Page 44 of His Auctioned Duchess
“–a will of her own?” he finished quietly.
Her cheeks burned. “Precisely.”
He held her gaze, steady and unflinching. “Then exercise it. Say you refuse, and I will retract the announcement.”
The room went deathly quiet.
Caroline stared at him, fury and confusion warring inside her. He knew she couldn’t refuse—not with the eyes of the ton already watching, not with her father’s reputation and her family’s prospects tied to this union.
“You are despicable,” she whispered.
His expression didn’t change, but a flicker of pain crossed his eyes before he masked it. “So I’ve been told.”
Lady Ophelia’s hand flew to her chest. “Richard–”
“Enough,” he said gently, though his voice carried finality. “The matter is settled.”
He rose from his chair, bowed briefly, and left the room in silence.
The door closed softly behind him.
Caroline sat motionless, her pulse thundering in her ears. She could still hear the echo of his words—say you refuse—and the impossible temptation they carried.
Sophia reached for her hand. “Oh, Caro...”
Caroline drew a long breath, forcing a brittle smile. “I suppose I shall need a new gown sooner than I thought.”
But beneath the forced humor, something sharp and raw twisted in her chest—anger, yes, but beneath it, something dangerously close to heartbreak.
The storm broke in the corridor.
Caroline’s slippers struck the marble with sharp, furious precision as she left the dining room. Her gown, the soft blue muslin she’d chosen to appear calm and composed, now clung to her as though it, too, shared her rage.
The servants she passed scattered like startled birds, one maid dropping a tray in her haste to bow. Caroline barely noticed. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of humiliation and disbelief.
Next week.
He had said it with the same casual authority one might use to order supper.
At the end of the west wing corridor, she found the door she wanted—the Duke’s study—and pushed it open without knocking.
Richard stood by the fire, his jacket removed, the light painting his white shirt in gold and shadow. He did not seem surprised to see her.
“I was wondering how long it would take,” he said quietly.
Caroline’s voice trembled with contained fury. “You made a mockery of me before your entire family.”
His gaze did not waver. “I made a decision.”
“You made a spectacle.”
“I was sparing us both a scandal. You heard what Jasper implied.”
“You’re creating a different scandal.” she shot back. “The ton will think I schemed to trap you—some desperate debutante clawing for a title!”
His jaw tightened. “The ton already thinks what it wishes. I am beyond their concern.”
“Well, I am not!”
