Page 20 of Captured By the Cold Duke
“Well… I need your help,” she began tentatively. “Or rather, Lady Minerva’s sister needs your help. But because Lady Minerva is my friend, that means you are also helping me. And I thought that perhaps if you were to help me, that it might help us… attain a little more tranquility, at least.”
“So, it’s a bribe?” he asked, raising a skeptical brow.
“No,” she snapped, then took a deep breath. “No,” she repeated more calmly. “It’s an acknowledgment of the many ways in which our marriage is good for me.”
“I see.”Nothing about me is good for you, he thought with disgust, but he didn’t let this show. “And what can I do for you—I mean Lady Minerva—er, I mean her sister.”
Cherie smiled. “We hear that you are acquainted with a Lord Joshua Dawson. Is that true?”
“Lord Dawson?” This surprised Thomas, and he leaned forward with interest. “I am a little acquainted with him. Why?”
“I gather that Lady Chastity recently met the viscount but was not properly introduced. She now wants a proper introduction.”
Thomas still didn’t understand. “Yes, but why?”
“Why does any young lady want to be introduced to a viscount?” Cherie asked impatiently. “She fancies him!”
“Oh!” Thomas leaned back in his chair, thinking hard about this. “Well then, of course, I can help. Making the introduction will be no problem at all. It’s just that…”
“What?”
Thomas wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. “I do not think Lord Dawson is a very good match for Lady Chastity.”
Cherie prickled at once. “And why not? You don’t know her, after all, so you can hardly have an idea of her character and the kind of man who suits her.”
“Yes,” Thomas said patiently, “I just think that Lord Dawson wouldn’t suitanylady. He is…” he searched for the words. “Odd.”
“I know he’s shy,” Cherie said, then her eyes narrowed. “But isn’t he a friend of yours?”
“He was childhood friends with a close friend of mine from university, but we are not well acquainted.”
Cherie tilted her head to one side. “So, you hardly know him, and not for many years, I presume?”
“Well…”
“Then he may be far lessoddthan you remember him being! And surely Lady Chastity, who has actually spoken to him recently, would have a better understanding of his character than you do!” She lifted her chin defiantly. “Or do you just enjoy trying to dictate whom young ladies should marry?”
“That’s a low blow and you know it,” Thomas said, eyeing her warily. After a moment or two, she relented and sighed.
“You’re right. I’m simply protective of my friend, and she wants her sister to have a love match. Truthfully, so do I. It is what I would wish for any young lady.” She looked away wistfully, and Thomas felt his heart tighten. “Speaking of which, I would like to present a united front when you make the introduction.”
Thomas tensed, even more wary now. “Meaning what, exactly?”
“Meaning that even though things have been tense between us recently, I don’t want to infect the budding romance of the young couple with whatever resentments and disagreements we have. I’m sure the introduction will be at a ball or a promenade, and I would like us to act as if we are happily married. We do not need to pretend that we are head-over-heels in love with one another, simply that we get along and are well-suited for one another.”
“There was a time when we did get along,” Thomas said quietly, “and I do think that we are well-suited for each other.”
Cherie blinked, and for a moment, he thought she was going to say something vulnerable and tender to him. But then she crossed her arms and said, “Do you think you can do that when we make the introduction? Act as if we’re happy?”
“Yes, of course,” he said at once. “Anything for you and your friends. You’re my wife now, Cherie, and whatever our differences, I’m always on your side.”
Cherie’s lips parted slightly, and this time he was sure that he saw a flash of something—maybe forgiveness?—in her eyes. She closed her mouth and smiled.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I am grateful to you for this.”
He nodded. “Anything you need.”
She smiled and then turned to go. He watched her with a sharp feeling of regret in his chest. If he could just speak to her truthfully, tell her how he really felt, tell her how highly he thought of her, then maybe he could make all of this right.
