distance between himself and them. He had hoped his discussion with his godmother would have been the last he would have had to hear about the matter, but all of a sudden, ladies began to approach him from all corners.
He could not outright state his disinterest in the concept of marriage—as that would no doubt reach his godmother’s ears, and she would make a fuss over it here and now—so he did what he could to escape from their clutches. It was proving to be a tasking affair because it seemed he also needed to avoid his godmother, lest she ask him questions.
He spotted her in the fray, surrounded by friends, and quickly chose to walk in a random direction as he noticed her start to turn toward him.
“Your Grace! Might I have a word?” a maiden asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
“No, you may not,” he snapped irritably, his patience completely exhausted. “I am not interested in anything you have to say, just as I am quite certain you have no interest in me, but rather your sights are set on my fortune. If you’ll excuse me, there is something I must attend to.”
He hurriedly made his way toward the entrance of the castle, thankful when he noticed that there was no one following him.
He exhaled in relief, feeling irritated at the issue. Aiden had no desire to live like this, unwilling to spend the next days agonizing over an issue he wanted nothing to do with. He did not have a lot of peaceful moments in his life, but he would be damned if they were wasted on such a trivial matter.
Even if I were to take a bride, I doubt any of these shallow, dull hypocrites would even—
“… you sure?”
Aiden paused at the voice, wondering if he should hide, deciding moments later that this was his residence and he had no reason to act like a thief, sneaking around and searching for places to seek refuge in.
“I am. I would like to observe the fireworks on my own. And you should spend some time with your husband. You two have been apart all evening.”
The second voice was familiar, and at once, Aiden recalled Lady Prudence, unable to keep himself from listening to the rest of the conversation.
“All right. Will you come and find us after?” the first speaker—likely Lady Prudence’s sister—asked.
“Of course. You two enjoy yourselves.”
Aiden watched Lady Prudence walk into his line of sight, heading up the stairs, and suddenly, an idea occurred to him.
What if he could somehow keep the ladies hounding him away and appease his godmother, all without getting married? If he were to somehow convince his godmother that he had heard and was willing to comply, perhaps she might feel satisfied enough to leave him be. Then, at the end of the day, things could fall through, and he would ride the failure as far as he could, using it as a viable reason not to get involved with any woman again.
The idea was nothing short of madness—far too much work for something as simple as his peace of mind—but there were no other options left in his arsenal. He knew the sort of woman the Dowager Marchioness was, and her tenacity was a trait he equally admired and despised. She would hound him until she had gotten what she wanted.
And so, he would give her just that—but on his terms. A fake courtship to give the impression that he was indeed looking for a bride and then after some time, they could go their separate ways, and he could claim the end of their relationship was far too devastating for him to risk another involvement.
But with no time and barely any suitable candidates that would agree to engage in a farce such as this, who would he enlist to play the role he needed?
Lady Prudence’s face flashed in his mind, and he smirked, recalling her gentle words and naïve gaze. She seemed like the sort of person who could easily be convinced to do one’s bidding. Perhaps he should test out that theory.
Without a second thought, he went upstairs to find Lady Prudence. He spotted her easily enough, standing on a balcony as she watched the bright bursts of colorful flames flash across the sky. He silently approached her, a little distracted by the pale skin of her slender neck that was showing as she stared up at the sky.
Pushing aside thoughts of what the rest of her bare would look like, he spoke stiffly, “I do not know if you are brave or simply innocently foolish, Lady Prudence. I imagine it would take quite a bit of both to waltz into the home of a cursed man however one pleased, yet here you are, enjoying yourself on my balcony.”
She whirled around to face him, her eyes wide with shock. “Your Grace! I-I did not mean to—”
“So, which is it? Are you a brave one? Do you think yourself untouchable and safe from my curse? Or are you an innocent fool who believes there is no harm in simply exploring my dwelling? The party was made to be hosted in the garden for a reason, Lady Prudence,” he stated blankly, deriving some pleasure from how quickly her cheeks flushed.
“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace. It was not my intention to impose or take advantage of your generosity. I will leave immediately.”
Lady Prudence shrunk back in fear when he took a step toward her, his eyes dark with intent.
