Page 10 of The Duke of Distraction
Mother announced, “Sarah, please join me in the library with your father.”Summons like these were never good.
After handing her gloves and hat to the footman, she dutifully followed her mother to the library at the back of the house.Expecting to find her father seated in his favorite chair near the fireplace, she was surprised to see him standing instead.And he wasn’t alone.
Anthony sat in a chair near the window that looked out to the garden, and Felix—Felix?—stood near the corner wearing a look that could only be described as confused.
“Ah, there you are.”Father glanced toward the clock on the mantel before straightening to his full height.“I’ve an appointment in a little while, so let’s get right to it.”He looked toward Sarah.“It’s time you—”
“Let her sit down first,” Sarah’s mother said with a touch of heat before ushering Sarah to the settee.
Sarah didn’t really want to sit.She wanted to flee.In compromise, she perched, her backside barely grazing the edge of the cushion so she could slip off and run at a moment’s notice.
Mother took the space beside her, although in a much more secure manner.“Now you may proceed,” she said, smoothing her skirt and looking up at her husband with a bland expression, as if calling their daughter in for a lecture were an everyday occurrence.
Well, it wasn’t unusual, Sarah had to admit.However, this time felt different somehow.Because Anthony and Felix were here.She could almost understand Anthony’s presence, but Felix?Sarah slid a glance toward him and saw that he continued to appear befuddled.Or perhaps uncomfortable was a better description.Yes, she’d feel uncomfortable too if she were him.
As if that mattered.Shewasn’thim, and she still felt uncomfortable.
“It’s time for you to marry,” Father said, surprising no one.Or so Sarah assumed.Anthony knew how desperately they wanted her to marry, and she had to think Felix did too.Of course he did.Sarah was the first person to complain about the pressure they applied.
“Past time, one might say,” Sarah murmured and tried not to send an exasperated look toward her mother.
“There’s no need to be saucy,” Mother said tartly.
“Why must Felix and I be privy to Sarah’s humiliation?”Anthony asked.
Humiliation?Sarah had been annoyed, mildly embarrassed even, but not humiliated.At least not untilnow.She tossed a withering stare at her brother.He had the grace to wince and look away.
“There is a reason,” Mother said before inclining her head toward Sarah’s father.
Father coughed.“Er, yes.We wondered if it might make sense for you, Felix, to wed Sarah.”
Humiliation didn’t begin to describe the emotion swirling inside Sarah and erupting in her cheeks.Surely they were about to catch fire.
She would have snapped at her father or mother or both, but words simply wouldn’t come.
Anthony stood.“You can’t ambush Felix like that!”At Sarah’s intake of breath, he added, “Or Sarah.”
Sarah didn’t bother sending him another acid glare.
Their mother pursed her lips at Anthony.“We’re not ambushing him.Felix is like family.He’s well aware of Sarah’s sad state.”
Oh, this was just getting better and better.Now she was in a sad state?
“Furthermore, Felix is in need of a wife.Your father and I discussed it, and we think this is an excellent match.”
Sarah couldn’t bear to meet Felix’s gaze, so she stared at the floor.Had the patterned carpet always had that odd mushroom shape next to the leg of the settee?
“I’m glad you discussed it,” Anthony said with a great deal of sarcasm.“You might have discussed it with Felix, however.”He looked toward Felix.“Did they?”
Now Sarah chanced a look at him.Felix shook his head.To his credit, he didn’t look surprised or annoyed or pale or anything other than what he’d appeared since she’d arrived: uncomfortable.
Father frowned at Anthony.“Never mind your outrage, Anthony.In fact, you don’t really need to be here.”He looked toward his wife.“Whyishe here?”
“We thought he might help us persuade them of the match.It doesn’t look as if he’ll do that.”
That they’d thought he would almost made Sarah laugh.In fact, whywouldthey have thought that?She opened her mouth to ask, but Anthony beat her to it, practically leaping from his chair.
“Whyever would you think that?”Anthony shook his head.“I’m not going to match my best friend—who has no desire to wed—with my sister.”He turned a pained expression toward Felix.“Please accept my deepest apologies for this…error.”
