Page 3 of A Bride for the Duke of Sin (Ton’s Wolves #3)

CHAPTER 3

T here is absolutely nothing romantic about a ball .

Phoebe sighed to herself as she trailed after her sister and new brother-in-law to where the light seemed brightest and the sounds loudest.

Balls always seemed far more glorious in fiction than they actually were in real life. The crush of bodies, the endless chatter filling the air… all of it was quite enough to make Phoebe feel claustrophobic.

Not to mention that she very rarely found the dessert scrumptious enough to draw her away from… other activities.

“My dear, try not to look so glum,” Alice remarked softly from beneath her fan. “Although I must admit that I am not overly fond of such gatherings myself.”

“Oh?” Colin, Alice’s husband, raised an eyebrow at his young wife’s words. “What then would you rather be doing, my lamb?”

Phoebe watched as her sister turned a delicate shade of pink. It was quite rare that anyone could affect her sister so, but the Duke of Blackthorn did it with such ease.

“You already know what,” Alice hissed at him, swatting his arm playfully. “Now, do behave, darling—unless you want to be the one explaining to dear Ethan why we must leave his party much earlier than is considered polite.”

“You have never been much for politeness.”

From other people, that might have sounded incredibly rude, but the lighthearted banter between her sister and brother-in-law was so sweet that it fairly made Phoebe’s teeth ache just listening to it.

Her heart, too, when she realized with a sinking feeling that she may never be as comfortable with her own betrothed as Alice was with Colin. She hardly knew the Viscount Dexford, but she did not think that he would take kindly to her taking such liberties to tease him, especially in a public setting like the one they were currently in.

Most gentlemen never did.

She sighed again as they were ushered into the ballroom, blinking slightly at the sight of such a grand chandelier all aglow. Music drifted vibrantly from where a string quartet was playing by the dance floor, and—oh dear heavens! Was that a champagne fountain made of a tower of delicate crystal flutes?

The decadence of the entire affair was nothing like she had ever seen before. Certainly worthy of being hosted by the Duke of Sin himself, if she was brave enough to utter it out loud.

“I am surprised to see that you have taken my suggestion to heart,” a low, silky voice murmured against her left ear, sending shivers through her body.

Phoebe whirled around, and true enough, Ethan was smirking at her, his eyes glinting as he boldly ran them from the top of her head down to her toes, lingering where the neckline dipped most provocatively.

I should have never worn this dress here . Even if Mama had been most adamant about it.

“I should warn you to curb your wild ways, Your Grace,” she muttered, secretly hating how breathless his gaze had made her.

He chuckled, the sound low and rich and absolutely sensual. “My, my, Lady Phoebe Barkley. I never knew you had such fire in you.”

She bit her lips as he delicately trailed a finger down her arm.

“Perhaps,” he continued silkily, “if you had been so bold earlier, tonight would be much different…”

He was talking such nonsense that Phoebe nearly burst into giggles. Did he really think that she would be able to capture his attention if she had worn a few more provocative dresses?

“And I would suggest that you keep your hands to yourself, Your Grace,” she reminded him primly. “You are about to be married now. Another Wolf tamed.”

She saw how his eyes darkened with a simmering fury and should have stopped right there. Instead, she let out a dramatic sigh and continued.

“All the ladies will now have to look to the Duke of Wolverton to satisfy their?—”

She broke off when she felt a strong arm snake around her waist, her body being pulled up close to a decidedly harder one. Instinctively, Phoebe raised her hands to push against his chest.

Big mistake.

Her hands were now flattened against a wall of muscle hidden beneath linen and fine velvet.

He was all male, and his eyes glowed incandescent with barely restrained fury.

She looked around and found that he had deftly maneuvered them into a more isolated area of the ballroom, hidden from view by a pillar decorated with lush foliage and flowers.

“You are playing a very dangerous game, Phoebe,” he growled.

She squirmed against him and glared back at him. “I feel sorry for your wife,” she hissed at him.

“Save your strength, sweetheart. She came into this marriage knowing full well what she was getting herself into,” he spat out.

Just what did he mean by that? Phoebe wondered as she looked at him with surprise.

But it was not her business to pry, and Phoebe Barkley never did anything out of bounds.

“Please let me go, Your Grace,” she told him with far more calm than she truly felt.

To her astonishment, his hold on her loosened, and then, he let her go.

She dared not spare him another glance as she hiked up her skirts and ran.

Ran outside the ballroom.

Ran from Ethan and the maddening effect his proximity had on her.

Get a hold on yourself, Phoebe! The man is about to be married!

It would certainly not do well for her to be seen so scandalously close to a man soon to be married.

Especially a man like Ethan Audley, the Duke of Sin himself.

They would never blame him, of course, but Phoebe…

She would be absolutely ruined .

The Viscount Dexford would withdraw his offer, and no other gentleman would deign to spare her another glance ever again.

Her father would go to his grave in complete and utter disgrace for having had a daughter like her.

Phoebe sagged against the doorframe just outside the antechamber, her chest heaving.

The Duke of Sin was indeed a rapacious Wolf, devouring everything in his path without the slightest hint of remorse. Even his impending nuptials did very little to curb his dark nature!

