Page 12 of Duke of Iron
May rose to her feet. “Now. What is your real plan?”
“Marriage.”
Her knees nearly buckled.
“Chaste,” he added. “Public. Mutually beneficial. We’ll act the part of a besotted pair. Tell thetonyour brother rode beside the carriage that night. A clean tale. A quick distraction.”
May’s mouth opened. “And what do I receive, beyond a pile of deception and a cold, empty house?”
“You receive the end of whispers. Of ridicule. Of the ‘May Wallflower’ moniker.”
“That’s not enough,” she said, lifting her chin. “My family loves me. I would rather endure the scandal with them than be a pawn in your social maneuvering.”
He stepped closer. “I cannot promise you romance.”
Her heart faltered.
“But no one would dare call the Duchess of Irondale a wallflower. You would make them eat their words. Make them sorry they ever turned their backs on you.”
His voice was low. Intimate. Dangerous.
And then he did something unexpected. He reached out and, with a single finger, lifted her chin.
“I see you, May Vestiere. I see you in a way they never bothered to.”
She pulled back, breath shaky.
“I need time to think.”
“Take it.”
But even as she watched him open her window and climb down, sheknew what her answer would be.
Four
Your Grace,
I accept.
—Lady May Vestiere
May sealed the letter and handed it to her lady’s maid, Miss Abbot. “See that it is sent immediately.”
The maid bobbed a curtsy and slipped from the room.May remained standing at her escritoire for a long moment before pushing her chair back and walking to the window. The sash was already drawn up, and she leaned out slightly to look at the setting sun.
“It’s time, May,” she whispered to herself.
She left her room and made her way downstairs. She had not left her bedchamber since yesterday morning, and she was certain the gossip had gotten worse and her family was more worried than before—if April and June’s near-hourly visits to her door were any indication.
May could already hear voices drifting from the drawing room when she arrived.“She’s not spoken to any of us,” June said. “Not even me.”
“She needs time,” April added.
“She needs justice,” August snapped. “I shall find Irondale tomorrow. He needs to come and offer for her. Immediately.”
“There is no need,” May said from the doorway.
All heads turned. The hush was immediate, and April was the first to move, hurrying over and taking May’s hands.
