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“We believe that Lord Nicholas saw the Duke and I alone together and blackmailed us so that we would be forced to marry.”

She expected Penelope to be stunned, and to ask her a hundred questions that she did not know the answer to, but instead, she was standing with her head to one side, confused.

“That cannot be right,” she said quietly. “That is not possible.”

“But it is. It is, and it happened, and so the Duke and I decided to marry in order to prevent any rumors destroying my reputation.”

“But Lord Nicholas would not have done that.”

“You cannot be serious. You saw how much he and Miss Norton loathed me.”

“Yes, but for the same reason that the Duke did. It would not make sense for him to force the two of you to marry. Think about it — marrying a lady makes his brother’s position as duke even stronger. Imagine if the two of you produce an heir. Lord Nicholas has only ever wanted two things, and those are to become hideously wealthy and to be the Duke. Why would he put himself in a position where that would be jeopardized?”

Samantha knew what Penelope meant, but her friend was not privy to the whole story. She did not know how competitive and vicious the Duke’s brother could be, even if she did know him quite well.

“He wanted to hurt the Duke’s reputation, and if he ruined me in the process, then that did not matter. The Duke told me himself.”

“And did Lord Nicholas admit it?”

“No, of course not, but who would? One would never confess to blackmailing someone if there was no real evidence to prove it.”

“I suppose. In that case, he is a bigger fool than I thought. Who in their right mind would go out of their way to make themselves less likely to be a duke?”

“A man that is so determined to destroy his own brother, I suppose,” Samantha sighed. “But it does not matter. Thanks to our marriage, I shall have a wealth of opportunities that I never thought would be possible, and so I have come out of it all rather favorably.”

“That is incredibly fortunate. In any case, so long as you and the Duke are happy, that is all that matters. It is about the destination, not the journey.”

“I believe it is said that the journey is the important part.”

“Not necessarily,” Penelope chuckled. “Now, as fascinating as this all is, we ought to go to dinner. I am ravenous!”

Samantha nodded, and the two ladies went to the dining hall. Lord Drowshire and the Duke were there waiting for them, and they were looking at Samantha expectantly.

“My apologies,” she explained. “I simply had so much to tell Penelope.”

“As did your husband,” Lord Drowshire noted. “And fear not, Lord Nicholas is no longer welcome in my home. I cannot have those closest to me treated in such a manner.”

“Did you tell him?” Samantha asked, stunned, and the Duke nodded.

“I assumed Penelope would not rest until she knew all about it, and so I thought it best to tell him too. There is nothing to be concerned about as we are not going to say a word to him, but he is cut off from the both of us. You have nothing to worry about. Now come, sit. I have missed Drowshire’s cook’s food immensely.”

“Then you should visit more often!” Penelope joked, and soon enough, the first course arrived.

The discussion during the meal was far easier to sit through as there was an unspoken peace about what had happened withLord Nicholas, and Samantha felt herself relax completely until it was time to leave.

“I apologize for telling Lord Drowshire,” Graham said once they were traveling home. “I should have discussed it with you beforehand, but —”

“It is quite all right. After all, you were correct, and Penelope did indeed not let the matter die until I told her everything. Not only that, but I have already told Diana as you know, and so it is only fair that you are able to tell others too.”

“Then the matter is settled although I would much prefer for the two of us to discuss these things before they happen.”

“As would I, so we can do that in future.”

Graham nodded and then leaned back, and Samantha tried to relax in the same manner. However, Penelope’s words rang in the back of her mind.

It wasn’t something that Lord Nicholas would do.

CHAPTER 22