Page 93 of His Forsaken Duchess
“No,” Audrey said immediately, the word sharp and decisive as she surged to her feet.
Lilianna blinked up at her, confusion clouding her features. “Audrey?—”
“Absolutely not,” Audrey repeated, her voice ringing with finality. “You cannot go.”
Lilianna stood up as well, the note crumpling slightly in her grip. “But he wrote to me. He wants to see me. Perhaps he?—”
“Perhaps hewhat?” Audrey cut her off, her voice rising. “Cares for you? If he cared for you, Lilianna, he would have stood by you when the scandal broke. He would have defended you, supported you,done something.But he didn’t. He vanished. And now, when your reputation is beginning to recover, when you are finally moving forward, he dares to resurface?”
Lilianna flinched, tears welling up in her eyes once more. “But what if he truly regrets it?”
“Then let him regret it,” Audrey snapped, her frustration boiling over. “Let him spend the rest of his life regretting it. But do not let him drag you down again. Think of what people will say if you are seen together. Think of what Papa will do.”
The mention of their father’s wrath seemed to strike a nerve.
Lilianna hesitated, the note trembling in her hands. “But?—”
“If you meet him,” Audrey pressed, her voice softening but losing none of its urgency, “you may as well prepare yourself to marry the old man Papa has chosen for you. Because that is precisely what will happen if you ruin your reputation again.”
Lilianna’s breath hitched, her face paling at the thought. Slowly, her gaze dropped to the note, as though seeing it for what it truly was—a trap.
“You’re right,” she whispered finally, the words broken and heavy. “You’re right, Audrey. I won’t go.”
Audrey exhaled, relief flooding her chest. She stepped forward, gathering Lilianna’s trembling form in her arms. “It will be all right,” she murmured softly, rubbing her sister’s back. “I promise you, everything will be all right.”
Cedric entered Haremore House just as the sun dipped below the horizon. He shrugged off his coat and gloves with mechanical precision and handed them to the waiting footman. Frustration simmered beneath his composed facade as he strode toward his study.
As he reached the hallway, he caught movement in the drawing room. Audrey.
She stood in the doorway, her posture rigid and her hands clasped tightly before her. Her face, usually composed, was shadowed with worry.
Cedric’s pace slowed, and he furrowed his brow as he took in her expression. “Audrey,” he said, his voice low and intent, “what is the matter?”
She hesitated, her lips parting as though to answer, but nothing came. Her uncertainty struck him like a blow to the chest.
Without another word, he stepped forward and took her hand, his fingers closing around hers firmly. “Come.”
Audrey blinked up at him, startled, but she let him lead her down the hallway. Cedric didn’t release her hand until they reached his study, and only then did he close the heavy door behind them. The room was dim now, the last remnants of daylight filtering through the tall windows. He turned to face her, leaning back against the edge of his desk as he folded his arms over his chest, his gaze sharp.
“What happened?” he demanded, his voice steady but threaded with a quiet urgency.
Audrey exhaled slowly, as though gathering her thoughts. “It’s Lilianna.”
At the name, a familiar knot of protectiveness coiled tight in Cedric’s chest. “What about her?”
Audrey stepped forward, her skirts rustling faintly. “She received a note today,” she said carefully, meeting his gaze. “From Lord Rashford.”
Every muscle in Cedric’s body tensed. “Rashford,” he growled. “He sent her a note?”
Audrey nodded. “He asked her to meet him in Green Park this afternoon.”
Cedric’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding as anger rose swiftly and sharply in his chest. “The note is suspicious,” he said, his voice clipped. “The man has been evading the ton for weeks—spreading lies about joining the army, as though anyone would believe it. And now he resurfaces to send secret missives to your sister? What game is he playing?”
“I don’t know,” Audrey replied softly, her voice tight with worry. “But his timing is deliberate. He knows Lilianna is vulnerable right now.”
Cedric pushed off the desk and walked toward the window. The sight of his reflection in the glass—his dark, furrowed brow and tight mouth—did little to quell the storm raging inside him.
“This reeks of manipulation. He knows she still harbors feelings for him and is using that to his advantage.”
