Page 6 of Captured By the Cold Duke
“If I hear any gossip, even the faintest whiff of a rumor, about her presence here at this inn, then I shall know it was you who said something, Lord Breckenridge. And then you will have not one duke as an enemy, but two. Because Lady Cherie is now protected not just by the Duke of Vaston, but the Duke of Wheaton. And very soon, she will be the Duchess of Wheaton. And if you breathe even a word intimating any indiscretion on her part, then I can assure you, you will never again know what it means to be in Society’s good graces.”
Lord Breckenridge flushed. His eyes flashed with anger, but underneath that, Cherie could also sense his fear. After all, he was a mere baron, whereas the duke was, well… a duke. AndBreckenridge’s love for gossip meant that he considered it of the utmost importance to be in the good graces of all Society’s most important players. He would not take well to being on the outside.
For a moment, Breckenridge did not answer. Cherie felt as if she could see the wheels in his head turning, as he tried to figure out what was, for him, strategically the best move.
At last, he seemed to make up his mind, because he nodded and bowed low, his expression suddenly obsequious.
“Of course, Your Grace, you are right. My deepest apologies to you, and Lady Cherie, for my mistake. I can be so quick to jump to conclusions, you see… but of course, it is as you say. There is no scandal. I see that now.”
The duke glared down at Breckenridge. “And we will not hear any stories of running into Lady Cherie at this inn?”
“Of course not, Your Grace.” Breckenridge bowed again. “And I hope you will remember my discretion in the future. After you are married, of course.”
And with one last simpering smile at the two of them, the baron departed, leaving a weighty silence behind him.
“What did you just do?!” Cherie gasped, turning furiously to the Duke of Wheaton.
The duke, however, ignored her. Instead, he seized her hand and pulled her away from the entrance of the inn, towards an alleyway where, in the darkness, she knew they would not be recognized. Only once they were fully covered by darkness did he release her.
“That was too close,” he murmured distractedly. He was still looking over his shoulder as if fearful Breckenridge might reappear at any moment. “Far, far too close.”
“You cannot be serious about what you said to Lord Breckenridge!” Cherie shouted, not caring who heard them. The duke looked around at her, clearly startled by her tone. She glared up at him, tears of panic pricking her eyes. “We cannot marry!”
“What do you mean?” the duke looked as if he genuinely did not understand her. “Of course we must marry!”
“But I am only here because I am trying to escape a marriage that wasn’t of my own choosing! I will not now be forced into another one!”
The duke stared at her incredulously. “We were seen, Lady Cherie! Do you not understand what that means? If I had not said we were engaged to be married, then Lord Breckenridge would have told the entire ton about you being here, alone with me, at an inn known for its licentious rendezvous! You would be ruined, my lady.”
“But…” Cherie's mouth had gone very dry. She knew that what the duke was saying was correct, but at the same time, she couldn’t bear to let herself be forced into another marriage. “We are not in love!”
The words came out before she could think about them, and she flushed as the duke took her in. His expression was cold, even a little angry, as he stared down at her.
“Love has nothing to do with this,” he said at last. “Love has nothing to do with marriage in general, for people such as us.”
“But I desire a love match! I promised my mother that I would not have the same fate as her, that I would be happy in my marriage.” Cherie said, desperation filling her voice. She didn’t want to tell him about the promise she’d made to her mother, all those years ago, but she knew it was the only way for him to understand.
She took his hand and locked eyes with him.
“I have always desired a love match. That’s why I ran away! My cousin was trying to force me to marry the Earl of Rochford. Can you believe it?! That terrible man wanted to force me into a union with him, no matter if I actually wanted him…”
The duke blinked, and Cherie could tell that this news shocked him to the core. There was a long silence as he absorbed it, during which the color drained from his face. At last, he spoke, his voice shaking slightly. “Why would your cousin do that?”
“Because he owes the earl money, from what I was able to gather.”
“But your brother?—”
“Is in Italy and would not have been able to stop it in time.”
The duke’s hand balled into a fist, and he looked so angry that for a moment, Cherie thought that he was going to hit the side of the alley. “You cannot marry a man as wretched as the Earl of Rochford,” he said at last. “And now that you have been implicated in a scandal, it is clear to me that if you do not marry me, your cousin will have even more power to force you to marry the earl. I am sorry, Lady Cherie, but I can see no way forward other than our marriage.”
Cherie shook her head and drew back. “But we cannot! My friends and I, we made a pact to all marry for love, ” she explained, trying a last effort to save her from the future she tried to flee.
“Weare old friends,” the duke pointed out. “Isn’t that good enough?”
“Is that good enough for you?” she demanded. “Don’t you desire a love match as well?”
Something flickered in the duke’s eyes, and then his expression turned to stone.
