Page 32 of A Spinster for the Rakish Duke
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Isee no reason why you won’t leave your card and do this properly. If you won’t respect the proper etiquette, then you shall not be meeting with my niece,” Aunt Barbara practically sputtered.
“As I keep emphasizing to you, Miss Johnson, this is a situation of dire import. I have made an egregious error I must correct. Surely you must understand that,” Donovan pleaded.
“What I understand, Mr. Connor,” Barbara began, “is that you have no respect for propriety or my niece and are certainly not the type of man-”
“It isn’t Mr. Connor,” Emma’s voice called gently as she descended the staircase. “Aunt Barbara, this gentleman is the Duke of Lowe. Isn’t that correct Your Grace?” Emma asked Donovan coolly as she approached the two of them.
Donovan could only nod in confirmation.
“A Duke…” Aunt Barbara oscillated between wordlessness and gaping. “Why didn’t you... of course I should have known. It is not required of you to assert your station, Your Grace. Still, if an audience is necessary, it would be far more appropriate for us to come to you for an audience. If you give us a little time, we can make our way to London as soon as possible.”
“I’m afraid, I must insist that this is a matter of the utmost importance.” Donovan's voice seemed to carry with new austerity granted by his title, though in reality, he changed very little in how he spoke.
“Then I must sit in on the conversation, of course,” Aunt Barbara said, taking a seat on a small chair that sat in the entryway, one they kept for messengers and the like. “Emma is most certainly not to be unchaperoned as much as she may insist otherwise.”
Aunt Barbara had little to say against the power of Donovan’s station, but she could enforce the rules of propriety, and Donovan would have to concede that. Much to Barbara’s chagrin, though, all Donovan did was nod. “Of course, I would never think to request otherwise.”
Then Donovan turned to Emma and bowed deeply to her. “Miss Bradford, I owe you a deepest and sincerest apology for misleading you. With your permission to speak plainly, I want to offer an explanation. And though the truth may prove to be little consolation to a broken heart, I hope it might prove salve enough for your soul.”
Emma considered Donovan, this being the most formal she had ever seen him. She didn’t know if this was for her aunt’s sake or for hers. “I will listen to what you have to say,” she said quietly, voice wary.
Donovan sighed, “The truth is, all my life, the people I have encountered have always seen my station first. When my parents passed, they saw a man who inherited a great title and wealth, not a son in mourning. When men meet me, they see a business opportunity, not a possible friend. When women wish to court, it is my title they want to marry, not me. I had grown mistrustful of introducing myself with my title. And by the time I trusted you, by the time I knew that you saw me for who I was before anything else, it was too late to reveal the truth. I cursed the irony of it. That the one person who I believed really knew me was the one whose trust I had betrayed. Was it cowardly of me to hide it from you rather than to deal with the consequences? Yes, and for that, I take full responsibility. But hear me and know the truth: that these were never actions meant to harm you, only ones that I acted on out of fear. Fear of losing my closeness with you.”
His confession pushed him far past the point of politeness, the very desperation and need in his voice ringing clear and true. Barbara was on the edge of demanding he leave after such a display, his station being the only thing that made her hesitate.
Emma was in tears. “Donovan… I…” Her voice was choked with tears.
“Emma, I love you,” Donovan declared without hesitation. “Call off the wedding. We should be together. You needn’t sacrifice your happiness. I can and will find your brother; I swear I will. But I would be a much better investigator with you by my side if you’ll marry me instead of Mr. Dole.”
“This… this is preposterous,” Barbara said angrily. “You cannot come in here and demand such things your Grace.”
Donovan rose up and turned to Emma’s aunt, righteous fury coursing through him like lightning along the surface of the ocean. “The only one who has made any demands here is you, Miss Johnson. I am asking your niece to do something. For me, yes, but also for herself. And I will ask this once, and I will ask it kindly, but please remember your station when you instruct me on what I can and cannot do.”
Barbara was left wordless as Donovan straightened and calmed himself to return to Emma.
Emma had seen how much Donovan loved her, how much he would sacrifice and fight for her, all in one small window this day. It made her heart swell and race and ache all at the same time. “Oh Donovan, of course, of course, I will marry you.” She ran up and hugged him tightly, both of them wrapping each other in a tender embrace.
“Emma, Emma sweetie, consider what you are doing,” Aunt Barbara said with a bit of hesitation as she eyed the stern Duke. “Think of your reputation, your family's reputation if you wereto call off a wedding and be betrothed to another in so small a window.”
Donovan was about to speak, but he felt the gentle pressure of Emma squeezing his arm. She was going to take care of this. “I think any reputation lost will be gained back by marrying the Duke of Lowe, don’t you Aunt Barbara? Surely the best thing for the family would be to have a duchess in it?” These words weren’t delivered snidely but with genuine enthusiasm. Emma felt happiness coursing through her as the love of her life just swept her up in his arms. She wanted her aunt to be happy for her too.
Aunt Barbara was again left speechless. Unfortunately, though, that didn’t last. “Call off the wedding then, Emma. Become betrothed to this Duke as well if you like. But all of this…” Aunt Barbara gestured wide and wild, as if to the situation as a whole. “None of this is right, and no good will come of it, mark my words.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Arrangements had already been made for a wedding, and Emma and Donovan saw no reason to wait nor waste. They kept the date that had originally been set by Emma and Mr. Dole, clearly chafing Emma’s aunt.
“You can’t possibly marry that soon,” she scoffed. “They won’t approve it in time. Especially not with his lineage to consider,” she said, gesturing to Donovan.
“Exceptions can be made. Let’s see what I am able to do in London before we cancel anything,” Donovan advised.
“Yes, it would be a shame if the two of you did anything overly rash,” Aunt Barbara said dryly, and Emma was surprised that her aunt would come so close to insulting a Duke, even if the comment was relatively safe.
Still, Donovan had left to return to London later that same day, and Emma stayed home in the country with Martha and her aunt and waited for him.
But, to Emma’s surprise, the happy but reluctant goodbye after sharing a brief but awkward dinner was not the last that she saw of Donovan before he left. As Emma was preparing herself for bed, she heard a light tapping at her window. She was startled to find it was Donovan’s tapping at the window, giving a fun and daring smile.
