Page 3 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“I did not mean to do that,” the lady gasped. “I do not know what came over me. But Helena, you cannot do this. You cannot marry that man. You looked terrified.”
“She is not scared of me, I can assure you.” Owen stepped nearer to the pair and both ladies turned to him in surprise. He eyed the woman he did not recognize keenly. “Who are you, and what business did you have at my wedding?”
“This is my friend,” Lady Helena explained. “Lady Beatrice Jennings.”
“I see. Did you plan this?”
“Of course not,” Lady Helena hissed, “and neither did she. Lady Beatrice and I have been close to one another for years. She and I were both astonished by the hastiness of this wedding. And, while confiding in my friend, I must have led her to believe I wastruly distraught.” She paused and cleared her throat. “The fault is mine, Your Grace.”
“This is not your fault!” Lady Beatrice said sharply as she used a lace handkerchief to dab her tears from her cheeks. “You did not want any of this, Helena. You do not know this man and should not be obliged to give him your hand in marriage. I wanted to help you escape this awful fate. You deserve so much more than this arrangement, Helena, but your father was not willing to act on your behalf. If he could not help you then I thought–”
“Her father?” He shot a quick look between the pair. “What has he to do with this disruption? He was against this hasty union, but I did not think he would ask someone else to speak out on his behalf during the ceremony,” Owen said firmly, and both ladies turned to look at him.
He could see the pleading look in Lady Helena’s face, and he realized in that moment that she had not been honest with her friend in the way that she had been with him.
“Helena?” Lady Beatrice asked. “He is lying, is he not?”
Lady Helena looked askance, unable to meet anyone’s eye.
“No,” she said at last. “I am afraid that I have not been honest with you, Bea. All of this– it was my idea. His Grace has not forced my hand; he was helping me escape a mistake that I made.”
“And now she has no other solution,” Owen said coldly. “I hope that you are pleased with yourself.”
“She does not know!” Lady Helena snapped. “You cannot blame her for trying to help me.”
“Then it is time for you to tell her the truth. It is far passed that, but if I were you, I would explain why you will soon have to disappear.”
The two ladies looked at one another, but neither spoke. Owen knew that people would leave the church eventually, and so he pulled them both away with him, so that they were out of earshot.
“Very well,” he sighed. “I will tell you myself. Lady Helena has made no secret of the fact that she does not love me, but this match was her idea. She wanted the Harcourt name for protection, while keeping her heart elsewhere. It was an ideal match for a man in need of a wife quickly. No, she does not love me, nor do I love her, but that does not mean that she had any less say in all of this than I did.”
He watched as Lady Beatrice tried to make sense of what she was hearing. Her face changed from confusion to betrayal to hurt, and at last she turned to Lady Helena with wide eyes.
“Your heart is elsewhere… who? Who has captured your heart? Was it one of the gentlemen who you danced with at the Everton’s Ball?”
Lady Helena crumbled in an instant, bursting into tears.
“You will be so ashamed of me,” she gasped through sobs. “You shall never want to speak with me again.”
“That is not true, Helena, and you know it. Whatever it is, I can try to help you.”
“You cannot. Nobody could. My only way to escape was with His Grace, but now the wedding cannot go ahead, and I am running out of time.”
Owen placed a supportive hand on her arm, trying to alleviate her distress. Though he did not have any particular affection for her, he respected her immensely for her courage. She came to him knowing that he could ruin her if he chose, but she was desperate.
“I am in love,” she said at last. “I visited a market, and there was a young man there selling books. He was so handsome, Beatrice, and so well-read. We talked about anything and everything, and then I began to meet him after dark.”
“But you told me that you had not tried to find love.”
“Because it was already there. All of this began two years ago, and with how strong my feelings for him were, I knew that I could never fall for another. I knew there was no use trying.”
“Is that why you say you are running out of time? Helena, being a spinster is not a bad thing.”
“No but being an unmarried mother is.”
Both ladies froze, looking at each other but not saying a word. Owen cleared his throat, stepping between the two of them. Lady Beatrice pressed herself into the wall, but he did not step away. Looking at her properly, he saw her full lips, soft curves, and the way she was almost fairy-like in appearance. There was no hatred in her face, and he knew for certain that she had not meant to ruin her friend. He pitied her, almost, but she was none of his concern.
“I will do what I can to care for Lady Helena,” he said in a low growl, “but I can no longer marry her. Society will not look kindly upon it, and a union between us would only come under further scrutiny when a baby is born in seven months.”
