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“I will not stand for this,” Lady Diana said in the silence between them. “Samantha has dreams, and they will not be dashed simply because you do not wish to do things correctly.”

“I found her a husband. That is the correct thing to do.”

“Not when she is not ready. Look at her. Does she look like a duchess to you?”

“Why do you not have any faith in her? You would think that you would care for her enough to encourage this.”

“It is because I care for her that I am against this. You should be too.”

“So,” Lady Samantha continued, “what do you propose we do about this?”

“What would you like to do about it?”

Run as far from him as she possibly could and not look back, he assumed.

“I am not entirely sure, but you must know that I was not planning on marrying for a long time.”

“Yes, your sister was telling me that you are quite the academic.”

“When did she tell you that?”

It was his turn to be uncomfortable.

It was not a surprise to him that Lady Diana had not told her what had transpired between the two of them, but he hadn’t expected to have mentioned it himself. He was not typically that careless, although given his recent actions, he had to wonder if that was truly the case.

“I must be confusing the two of you with someone else.”

Whether she believed him or not, she accepted his excuse. That was all that he could ask for.

“Well, you are correct in your assumptions in any case. I would much rather engage in more scholarly pursuits, but given my status, let us just say that it will not be possible to. That does not mean, however, that I am so willing to give up on my dream. I should still like to fill my days with the things I love. In that respect, I would be a terrible wife. I would be far too selfish.”

“It is not selfish to do what you must,” he said firmly. “And if this is not what you want, then?—”

“No, it is as I told you. I am perfectly fine with this. If I must be a wife, then I might as well take the opportunity to become a duchess, but you must understand that I need some time to adjust.”

“But you are not listening to me. I will not force you to do anything that you do not wish to do. If you do not wish to marry me, I shall find a wife elsewhere.”

He saw her relax at that, as if she believed him. It was exactly what he wanted, for it was the truth. He was not going to force her hand. There had been no contracts signed, only a handshake between the two men, and even if it did come down to a duel, Colin was quite confident that it would go in his favor.

“That will not be necessary,” the Earl declared, joining the two of them. “My daughter has something to say.”

Colin turned to Lady Diana, who was flushed scarlet. He couldn’t help but think that she was perfectly lovely, before cursing himself for thinking about her that way. She was the sister of his would-have-been wife, and now she was nothing to him.

“If it is all the same to you, Your Grace, I do not wish for any scandal or rumors to fly around. I would like to take my sister’s place.”

“There would be no rumors,” Colin explained, but she raised a hand to silence him.

“There would be. You know how things are in London, whether you spend time here or not. You will have been seen walking into our home by someone, and soon enough there will be questions. I do not want that. I also wish for my sister to have everything that she wants out of life, and so I will take her place if that is alright with you.”

“There is no need for that,” Lady Samantha began. “The Duke and I have?—”

“That will be fine by me,” Colin said without thinking.

The three of them stared at him.

“But, Your Grace,” Lady Samantha said softly, “we agreed not to marry. It is alright.”

“But your sister makes an excellent point. There will be rumors, ones that could damage your reputation, as well as that of your family. I could not do that to you, you do not deserve that. No, this is the right thing to do. Your sister is wise.”