Page 8 of A Bride for the Forbidden Duke (Forbidden Lords #2)

Chapter Eight

“ H ow wonderful last night was,” Judith sighed, settling into the sofa in the parlor. She paused, looking to the housekeeper. “Mrs. Carlson, do make sure the cook makes enough cake. I imagine my Veronica will be expecting many suitors today!”

“Mama, your tone is entirely too cheery and optimistic,” Veronica answered, her arms folded over her lap as she leaned forward, looking at the tray of cakes that had already been set out.

“I am sure I saw you dancing with Lord Samson last night,” Judith insisted. “And I noticed several other lords looking at you. There were even several barons in attendance last night, I believe. I have hopes for you this season, my dearest.”

“Is it hope, Mama, or the wish for a way out of our current situation?” Veronica asked, and immediately regretted it. “Forgive me, I?—”

“No, you are quite right,” Judith said. “But I do wish I had seen you dancing with more gentlemen. You deserve a beautiful night.”

Not a night spent being pinned in the garden by Lord Barwicke , Veronica thought sadly.

“Lord Samson is handsome,” Veronica said, faking enthusiasm for her mama’s sake. “But he is far too old, and I believe his head is filled with riches rather than a brain.”

Judith allowed an unladylike laugh in response but was stopped by the entering of a footman, dressed in their pale house colors.

“His Grace, the Duke of Westley, is here for Lady Veronica.”

Veronica’s heart plummeted.

I will be in touch , the Duke had said. It seemed he was not wasting any time. A man who will follow duty to no end.

Judith’s eyes cast to Veronica’s as if to ask if she expected such a visit, but Veronica avoided her gaze, her eyes instead fixed on the imposing man who walked through the door as the footman left the room.

“Your Grace,” Judith said, and both Veronica and her mother dropped into a curtsy.

Veronica swallowed, unable to look away from the Duke, especially when he fixed those deep, brown eyes onto her.

“Lady Grantham,” he greeted, hardly taking his eyes off Veronica. “Lady Veronica.”

“I—” Judith trailed off before gasping and moving closer to Veronica.

Her eyes were wide, shocked, and she began fussing at Veronica’s sleeves, the sash around her dress, and Veronica had to bat her hands away.

“Mama, do stop!” she insisted. “It is not necessary.”

The Duke watched them detachedly.

“Your Grace, please do sit,” Judith insisted, sweeping her hand towards the sofa set up for guests. “We have prepared cake?—”

“That will not be necessary,” he said, almost a mirror of Veronica’s words. “I will not be here long. Lady Grantham, my solicitor has spoken with your family solicitor, I believe.” His words came out clinical, clipped. “I am aware of your financial predicament?—”

Judith looked aghast at Veronica, trying to figure everything out.

“And I do not care about Lady Veronica’s dowry. And if I did, there is none, regardless.”

His words were flat, emotionless, and part of Veronica’s heart broke away.

She steeled herself. Her mother’s mouth parted, ready for more questions that she knew the Duke would not answer.

He interrupted any question she had. “I have applied for a special license which should be ready the day after tomorrow. My solicitor shall be my witness, and you shall be the second, Lady Grantham.”

“Witness…” she murmured, pressing a hand to her head.

“For my wedding to your daughter,” he said. “We shall marry the day after tomorrow as soon as the license is ready.”

Judith collapsed back onto the sofa, and her mouth dropped open, her gaze looking between Veronica and the Duke. “You… you are marrying my daughter?”

“Yes.”

The finality of it rang through the room, and silence settled for a few moments. The Duke stayed perfectly still while Veronica watched her mother churn through the news. Her eyes kept glancing dubiously back and forth, and then, mortifyingly, her attention dropped to Veronica’s stomach.

Heavens, she thinks I have compromised myself!

Judith’s mouth opened, no doubt to ask, and Veronica prayed to be spared the humiliation when the Duke spoke again.

“Lady Grantham, I do not have the patience nor the time to waste,” he said. “Weddings are frivolous affairs, but this one is necessary, is it not?”

The way he said it left little room to answer.

Dressed in what Veronica came to think of as his trademark dark palette, she could not help but notice the bulk that his shirt and waistcoat hid beneath the layers.

The back of her neck prickled with heat.

It is suddenly quite warm in here.

Her mother was taken aback with his curtness, and it was clear she still had many things to ask and say, but she only exhaled, clasping her face.

Does she see what I have done for us? The Duke and I are securing her future with this plan .

“Well!” she cried, laughing breathlessly. She stood up excitedly. “Congratulations!”

Her laughter rang out, and she stepped forward, arms outstretched, approaching the Duke who stood watching her, as if she was a misbehaving puppy that nobody would tame and was irritating him on a fine day. He stepped back as soon as her mother’s arms came nearer, angling for an embrace.

Veronica winced as he looked away, his jaw tight.

Judith hovered, slowly lowering her arms, looking somewhat lost, before her eyes alighted on Veronica.

