Page 25 of A Wicked Duke's Redemption
Marriage,Violet thought.A marriage of convenience to a duke!
It still seemed like a strange dream to her. Even though the solicitor’s documents still remained in the hunting lodge, given a place of honor on her father’s old desk, Violet still found herself anticipating McCarthy’s return where he informed them all that the offer was a mistake and that he was meant to ask another Violet Brewer, one who was wealthier and prettier and cleverer, to marry His Grace.
Violet brought her knee up and let her chin rest atop it. When she had to make difficult decisions, Violet often thought very methodically about them. She considered everything involved, weighed the potential benefit against the risk of her choices, butmarriagewas proving to be a difficult matter to contemplate.
Usually, the choices she made were not ones which might alter the course of her entire life. Wedding the duke could be so good for her family, but there were still the rumors. And besides, no one had seen the man in years.
“Violet!”
She turned her head and saw Liza approaching from further down the road. Violet smiled. She could not believe that her friend’s presence was mere coincidence. Her father must have already told Liza about the duke’s proposal. Well, hissolicitor’s delivery of the proposal. It was so far from the romantic one which Violet had always dreamed of receiving.
“Good morning,” Violet said.
Liza sat beside Violet and laughed; the sound was edged with anxiety. “I heard that you received an interesting visitor,” Liza said without preamble.
“I did,” Violet replied. “I decided to walk to try and sort out my thoughts about it all.”
“I can scarcely believe it.”
Violet nodded. “It does feel unreal. How do you think His Grace learned of me?”
“I have no idea. Perhaps one of his staff mentioned you.”
Violet supposed that was the logical answer.
“You are…considering it?” Liza asked, looking around them as if she anticipated that the Duke of Farnham might somehow be listening to their conversation at that precise moment.
“I am,” Violet replied. “I know that he is…well…”
“He might be a murderer.”
Violet sighed. “Yes. And no one has seen him in so long, except for his staff. They do not paint a very appealing picture.”
The most generous thing anyone had ever said about His Grace was that he was curt and cold. He seldom spoke to anyone, except to give orders. The one exception was his housekeeper, Mrs. Gunderson, whom the duke allegedly had long conversations with in his study.
However, she seldom left the estate, and no one could say precisely why the duke spoke to her so often. Perhaps he was merely relaying orders for how he wished the household to be managed.
At worst, the Duke of Farnham was temperamental and monstrous. There were many of the staff who insisted that he had, in fact, killed the late duchess. Some said it was because she had not borne him an heir quickly enough. Others argued that the man must have always had some darkness lurking within him, and it had surfaced once he was away from London and in the country, where such crimes might be more easily committed.
“My father does not believe the rumors about His Grace,” Violet said. “He says that he met the Duke of Farnham once, and he seemed to be a good man.”
“Villains often seem to be good men,” Liza said quietly. “If they did not, they would not be so threatening.”
“Indeed. Life would be much easier if it were like a novel, would it not?” Violet asked. “Like one of those old romances where the villain is always treacherous and never thinks to hide his ill intentions.”
“Yes.”
Violet tilted her head a little, thinking. “If my father thought there were anything distasteful about His Grace, he would not have even humored the idea of me marrying him, and my father is a shrewd man. I am sure he would not sacrifice my safety or happiness.
Of course, it is possible that the duke is still a villain or a monster, but I have a little hope that he made a good impression on my father. That is, at least, one person who did not notice anything amiss.”
Her father’s good opinion of the duke did not necessarily prove Liza’s point false, but Violet felt a little encouraged by it, nonetheless. She was trying to decide how she felt about the situation, and talking through it with Liza helped a little.
“I do not think you should wed him,” Liza said quietly. “Why take the risk that he is a monster? Your parents are not forcing you to wed him, are they?”
“No,” Violet replied. “My father had said the choice is mine, and I have not spoken to my mother about it yet. Before His Grace’s solicitor arrived, my mother had just fallen asleep. I did not wish to wake her, especially with something so startling.”
“Then, you should refuse,” Liza said. “Politely, of course.”
