Page 69 of A Wounded Duke's Passion
Bridget’s heart hammered against her ribs. She covertly pressed her thighs together, her mind racing. Anthony’s fingers between her legs had felt heavenly, and she had lain awake the following night, wondering if she might be able to find such pleasure with her own fingertips. Of course, she had not tried that, but the thought was there.
She hoped she had not ruined her plans with that single moment of pleasure, especially when it seemed they were going to discuss the courtship, at last. Even though Bridget had never explicitly said to the ton that Anthony was courting her, she hadimplied it in every other way. She and Anthony had attended several social events together and spoke often to one another. It would be impossible for her parents to have not noticed how often she and Anthony shared one another’s company.
“Indeed,” their father said, entering the drawing room. “It seems as though we will see both of you wed this Season, and I could not be happier.”
He seated himself beside their mother. Bridget took a deep breath. The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, her parents, were a formidable team.
“Anna,” their father said, “we have noticed your attraction to Mr. Russell. He has asked my permission to propose to you.”
Anna gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “You must have accepted!”
“I did. Although I have my reservations about wedding you to an untitled man, Mr. Russell is respectable, and he has the financial means to provide for you.”
“And he loves me,” Anna said, her voice soft. “That matters a great deal to me.”
Their mother grasped Anna’s hands in her own. “Of course! We are delighted that you have your love match!”
Bridget forced down the lump that rose in her throat. Anna would have no dowry if Bridget did not marry the Marquess of Thornton, and she doubted her father had mentioned this.
“I am so happy!” Anna exclaimed. “I do not know how I will manage to wait until he proposes!”
Their father smiled. “I imagine his proposal will come shortly after Bridget’s own. Thornton has finally returned to London, and he is ready to formally announce his engagement to Bridget.”
“The Marquess of Thornton?” Bridget said. “Surely you cannot intend for me to marry him when the Duke of Hamilton has expressed such great interest in me.”
Her father’s expression hardened. “You should not have encouraged His Grace’s advances. You knew I had already promised you to the Marquess of Thornton.”
“I do not wish to marry the Marquess of Thornton!” Bridget exclaimed. “How could I resist when Anthony showed such interest in me?”
“It is a perfectly suitable match,” Anna said. “Besides, His Grace seems kind and sensible.”
Their mother looked uncomfortable. She wrung the fabric of her skirts between her hands. “Maybe we should reconsider the engagement,” she said carefully. “I am certain Lord Thornton will understand if we tell him that Bridget has found a love match.”
“No. She will marry the Marquess of Thornton. I have already agreed to the match, and I will not break the engagement simply because of a duke’s passing fancy. I had assumed this courtship was merely a rumor, and I am disappointed that you have instead allowed another man to court you while knowing that I have already arranged an engagement for you!”
“I am not a passing fancy!” Bridget exclaimed. “Anthony loves me!”
“Thornton will love you, too!”
Bridget fought to keep the revulsion from her face. “He will never love me!” she exclaimed.
“Sometimes, marriage does not begin with love,” her father said, “but it grows into something more meaningful over time.”
“But why must she marry him?” Anna asked. “She has a suitor who adores her!”
“And he will not agree to marry Bridget!” their father snapped, his face reddening.
Bridget felt ice settle into her veins. “Why, Father?”
She already knew. Bridget had no dowry; that was why Anthony would refuse to marry her. As she waited for her father to reveal the truth, she tried not to despair. She had only recently realized how much she wanted Anthony, and it seemed terribly unfair that she had no dowry and no chance to marry him.
“I would also like to know,” the Duchess of Norfolk said. “Why can Bridget not marry His Grace?”
“Because she has no dowry.”
Silence followed the admission. Anna was the first to make a sound—a small gasp.
“How can our daughter have no dowry?” asked Bridget’s mother.
