Page 14 of Her Cursed Duke
Aiden had initially thought that the hardest part of his arrangement with Prudence would be getting her to agree tohelp him. As it turned out, the real challenge lay in bringing up the matter to his godmother.
He glanced at her over his teacup, noting that she appeared to be in a good mood, chattering away about their party the day before while they ate breakfast. He had rehearsed his words multiple times but worried that he would not sound genuine enough and she might see through his ruse. He was also not in the mood to entertain whatever fussy questions she might have about the ridiculous notions and—God forbid—the possibility of him falling in love with the lady who had caught his eye.
Come on, man,there is no use second-guessing the decision that has already been made. Out with it!
Clearing his throat, he began, “Pardon me, Godmother. There is something I must tell you.”
She stopped speaking, her hands also pausing their chore of cutting up her sausages.“Is everything all right, darling? You sound so serious.”
“Ah.” Aiden chuckled cautiously. “I am all right. Everything is fine. I merely wanted to tell you that… I did what I said I would, and a lady from last night succeeded in piquing my interest. As such, we have entered into courtship.”
His godmother was silent for a moment, and then the cutlery fell from her hands with an audible clattering sound.“Oh my, Aiden! That is wonderful! Who is the maiden who caught your attention?”
Aiden cleared his throat, willing himself to sound as casual as possible. “Lady Prudence. From the Fitzroy estate?”
“Oh, she is quite lovely! A very well-mannered young woman. This is such good news, Aiden! Well done!”
“Do not get your hopes up yet. We are merely courting. Whether or not it would lead to anything… remains to be seen.”
“Well.” She beamed. “I appreciate you making a sincere effort for my sake. If you continue like that, I have no doubt things will go smoothly.”
Saying a quick prayer for his already damned soul, Aiden nodded curtly. “Right.”
“Keep in mind that Lady Prudence, as wonderful as she seems, will be monitored closely through the duration of your courtship. You deserve nothing but the best, and the same sentiment applies to your potential future wife. I must make sure that she is worthy of you.”
Aiden immediately tried to shut down the idea. “I do not believe that is necessary. You have already pushed me into this situation, and I have heeded your advice. For the matter of who is worthy of whom, I believe I should decide for myself—”
“Oh no, dear. You will have your hands full building a connection with her. You are a duke, and you cannot settle for alady who is less than ideal for a man of your standing. Leave it to me, I will ensure that she is properly assessed.”
Knowing there was no way to dissuade his godmother, the Duke relented, making a mental note to warn Prudence the next time they spoke. Still, he was pleased that his godmother believed his story, relieved that she had not asked too many questions about what had led to his decision.
He did not even really need to lie. Prudence was truly the only lady who had caught his attention the day before, and he had felt at ease during their conversation. He did feel a little bad for scaring her during the fireworks display, but he could not deny that having her pressed against him stirred something within him. It had been nearly impossible for him to resist leaning down to kiss her right there and then. But perhaps if he played his cards right, he might still get the chance.
In any sense, he had clearly made the right choice.
A footman approached the table, carrying a missive on a silver platter, lowering it to Beatrice. “We received this moments ago, my lady. It is addressed to you.”
“Ah.” The Dowager Marchioness wiped her hands on her napkin and picked up the letter, ripping the wax seal open. “It appears to be… an invitation. From the Fitzroys! The Duchess of Forestwood, to be precise. They would like us to join them for a picnic tomorrow, to show their gratitude for inviting them to our party. How splendid.”
“I will never understand why you must insist on partaking in pointless exercises, Godmother. We merely invited them to a party, we didn’t save their lives in a time of crisis. It is not necessary for them to express their gratitude or for us to accept their invitation in return. It is much easier for all parties involved if you just send a reply containing your gratitude, telling them not to bother.”
“Nonsense, Aiden. We should attend. She is the sister of the lady you are courting. It would be rude to turn down her invitation.” Beatrice frowned, staring down at the letter.
“We have more than enough time to get to know her family if that is where your concern lies. You know how I feel about… socializing. I did more than enough of it last night, and I deserve to have my peace, in my own home. So, no, I will not be going. If you wish to accept their invitation, feel free to do so.”
His godmother pursed her lips and put the invitation down, narrowing her eyes at him. “Aiden, that would not reflect well on either of us. Any man who wishes to win the affections of a damsel needs to be prepared to go above and beyond for her sake. Getting to know her family and ensuring that they have a good impression of you is very important. If you do not make an effort to get them to like you, your intentions toward her might seem unserious. And you do not want that to be the case.”
Aiden sighed, feeling as though this situation would have a lot of unintended consequences and hoping things would not get even worse.
Unfortunately for him, the invitation seemed to inspire his godmother, and she paused, smirking down at it. “Actually, I have a better idea.”
Chapter Five
“How lovely!”
Prudence raised her hand over her head to shield her eyes from the sun as she peered up at the sky.
It was shaping up to be a wonderful day, absolutely perfect for a picnic. When Agnes suggested they spend some time enjoying the lovely air the countryside had to offer at breakfast the day before, Prudence had been thrilled. She had been wondering just how to make her sister’s stay more exciting, and the idea of a picnic was simply marvelous.
