Page 81 of Her Ruse with the Rakish Duke
Victor met the earl’s gaze with unwavering determination. “With all due respect, my lord, I believe I can offer your daughter a future filled with happiness and security. I am a duke, and I vow to cherish and protect her for the rest of my days.”
The earl regarded Victor for a moment, his expression thoughtful, before turning to Daphne with a questioning look. Daphne met her father’s gaze, her heart pounding with uncertainty. But then she looked at Victor, and in his eyes, she found the strength to speak.
“I want to marry Victor, Father,” she declared.
The earl’s eyes softened with understanding, but he remained hesitant. “I… I do not know, Your Grace. This is quite sudden. And Percy…”
Before he could finish, Daphne’s mother, Lady Wallace, intervened, her voice gentle but persuasive. “Darling, can’t you see? His Grace is offering Daphne a chance at true happiness. He’s a duke, after all, with wealth and status. Surely, that counts for something.”
The earl glanced at his wife, his expression conflicted. “But what about Percy?”
Daphne’s mother spoke up once again, “It is clear that Daphne’s heart belongs to the duke. And, after everything that has happened, I believe it’s time we put her happiness first.”
The earl hesitated for a moment longer, weighing his options, before finally nodding in reluctant agreement. “Very well,” he said with a sigh. “If this is what you truly want, Daphne, then you have my blessing.”
Daphne smiled. Her father could be headstrong, but his Achilles’ Heel had always been her mother and in this moment, she was quite grateful for that fact.
Daphne was startled by the sound of a chair falling over and turned to see Percy prowling towards them, his face like thunder.
Daphne scrambled out of the way. The man looked like he would destroy everything in his path simply to appease his anger.
He swiftly moved to the spot where her parents sat and stopped when he was in front of them.
“Why would you agree for Daphne to be married to that degenerate duke? Why? You promised her to me. Me!” He said sticking a stiff finger to his chest, his tall frame shaking with barely leashed violence.
“Son,” her father began in a calm tone “I can’t presume to know my daughter’s mind. I am just her father. I am not afraid to admit that it was very wrong of me to promise you marriage to her without seeking her opinion. I am sorry if I hurt you with my arrogance.”
“Ifyou hurt me, you say!” Percy replied fuming. Daphne decided she wouldn’t be surprised if he started to foam at the mouth with the force of his anger.
“I have been with her since childhood, caring for her and protecting her, but what do I get in return? A broken engagement and her getting married to another man right beneath my nose. Why did you allow it? Hmm? Is it because he is a duke? And you fancied a social tie would be better with a duke than a future viscount. Right?”
“I would warn you to mind your tongue, son. Before you say something you will definitely regret,” her father said his face contorting in growing anger.
“Well, I will not allow myself to be cheated and insulted by you all simply because you all prefer that degenerate duke! It is unfair that I have to be the one who does all the work to win the lady’s hand only to lose it to a far less worthy man. I will not allow the lot of you to turn me into a laughingstock of theton. I will not allow it,” he said waving his finger angrily in her father’s face.
“I would advise you to stop waving a hand at the earl. You are most likely to accidentally blind him that way,” Victor interjected.
“Also, Daphne is a fully grown woman, who is capable of making her own decisions,” Victor said raising a hand to stop Percy when he attempted to speak. “Besides I understand your plight. Yes, you have courted her for years, but I have it on good authority that you were otherwise busy during those years, dallying with every maid you could find and sending them away. With the way you went through them, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a whole litter of children scattered all over the countryside of London. You made sure the maids always got dismissed and invented offences simply to cover your crime. I must say it was quite ingenious of you, in fact.”
Daphne’s eyes widened in surprise. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense.
Over the past two years, they’d had a few incidents where young maids she had known since childhood were accused of stealing something from the household. It had never made sense to her because she knew some of them and could vouch that they wouldn’t do something of that nature. But they had all admitted to the crimes, so her efforts were always useless.
And considering Percy’s inclinations… the duke was most likely right.
Percy reddened further, getting even angrier, if that was even possible.
“It seems to me that you weren’t satisfied with simply stealing my bride. You would also tarnish my good name,” he said shaking furiously. “I demand my honor to be respected! You will meet me at dawn. I challenge you to a duel.”
“Very well,” he replied a smug smile curving his lips.
Daphne was about to protest that assertion when she saw movement behind Percy.
Percy, noticing her distraction, followed her line of sight and looked behind him to see Melanie and Amelia standing on either side of him, their faces like thunder about to strike him down. The man involuntarily took a step backward, and forgetting he was standing right beside the lake, he toppled over and fell in.
“Why, Percy,” Harry, who had appeared by Amelia’s side soon after, started in a taunt making no attempt to help him out.
“I don’t think you are in any position to fight a duel if you are this jumpy. You will be dead before the first shots are fired.”
