Page 96 of A Duchess Bound
“I left a man to watch, in case he returns.”
“He will not,” Gerard said. “I also felt compelled to help you with your dilemma, so I decided to enlist some of my men to search for the villain.”
“He is not a villain!” Bridget exclaimed. “None of you know him like I do!”
Dorothy lowered her head and heaved a great, uneven sigh. Bridget was young and had been led astray by a cold and callous man. She truly believed that Lord Fourton would come to her. Dorothy wanted to believe that, too. She found that she couldnot, however, for if the man had truly wished to marry Bridget, he would have arrived already.
“If he is not a villain, the timing is most unfortunate,” Gerard said, his voice very gentle. “It seems as though he has found some business on the continent to attend to.”
Elias swore quietly and leaped to his feet. “I knew it!”
He began furiously to pace behind the sofa, while Bridget let out a little wail of despair. “It must be just—just a rumor! Someone is spreading gossip about him in the hopes of keeping us apart!”
“For your sake, I wish that were true,” Gerard said. “However, I have heard this all from a very credible source. I fear that it is true.”
“Of course, it is,” Elias said, his voice tight with fury. “Do you know where he has gone?”
“Regrettably, no.”
“We must learn,” Elias said. “I will chase him all over Europe if I must!”
“A foolhardy endeavor, my friend, and one that I would discourage you from,” Gerard said. “Will you truly abandon both of your sisters to chase a man who will doubtlessly make every effort not to be found?”
Elias did not answer right away, and the air slowly filled with Bridget’s uneven, hitching sobs. Dorothy bit her lip. She looked at her poor sister, curled over in her chair. Bridget’s face was uneven and red, her eyes bloodshot from her tears. The poor girl looked as though her world was falling apart, and Dorothy, knowing what heartbreak was, ached to go to her.
But would comfort be appreciated? Dorothy did not know. Of late, she had begun to feel as though she and her sister were both strangers to one another. She curled her fingers into her skirts and thought instead of holding her sister’s shoulders to keep her steady.
“And that is why you have asked to marry Bridget,” Elias said, halting behind the sofa. “Why would you do something like that?”
“It is the best way to preserve the young woman’s honor. Your family’s honor. I fear that you will be unable to find Lord Fourton, which means that he will not marry Lady Bridget. But I will.”
Elias raked his hands through his hair. “That is uncharacteristically generous of you.”
Gerard’s lips twitched into a hesitant smile, which did not quite meet his eyes. “You could do worse, Leedway. I know that I have a reputation, but I am still a duke. My fortune is more than adequate.”
Although Gerard spoke to Elias, it was Dorothy whom he looked at. And Gerard seemed as though he was not really justifying himself, but rather asking Dorothy for her permission.
Her chest ached. Dorothy’s mouth was dry, and she hated how quickly and perfectly all the pieces of this plan were coming together in her mind. She wanted to hate him for this. She wanted to demand that he leave. What right did he have to offer himself to her sister?
“But Fourton…” Bridget whispered brokenly.
But Fourton would not come back. At least, Dorothy knew that Gerard could be a good man. She trusted that Bridget would be safe with him. Sometimes, she might even be happy.
If they married, Dorothy would be condemned to a life spent with this man so near her and yet so far away. She would see his eyes across ballrooms and dinner tables, and she would know that he could never be hers.
“We need some time to think about your proposal,” Elias said.
“No,” Dorothy interrupted. “No, Bridget accepts. She will marry you.”
Gerard nodded. “Very well, my lady.”
“Dorothy,” Elias said.
She tilted her head back to look at him. Elias looked exasperated, uncharacteristically so.
“Do you not see how perfect this solution is?” Dorothy asked. “Do you not understand what Gerard is offering us?”
“Oh, I see it,” Elias said. “I seeallof it.”
