Page 31 of Duke of Iron
“She will not be,” Logan replied. “We are to be civil. Nothing more.”
May felt something pinch inside her chest.Civil?
August did not sound convinced. “She has always been hopeful. Do not mistake her silence for indifference.”
“I made no promises,” Logan said. “She agreed to this. And she will be satisfied with it.”
Satisfied.
May’s hands clenched at her sides. The warmth of the evening seemed to vanish from her skin.Beside her, June’s eyes werewide, while their mother, a step behind them, looked between the girls and the voices beyond the hedge.
May turned silently and began to walk, sayingnothing because she did not want Logan to know she’d heard any of this.
Back inside the ball, May followed silently as their mother led them to a smaller salon tucked just off the main hallway. It was quieter here, lit by a pair of wall sconces and a modest chandelier. The scent of roses drifted in from an open window, but May scarcely noticed it.
Dorothy turned on them the moment the door closed.
“You are not truly marrying him, are you?”
Her voice was sharp, but not unkind.
May swallowed. “I am.”
Dorothy took a step closer, her brow drawn. “I suspected it was not the great love match you let me believe, but I did not think it was…” She trailed off, searching May’s face. “So very devoid of emotion.”
“It is an arrangement, Mama. That is all.”
Dorothy’s lips parted in dismay. “Darling, no. An arrangement is something one makes for flowers. Not for a life.”
June remained quiet beside her, her hands clasped.
“You do not understand,” May said softly. “I made this choice to help him. To help myself. There is no scandal, no ruin.”
“There is no happiness either,” Dorothy said. “We shall bear the scandal. We have endured worse. I would rather see you in tatters and joyful than gilded and heartbroken.”
May looked at her mother, at the worry that lined her face. “You think I will be heartbroken.”
“I think you already are.”
Something twisted inside May. She felt it as though someone had tied a ribbon about her chest and yanked it taut. She lifted her chin. “I appreciate your concern, truly, but I am content with my choice.”
A lie. A neat, practiced one that almost sounded convincing.
“Content,” Dorothy echoed, her voice hollow. “That is not the word I hoped to hear from you, not tonight.”
June finally spoke. “You truly mean to go through with it?”
May nodded. “The wedding is in two days.”
“And what happens after that?” June asked.
“We go our separate ways. Once thetonhas tired of the gossip and the child is returned to his family, Logan will have no need of me.”
“Is that what you want?” her sister pressed.
“It is what I agreed to.”
Dorothy looked at her with something like heartbreak in her eyes. But at last, she nodded. “Then I shall say no more.”
