Page 5 of The Duke's Accidental Wallflower
“Because I had to stop you from ruining her!” she nearly yelled at him.
“Do not make me cover your mouth again,” Evan warned her.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed, stamping her foot. “And I demand you tell me where my sister is hiding at once!”
“Ahhh... so that is who you were so desperate to keep away from me!”
“You pretend to not know her! You cannot seriously think–”
“Tell me, why is it that you think I would be interested in your sister?” The Duke challenged. “One shrieking, stamping, biting hellion is quite enough for me, Miss…?"
“LadyMinerva,” she snapped, her temper flaring again. “Lady Minerva Bellington, to be precise.”
“Lady Minerva,” he repeated, his tone softening slightly. “I assure you, I have not been meeting your sister—or anyone else, for that matter. I came to this library to escape the ball, not to conduct some secret rendezvous.”
That was all true. But now, standing in a tiny supply closet, inches away from a spitfire of a woman who seemed ready to burst, he wished he’d stayed at the insufferably loud ball instead.
Minerva’s eyes flickered with doubt, but she wasn’t ready to let it go just yet. “How do I know you are not lying?”
Evan shrugged, the barest hint of a grin tugging at his lips again. “Believe what you wish. But it is the truth.”
Her breath came quicker now, her brows pulling together in a mix of frustration and anxiety. “This would never have happened if you had not interfered. I should be out there, finding her before it is too late!”
“Too late for what?” Evan asked, his amusement fading as he caught the note of desperation in her voice. “What exactly are you trying to stop? I hardly think she is planning on... er, giving herself to someone outside of wedlock.”
“No! Nothing like that!”
“Then truly I am not sure what you believe she will ruin.”
Minerva’s hands clenched at her sides, her face paling slightly as she struggled to keep her composure. “Her reputation. If she—if she kisses him, everything will be ruined. And now, because of you, I am trapped in here while she is out there, doing heaven knows what!”
Evan frowned, his confusion deepening. “Wait—this is about a kiss?”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Yes, a kiss! Something that could ruin her, something you, of all people, should know well enough about.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but the words did not come. The men outside were still lingering, their low voices murmuring about the book they couldn’t find. Minerva looked like she was about to lose her mind entirely, twisting her hands with increasing frustration, tapping her foot annoyingly fast.
Evan watched her, and despite the absurdity of the situation, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her panic. She clearly believed she was on the brink of some great disaster, though he couldn’t quite understand why.
“You are worked up over what she wishes might happen,” he said, his voice low but steady, trying to calm her down before she exposed them. “I doubt it is as dire as you think.”
Minerva spun on him, her eyes blazing with indignation. “You do not understand! My sister is... she is different. If word gets out, it will destroy her. She will be ruined, and all because I was not there to stop it!”
Evan raised his hands in mock surrender, though his tone remained light. “I am not saying it is nothing. But a kiss is not the end of the world, especially if no one catches her.”
She glared at him, clearly not appreciating his attempt to minimize the situation. “For a man like you, perhaps not. But for women like my sister and me, reputation is all we have.”
Her words hit him with unexpected weight, and despite his usual nonchalance Evan felt a flicker of guilt. He had spent yearscultivating his own reputation as a rake, and it had hardly cost him anything.
Before he could respond, Minerva let out a shaky breath, running a hand over her hair. “I need to get out of here. I need to find her before?—”
“I am sure you will find her soon. But you need to calm down first, unless you want to be the one ruined instead. It would be a sure way to keep the ton’s attention off your sister.”
She tried to look up to glare at him again, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and anger. And for the first time, Evan saw past her bravado. Beneath the fire and the sharp retorts, she was scared.
But he did not let that thought linger. There was still too much to resolve, and the men outside were starting to move again.
If they were discovered now, the scandal would be disastrous, far worse than anything polite society had whispered about in recent years. He almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
