Page 17 of A Duke's Unwanted Bride
“You are a fine one to talk.” The Duke rubbed his temples with his hands.
Rowen appeared in the doorway and broke them from their argument. “Are you two joining us?”
“Yes, of course.” Adele moved towards her friend, eager to be rid of the Duke or at the very least put the others between them.
“Actually, I was wondering if I might borrow Lady Adelaide for a moment. There are some things I must discuss with her.” He gave Rowen an apologetic smile.
Rowen nodded, much to Adele’s surprise. “Cora thought as much. She saved the two of you a table in the back.”
“I cannot sit at a table alone with an unmarried man!” Adele yelped, panic rising in her at the thought of being trapped with the Duke.
“Of course, you can. You are a widow; you can do anything you please.” Rowen shook her head and disappeared back inside.
The Duke muttered something under his breath, but Adele ignored him. She stalked inside and sat at the table, quietly cursing her friends and the way they had fallen for the Duke’s charms. Rowen of all people! She practically sneers at the mere mention of a man.
“Well, what do you wish to discuss?” Adele gestured to the Duke as he sat down opposite her.
“Your antics.” He pulled several bits of paper full of writing from his pocket and began to read, laying each one on the table as he did. “Widow at the races — winning back her fortune or gambling it all away?;Promenades at midnight;Widow Kidlington frees dogs from fighting ring. You have been rather busy these last weeks.”
“Well, I could not very well leave them there!” She swallowed. Each of the bits of paper looked like articles, but she was certain they had never been published.
“This one was particularly interesting:Woman spotted swimming in lake beneath the moonlight; could it be Widow Kidlington?It raised all sorts of theories about what you might be up to.” The Duke pointed to the papers. “You have kept me rather busy of late and forced me to spend far too much time with the cretins who run the Morning Post and other such papers.”
“What do you mean? I am fairly certain none of these were published.” Adele squinted at the words, racking her brains for when she might have seen them.At least not everything I have been doing has made it to the papers, but how closely am I being watched?
“Exactly. I have been using every means at my disposal to keep them from publishing this.” He moved the papers towards her.
“Why?” Adele’s jaw dropped.
“Partly because I cannot stand their idle speculations and brainless nonsense, but primarily because I have no wish for your behaviour to detract from the investigation into my cousin’s death. And I am sick to death of my family’s name being the latest gossip in the ton.” His mouth formed a grim line, and his blue eyes flashed with anger before returning to cool disinterest.
Adele waved his words away, trying to ignore the way that flash of emotion had sent her heart into a whirl of movement.Why could he not be ugly? That would make it so much easier to stay cross with him.“The papers will find any excuse to say something rubbish about me. I spent my life living by the rules, and what did it get me? Nothing but scandal. Let the think what they like! I am not doing anything harmful; I am just living my life.”
“But it is not just your life, is it?” He leaned forwards.
“I am not beholden to anyone, least of all you,” she scoffed.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “I am not talking about me but of your family. Your nieces and their futures. After all, they will be coming out in a few years, and scandals like these will ruin their futures. Few husbands will want to marry someone whose aunt is the ton’s favourite scandal.”
Guilt welled up inside Adele, warring with anger. A part of her wanted to ask him why she should care about a family that didnot care about her? Not once had her parents visited her, and she had received only two letters from her sisters.
One letter asked how she was, and the other invited her to Bianca’s fortieth birthday party. But her nieces had never done anything to hurt her, indeed they were closer to her in age than her own sisters. They did not deserve to be shunned for her own freedom.How could I have been so selfish?
“And it is not just your family, but it is mine. This kind of scandal will not allow my uncle to grieve.” The Duke curled his hand into a fist, but his voice had lost it’s cold edge as he met her gaze. “I know you think little of me, but if ever you held any affection for my cousin, I would ask you to think of his father and his brother. Both of them must have the space to grieve, and these scandals make that all but impossible.”
“Very well, I will endeavour to be less scandalous, but I am doing it for my family and for your uncle and cousin. Not for you.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I do not care why you do it, just that you do. I am tired of putting out wildfires caused by your behaviour.” The Duke ran a hand through his hair, and Adele thought she saw the start of a smile on his face before it vanished into his usual neutrality.
“I have one condition though.” Adele pressed on before she lost her nerve. “You will have your guards stop following me; I refuse to be treated like a criminal.”
The Duke stiffened. “They are protecting you.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Adele scoffed.
“It is the truth.”
“Do not treat me like an idiot. You have made it abundantly clear you think I am a murderer, and I am not stupid enough to believe that you would have your men follow me for any other reason than to prove my guilt.” She jutted her chin forwards.
