Page 8 of Healing the Duke's Desires
The marquess nodded. “As I already told your daughter, when the man knows how to lead, everything falls into place.”
“Well said, my lord,” Emily’s father agreed wholeheartedly.
Emily needed all of her conscious effort not to roll her eyes at that comment, which her mother immediately noticed. She walked over to Emily and took her by the hand, squeezing it. Emily had to look away, to distract her mind from the unpleasant situation she had found herself in, when she noticed the man with whom she had locked gazes several minutes prior.
He had been dancing with the young lady who had arrived with him, and now, from close up, she realized he was even more handsome. Slightly confused and baffled, she unexpectedly stepped back, bumping into a servant who was carrying a tray of drinks.
It all happened in an instant. The glasses clattered to the floor, and the wine spilled all over Emily’s gown. The servant gasped in horror, quick to apologize, but just as Emily was about to assure him that it was all right, because accidents did happen, another voice tore through the air, setting it ablaze.
“What on earth are you doing, you clumsy fool?”
Chapter 5
Emily looked down at her gown. The stain was very noticeable, and she doubted that it would wash out. But she also knew that the man had not done it on purpose, so she didn’t want to blame anyone for a mere accident.
However, the marquess was of another opinion. His face contorted with anger and disdain as he stared at the poor, trembling servant. The man’s cold and cruel demeanor was on full display as he raised his voice, berating the helpless servant for what was nothing more than an accident.
“You imbecile!” the marquess continued his tirade in a tone that cut through the entire chamber like a sharp blade. “Look at the mess you’ve made of Lady Emily’s gown! Do you have any idea how much such a gown costs! You would not be able to pay for it if you worked night and day for months!”
Emily felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as all eyes turned toward the commotion. She wanted to disappear into the shadows, to escape the harsh spotlight that the marquess had thrust upon her.
The guests murmured amongst themselves, their gazes flickering between Emily and him, their curiosity piqued by the sudden outburst, and she knew well that this would be a story to be retold in the following days to all those who hadn’t attended this ball.
“It’s all right,” she said softly to the apologetic servant, who was trembling with fear while faced with the marquess’ wrath.
But that wasn’t enough. The marquess completely ignored Emily’s attempt to defuse the situation, and instead of calming down, he continued to vent his anger, obviously relishing the attention he was receiving. Emily could not understand how anyone would want to be in such a spotlight. His words were cutting and unrelenting, and that cold talon of fear gripped her more fervently than ever before.
This is the man you will marry.
Those words echoed inside her mind like a warning. Feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes upon her, Emily inwardly blamed her father for putting her in this position.
She knew her family’s troubles were pressing, but she couldn’t bear the thought of marrying a man such as the marquess, who seemed more interested in his own ego than in her well-being—for during all of his monologue, he did not stop once to ask if she was all right, if perhaps a shard of glass had harmed her in any way.
“I am truly sorry, my lord,” the servant said, bowing his head miserably in front of the marquess, who merely scoffed at the man’s apology.
“Do you think your apology means anything to me right now?” the marquess snarled. “You have offended the lady in my presence.”
“How has he offended me?” Emily couldn’t remain quiet to this. “It was an accident.”
The marquess seemed taken aback by her interference, as if he expected this to be handled by a man—him.Her voice was unnecessary. He turned to her and spoke in a manner one spoke to a child who did not understand much and needed to be explained in things in simple terms.
“Nothing in this life is an accident, my dear,” he said condescendingly. “This man was clumsy and wasn’t paying attention. Perhaps he was focused on something else and not on his job, in which case I believe he should be relieved of his duty to this family, so someone else can do that job better.”
Emily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Every fiber of her being rebelled against this sort of behavior, but one look in her father’s direction assured her that she needed to play the part of a dutiful daughter, while silently waiting for a glimmer of hope that she would somehow be rescued from the fate of a life spent with this cold and heartless man.
***
Alexander couldn’t remember the last time he witnessed such an unpleasant scene during a ball. Even Lady Ashfordshire stood stunned by the man’s audacity, while her husband, who would have certainly sorted it out quickly and without any noise, seemed to have stepped out for a moment.
The more Alexander listened to the marquess speak, the angrier he grew. Something inside of him ignited, and he could not just watch idly while this poor servant was treated like a criminal for something as insignificant as a few broken glasses and a stain on a lady’s gown. The fact that it wasthat ladyin question stirred him even more.
He approached the confrontation with a stern expression, his eyes locked onto the marquess with a steely glare.
“I think that is enough.” His voice was calm but rang with authority, cutting through the tense air like a blade. “The poor man is aware of his mistake. From what I’ve heard, he has already apologized. Now, why don’t you show both him and the lady next to you some decency and respect?”
He knew this would not sit well with the man. Just as he expected, the marquess’ face turned red with fury. Alexander had obviously wounded his pride by this rebuke. He wasn’t expecting anyone to stand up for this man. Even more so, he wasn’t expecting anyone to contradict him in front of the lady who stood by his side looking aghast.
“This is none of your concern,” the marquess growled at him, his voice dripping his venom. “I’ll handle my affairs as I see fit and I would ask you not to meddle.”
