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“I also told you that, had I been seen with Miss Winston, I would have done the honorable thing and married her. Did you not believe me?”

“No, in truth I did not. Now please go, at least for now. My family is in turmoil enough for the moment.”

“Unfortunately, it is not as easy as that. This is what must now be done, and I will not leave until I have an answer from you. Will you be my duchess?”

“She will,” her father replied, but the Duke simply looked at him with disgust.

“I do not recall asking you, and you will not accept on her behalf.”

He looked back at her, and she was lost for words entirely. He was not the worst possible suitor, of course, and they had formed a friendship in the short time they had known one another, but that did not mean that she wished to marry. It would mean leaving Sarah behind, for one, and that left her at the hands of a father that was furious as it was.

“You need not accept,” he whispered, “no matter what he says. I am not here to force your hand, only to do my duty. I thought of you, and how your sister might be affected and how that would harm you more than scandal ever could,, and nothing else mattered to me. If you do not want this, then I will go.”

“No, stay,” she said quickly. “I– yes, I will marry you.”

“Wonderful!” her father announced, smiling brightly as if he hadn’t been storming at her moments before. “We shall arrange for the ceremony to be held in a week’s time. We can acquire a special license for it, I assume.”

“I will do what I can,” the Duke nodded, though he did not give her father the courtesy of looking him in the eye.

Instead, he looked straight into Emma’s.

“I shall call on you tomorrow.”

“There is no need, Your Grace. A courtship is not necessary, in such circumstances.”

“It is not, but that does not mean I wish to not see you until our wedding. I will see you tomorrow.”

He did not give her a chance to argue, instead simply leaving the room. She turned back to her father, expecting him to make a comment to her of some kind, but he simply waved her away. She did not doubt that her sudden engagement would havedestroyed his argument, but that did not make him happy with her. She had still caused so much damage that there was hardly any saving it, but the wedding would help, it had to.

Emma went to find Sarah in an instant. She was in the library, hiding away with a book and smiling softly.

“I am engaged,” Emma announced bluntly. “To the Duke, of course. I am to be the Duchess of Lupton.”

Her sister looked at her in amazement, then cast a glance over her bare left hand.

“Did he not think to bring a ring?”

“He may bring it tomorrow. I do not believe that he expected me to accept it. He did not seem to mind either way, if I am being honest.”

“In any case, you did,” Sarah nodded, before narrowing her eyes at Emma. “Why did you do it? You could just as easily have left for Aunt Megan by morning and be done with all of this.”

“I could have, yes, but that would have meant leaving you behind. Granted, I shall have to do so regardless, but I would much prefer to stay nearby, at least until you are married.”

“You cannot pretend that it is only for my sake. Emma, when will you at last admit to yourself that you like this gentleman? You kissed him, for Heaven’s sake!”

“I would never fall for a rake! I simply was not thinking, and Cecilia had been handing me alcohol, and what happened, happened. What matters now is that I find a way through this for you.”

“You need not worry for me. I shall be completely happy as things are, and I can always visit you in your illustrious Lupton Estate, can’t I?”

“Of course, you shall always be welcome.”

It felt strange giving such an open invitation to a home that was not even hers, but there was also a sense of satisfaction in it. She would be going from a spinster to a duchess, and though she was not a spiteful person she could not help but think back on how Miss Winston spoke to her, and the things she called her, only for it to have ended in the way it had.

Suddenly, Sarah took Emma’s hand in hers, looking at her with hope.

“You will be a marvelous duchess!” she beamed. “I couldn’t be happier for you. You deserve this and more after all that you have done for me.”

“Sarah, I did not do that for your sake. I told you, it was simply because I was not thinking properly.”