Page 73 of Married to the Forbidden Duke
By the time Frederick began making his way up the hill to where Alice awaited him, he felt as though he had made excellent progress with his fellow lords. A dull set of conversations, to be sure, and he had been forced to explain himself and his reasoning far more times than he would have preferred.
Still, as he made his way to Alice’s blanket, a lightness overcame him.
Until, that was, he felt the whispers.
At first, he just noticed a few glances from behind fans. Eyes cast his way. Murmurs in ladies’ ears. Only the ladies—he felt as though he had successfully convinced most gentlemen he was not a waste of space—but that was enough to unsettle him.
“Don’t say that,” Alice said, too loudly, her words slurring slightly. Her eyes didn’t seem fully focused, and her face was flushed. “You don’t know.”
A blonde lady he wasn’t familiar with stood with her hands on her hips. “I know enough. Youtoldme enough. We all know how things stand with you. Why deny it now?”
“I don’t—” Alice shook her head, looking confused, as though she was struggling to follow the conversation. But Frederick knew. A weight sunk to the base of his stomach. Oh yes, he knew precisely what they were discussing.
He hurried over, the accusing glares like knives to his skin. What had Alice said?
At his approach, the blonde lady stepped in front of Alice. “Don’t come near her. Haven’t you done enough?”
His patience snapped thin.
“Alice,” he muttered, keeping his tone measured. “Come here, please.”
“You do not get to order her around!” the lady snapped.
“Lottie,” Alice mumbled, then shook her head. It looked as though she had drunk far too much. How much had she had? Was she trying to humiliate him? The thought congealed inside him. Of course that had been her intention. Had she not done the same before?
Alice looked at him and attempted a sweet smile that didn’t stay in place on her face. “There you are,” she rasped. “I wasn’t expecting you back yet!”
“So I see…” Frederick frowned.
“Did you or did you notblackmailher to the altar?” the blonde lady demanded, and whispers flurried out from around him. All the work he had done to protect his reputation ripped to shreds immediately, right before his eyes. “You ruined her, then forced her to marry you in the most heinous way imaginable. Everyone knows it. And now we have the truth of it.” She gestured at Alice.
“Stop it, Charlotte,” Alice said, sobering up a little, and in a too-loud whisper, added, “Nothere.”
Ah yes.Not here.Not while he was around.
“Alice.” A cold note entered his voice, but he couldn’t help himself. He had thought they’d moved past her attempts to ruin him—he had gotten her wine with that understanding in mind.
How could he have been so wrong? How could she have smiled in his face and told him she would help him, then enlist the help of this lady to destroy his reputation?
Alice pushed past Charlotte, every movement sloppy, and flung herself in his arms. He caught her—just. “I don’t feel well,” she mumbled. “Can we go home?”
“How much wine did you have?”
“Wine?” Her brow furrowed, and he could practically see her thoughts passing sluggishly behind them. “Only the glass you gave me.”
“That alone could not have made you drunk.”
“Drunk?” She laughed sloppily. “I’m notdrunk, Frederick. I hadlemonade.”
“Don’t speak to her in that way,” the blonde lady chided, but Alice waved her aside.
“Leave us alone, Charlotte. That’s enough.”
He had to get Alice away before she said anything more incriminating. The worst of it was, she clung to him as though none of this had happened. As though she had not been venting his sins to everyone who stood nearby.
He beckoned a footman closer. “Take Her Grace to my carriage,” he murmured, already searching for his aunt. “Use as many men as you need. I will be there shortly.”
“Frederick?” Hurt crossed Alice’s face as she understood he was leaving her, however briefly. “But you just came back.”
