Page 46 of The Duke's Indecent Match
“No, thank you.”She shook her head.“I am sure you have it well in hand.Lady Astrid… I want you to know… I did not…” Because she had not expected anyone to come to her door, she was ill-prepared.She did not know what she wanted to say, much less how to say it, and yet she could not help but try.
“You did not…” Lady Astrid raised her eyebrow, meeting Kalina’s gaze for the first time, and Kalina realized that the other woman was seething.“You did not intend to trap one of my friends into marriage when you accepted the invitation to my home?Or you did not mean to do it so poorly that it was obvious?”
“I… I…” Kalina silently cursed her father for putting her in this position.
“Your father did take advantage of Nathanial’s inebriated state to put him in your bed, did he not?”Lady Astrid asked when Kalina could not find her tongue.
Kalina closed her eyes, gripping her skirts in her fists as the shame ran through her.Yes, her father had done exactly that.
“Then, this morning, you and your maid ensured that there were plenty of witnesses with your screams.”
Oh gods… they had… though not intentionally.But if Margaret had not screamed, if she had not screamed, perhaps she could have woken Hereford.Shooed him out of her room.Hidden him in the wardrobe.Something.But she had reacted in exactly the wrong manner, sealing their fate.
What could she say in her defense?Was there anything at all?Her father had set the events in motion deliberately.Everything that came afterward had been put into place by his design.
She opened her eyes and met Lady Astrid’s hard gaze.
“I am sorry.”Her voice was a mere thread of a whisper.She was sorry.Sorry for what her father had done.Sorry for her inadvertent role in it.Sorry that the Blackstones’ hospitality had been abused by her family.
Lady Astrid huffed, tilting her head back and staring up at the ceiling as if pleading for patience from a higher power.It only took her a moment to regain her control and meet Kalina’s eyes again.
“What I do not understand is that we were helping you.We were allhelping you.You did not need to do… this.”She gestured angrily at the bed, directing her feelings about this morning at it in very much the same way Kalina had.“There was no good reason for it.”
When Kalina stood there, mute, because she could not think of anything to say—because she did not understand why her father had acted as he had either—Lady Astrid huffed again and whirled around.The door slammed behind her, and, despite the thick carpet in the hall, Kalina could hear her stomping away because she was walking with such angry vehemence.
Slowly, Kalina sank down onto the window seat.Her head dropped, her gaze fixing on a single point on the ornate rug that filled the majority of the room.It felt like she could hardly breathe.
She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to stop the pounding of her heart, to ease the pressure on her chest.It did nothing.The emotions were welling up inside her, refusing to be pushed down, overwhelming her strength.When she closed her eyes, she felt a tear slide down her cheek to drip off the bottom of her chin.
Clenching her jaw did nothing, and a horrible sound escaped as the pain inside her expanded.Grabbing hold of one of the cushions at her side, she curled into a tiny ball and buried her face in its velvet softness to cover the sounds of her broken-hearted sobs.
17
Nathanial
After signing the marriage contract, Nathanial wrote a letter to his sisters, advising them of his upcoming nuptials and that he would be returning home afterward with his new bride.A week or so in the country would give him enough time to set things in place with his new funds and, hopefully, give Society enough time to find some new bit of salacious gossip for them to sink their teeth into.He and Miss Little would return quietly to London and reinsert themselves into the remainder of the Season to thwart any further gossip.
If she wanted a proper honeymoon, she would be disappointed.
Her duty was going to bring him a rich dowry, invigorate the ducal coffers, help him restore what he could of the family’s reputation, and guide his sisters through their Seasons to the best of her ability.And bear him an heir.
That last would require…
Blast.His body had reacted in an altogether unwelcome manner, though eventually necessary.But he was angry.He did not want to be aroused.He did not want to be reminded of his damnable attraction to her or the way he had started to question his resistance against that attraction.
Knowing he might have eventually convinced himself to offer for her, only for them to end up together like this… somehow, it made everything worse.
He felt as though he was choking.
He needed to get out of the house.
Striding from Lord Blackstone’s study, Nathanial took the back halls in hopes of avoiding the other house party guests as he made his way out to the stables.To his relief, he saw no one but servants along the way.The bustling activity was all for his upcoming wedding, which did nothing to help his mood, but it was far better than having to engage in conversation with anyone.
Reaching the stables, he signaled for a horse.With Miss Little’s trepidation around the big beasts, he felt assured she would not follow him out here.Unfortunately, there were others.
He turned at the sound of footsteps behind him and groaned when he saw Christian.
The other duke was frowning at him.He came to a halt several feet away from Nathanial and put his hands on his hips.
