Page 4 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“But–”
“No. This is what you wanted. I am no longer marrying your friend. Congratulations, Lady Beatrice, you have ruined my wedding and dragged all three of us into scandal. Now, what will I do with you?”
Lady Helena pulled him back, stepping between them. He could see the fury in her eyes at his words.
“Leave her alone,” she warned. “I assure you, she did not know. The fault is mine, for had I been honest about my situation, none of this would have happened. I told her that it was an agreement between our fathers, and she had no reason to believe otherwise.”
“Be that as it may, I am still in need of a wife. Not only that, but we need a way out of this scandal.” He glanced between the pair and saw that both were befuddled. The stunned expressions on their faces urged a thought into his mind, so without waiting for them to intercede, he added, “Fear not, for I have already thought of one. All it requires of the two of you is to play pretend, and that will be easy for you, Lady Helena.”
Her cheeks flamed, and though he felt guilty for hurting her feelings he had a point to make. He had an idea, but it required commitment on their parts, so he needed them to remember just how dire the situation was, through no fault of his own.
“Here is what will happen,” he explained. “Lady Beatrice, you will confess your love for me, and I will assure everyone how much that love is reciprocated. Together, we will say the interruption of the ceremony was due to you no longer being able to conceal your feelings.”
“But that would be a lie.”
“And you will tell it regardless. Do you truly believe any man will want you now that they have seen this behavior?”
“They did not want me before,” she muttered. “This misunderstanding changes nothing.”
“I can see why,” he said coldly before turning to Lady Helena. “You will confess that you knew, and that you understand her anger. The two of you are still very good friends, and that will not be changed because one of you fell in love with the other’s betrothed. All the same, you will be spending some time in the country with an aunt so that you may recover from this shock.”
“Would that not make it worse?” Lady Beatrice asked, and he groaned. “She would be seen as running away.”
“That is precisely what she is doing. Sheisrunning away. As for you, we shall give it time and then the banns will be posted again.”
She realized what he was expecting of her, and he waited for her to argue. She did not want to marry him any more than Lady Helena did, but it was what had to happen.. There was no other way through it.
And so, she did not disagree with him. She glanced between the Duke and Lady Helena before nodding faintly.
“If that is what must happen,” she whispered. “Helena does not want to marry you, and so she will not. I would rather take her place and find a way for her to be with the man she loves, than watch her live in a loveless marriage.”
“Then remember that this was your choice,” he nodded, at last stepping back. “You caused the disturbance and so, you are now agreeing to also provide the remedy. I shall arrange everything..”
His hands shook as he left the two ladies standing next to the church. He had expected to return home a married man, but that had not happened. Instead, he had traded one lady for another, and though he did not want to compare the two, he was at least pleased that Lady Beatrice had dark hair, so that he was not reminded of Lydia.
It was a foolish thing to think about, given all that had happened, but that was what his mind turned to. There was a pang in his chest that Lydia should not have been at his wedding, and it was his own fault that she absent. Had she been there, she would have scolded him for how he spoke to the two ladies and for thinking that a marriage could be arranged so tidily.
Regardless, Lady Beatrice would now have to be his wife, and she had accepted that. Meanwhile, he would have to do all that he could to protect them both, even though he did not know one of them at all and knew that the other would soon have to leave Society.
He stomped up the steps to the church, pleased to see that most guests had left. The lack of spectators made it easier to walk inside and find Lord Stanton, who was looking at him expectantly. Stanton, Owen’s closest friend, wore a slightly bemused expression as Owen drifted to his side.
“Would you mind telling me what happened?” he asked.
“Not here,” he said in a low voice. “I do not dare.”
“Is there a scandal that I should know about?”
“Not yet…not entirely… but there could well be if we do not tread carefully. Come, we will discuss this elsewhere.”
His friend followed him without question. As they walked out of the church, Owen tried not to listen to the whispers, but they were impossible to ignore.
“I thought that might happen.”
“Of course. When one is accused of such awful things, it is not easy for them to find love later.”
He shook the accusation from his head, not wanting to have yet another confrontation that day. He was far too busy to concern himself with a rumor that had existed for thirteen years.
Besides, he had a wedding to plan.