How could he talk to me like that when he is to be married in the morning?

Hands still shaking, Phoebe turned to the door. In her state, she could not waltz back into the ballroom looking the slightest bit disheveled. At the very least, she must compose herself before returning…

“—a duke, no less. You have done very well, my darling. Much better than I initially expected!”

Phoebe froze when she heard the pride in the woman’s voice. However, the soft trill of laughter that followed it sent chills down her spine.

“I, myself, can hardly believe it,” a younger woman replied in a gloating tone.

Phoebe cracked the door open just slightly, holding her breath as she did so. Quietly, she peered inside, her eyes widening when she saw a flash of the familiar rich, chestnut-brown hair adorned extravagantly with ropes of pearls.

And that cloying, nauseating fragrance!

It was none other than Miss Marianne Delaney, soon to be the Duchess of Sinclair.

“Hush, pet!” her mother admonished her. The Baroness’s beady brown eyes swiveled to the door nervously, and Phoebe pressed herself against the wall, praying that they would not be alerted to her presence. “Take care that nobody else hears you!”

But Miss Delaney merely waved her fingers with a careless eye roll. “So what if somebody overhears? Is this not what everyone does?” she scoffed with a petulant frown. “I have had enough of all those ladies looking down on me?—”

“Yes, yes,” the Baroness rushed to soothe her daughter. “But this is the Duke of Sin we are talking about. Who knows how he would react if he discovers the truth?”

“That the child is not his? Do not worry, Mama, he shall never find out. I am sure of it.”

Phoebe sucked in a deep breath. One revelation after another—it was simply too much for her to take in!

As to how Ethan would react were he to discover that he had been duped…

Well, Phoebe had a very good idea of what his temper was like. She had a rather intimate glimpse of it not too long ago.

Still, as unbearable as the man was, he did not deserve to be manipulated into a marriage he did not want!

I had thought that only women could be forced into marriage . Apparently, men can fall victim to such schemes as well.

“… in any case, everything is settled,” she heard the Baroness add in a more subdued tone. “And tomorrow, my daughter will be a duchess.”

“Yes, indeed. The Duchess of Sinclair.”

The thought of that reprehensible liar marrying Ethan made Phoebe’s stomach churn most violently.

As insufferable as he was, he did not deserve to be tricked.

But if she exposed Miss Delaney for the fraud that she truly was, the young lady would ultimately be ruined. No one in Society would dare associate with her.

And the child… well, who was the father of that child anyway, if not Ethan himself?

Phoebe clamped her lips together tightly.

That is no longer my concern .

In fact, none of this was any of her concern.

She had her own problems to take care of—like her impending wedding to the Viscount Dexford.

She did not have the capacity to meddle in the murky affairs of the Duke of Sin.

Truly.

She could just turn around and walk away. Pretend that she never heard a single word of that foul conversation.

If she could live with herself knowing what she knew now.

She thought about Ethan and that slight smirk of his that always seemed to render her breathless. If he proceeded to marry Miss Delaney, would he still be able to smile like that?

Would he still be as frivolous as he was when he teased her at that house party?

No.

Marriage changed people, for better or for worse—this much she knew, at least.

Would she be able to look him in the eye, knowing that she could have stopped all of this if she had just told him what she heard?

Despair clawed at her insides.

No.

“Why me?” she cursed under her breath. “Why could I not have gone into a different room?”

She needed to get away from all this right now. Or at the very least, find another room in which she might be better able to compose herself without overhearing the most scandalous things.

But this was London, and scandal abounded in just about every corner.

The only way the ton would ever forget a scandal was if a bigger one broke out.

Is this how it is all supposed to end? With marriage to a woman I can hardly stand?

Ethan stood stoically at the altar as he watched the wedding party file down the aisle. Beside him, he caught a glimpse of Hudson giving him a pointed look.

He supposed that a groom was supposed to look a lot more enthusiastic on his wedding day, but who were they supposed to put up an act for? Everybody attending the wedding knew damn well that he held no such affection for his bride.

At least nothing more than a passing attraction, and even that was dubious at best.

He caught a flash of sage green at the very back of the pews, and his heart suddenly thudded in his chest. Eyes as green as emeralds flecked with bits of gold met his, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still as he looked at her from across the room.

Phoebe .

What was she doing there at the very back, sneaking around like a mischievous child?

“Ethan?” Hudson cleared his throat, drawing his attention back to the present.

Ethan frowned as he looked at his bride, who was smiling at him.

“I believe that you should take her hand now,” Hudson muttered.

Oh. Right .

Ethan fought the urge to grimace as he accepted Miss Delaney’s hand from her father. Fortunately, it seemed like the Baron had indulged in drink a great deal more than he should have and barely noticed that his son-in-law appeared loath to accept his daughter’s hand.

This was it. This was what the rest of his life was going to be like—married to a woman he did not want, fathering a child he did not plan for.

He never should have gone to that party.

He never should have been so careless…

“… Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace…”

Ethan closed his eyes as the damned minister paused for dramatic effect.

What the hell are they waiting for? Nobody would be so ill-mannered as to interrupt the wedding of a ? —

“Stop! Halt this wedding at once!”