“My dear, are you not going to say anything to your future husband? He has quite surprised us—this whole ordeal is quite surprising! You did… you did not mention it.”

“Everything is rather sudden, yes,” Veronica said. Her eyes cut to the Duke once again. She could not help how clipped her voice was when she answered, “I look forward to our union, Your Grace.”

He nodded, giving a hum of acknowledgement. He stepped back, and she knew just how fleeting his visit would be. “Lady Veronica, Lady Grantham, there will be a carriage awaiting you the day of the wedding. You will not worry yourselves with arrangements.”

He inclined his head in farewell, making to leave as swiftly as he had entered, but Judith stepped forward, her hand raising.

“Your Grace, what—what about Veronica’s wedding dress? Surely my daughter deserves a beautiful gown as any other girl does. And especially given the short notice, we must outfit her appropriately and?—”

“Mama, it is fine!” Veronica protested, not wanting any fuss, lest her mother believe this was anything more than what it was: a necessity. An option that was only going ahead due to no other option. “I have plenty of dre?—”

“I have already contacted the modiste,” the Duke said, cutting her off. His gaze bore into Veronica, and she looked up, surprised. “Your wedding dress will be delivered on the day of the ceremony.”

He regarded them both. “Is that all?”

Surprise spread through her, and she could not quite smoothen out the pout of her mouth or the furrow of her brows in shock. “You have organized everything so swiftly, Your Grace.”

“Indeed!” Judith agreed. “I was not aware of your courtship.” She eyed Veronica suspiciously again. “You have taken care of all the arrangements, Your Grace, but is there nothing we can do at all?”

The Duke’s attention bore into Veronica. “All I require you to do is show up and say your vows.”

With that, he bowed his head in a curt, cold nod, and left the parlor, leaving Veronica and Judith wordless with surprise.

“Well,” Judith laughed, once the parlor was empty, “I do suppose I should call off the extra cake and tell Mrs. Carlson to turn away any other gentlemen visitors, for my daughter is to marry a Duke!”

Veronica’s fingers trailed daintily over the neckline of her wedding gown two days later. It was simple, framing her chest with the sleeves hugging her arms. White gloves adorned her hands, reaching to her upper arm.

A tiara nestled in her curls, a gift from her mother. “From my wedding day,” she had said.

Her chest tightened as her gaze traveled over the bodice of her gown, her corset keeping her frantically beating heart contained. The white fabric complemented her pale skin, and her brown hair stood out against the color. The skirt fell to her ankles where heeled slippers were just visible beneath the fabric.

It was simple but elegant. Clearly, the Duke had not spent a great deal on the dress. What had she envisioned for herself, anyway? Surely not a gossamer layered gown, beaded with pearls, perhaps, and a trail that swept behind her as she walked down an aisle.

“I suppose it matches everything else that he has arranged,” she murmured to herself. “Necessary without being overdone. At least the Duke has taste.”

She smoothed her skirt down and turned to the door, finding her mama looking at her with a soft smile.

“The carriage is outside,” Judith told her. “Veronica, you are a vision, dear. I understand the… situation of your arrangement, but I hope you will find comfort in knowing that His Grace will think you are beautiful.”

And it finally hit her that she would no longer live in Grantham House, and her mother would be left alone with the rest of her staff. That they would not break their fasts together nor attend parties at each other’s side, hoping that with each one, they might not be as ruined as the gossip sheets said. And Veronica, ever the solitary lady in society, would always listen for word of her brother.

There would be no more trips together to the modiste. No more afternoons at the tea shop on the main street. And there would be no more finding comfort in one another through both Robert’s absence and her father’s death. Who would be there to comfort her mama?

And while her mama was alone in Grantham House, Veronica would be in a loveless, arranged marriage, for the sake of them both remaining financially sound.

I am to live separately from the Duke once my brother returns. That shall be any day now , she assured herself. I will not have to endure the Duke’s brash mannerisms for very long.

Mustering a smile, Veronica joined her mother in retreating to the carriage. As she walked through Grantham House, she stifled a beat of emotion. She had not realized how hard it would be to leave her home, to think of her mother in the empty hallways. I must tell my mama to speak with her friends once again. All of them. She will need them.

The carriage was a grand affair, the most opulence he had spared for the day.

“A cream-colored carriage,” Judith said, in awe. “My, my. And look at these seats, Veronica! What luxury.”

Her gloved hand smoothed over the interior.

“Are you imagining your next carriage, Mama?” Veronica teased.

“Well, a lady can now dream, can she not? Our carriage is just fine, but that is all it is. Fine . I should hope for a better one soon enough.”

Together, they climbed in, and the door was closed.

The whip snapped, the horses whinnied, and the carriage was pulled along. Veronica fixed her eyes downward on her gloved fingers. She was moving to her new life.

Her wedding . The fact had still not sunk into her.

“It is rather strange I am on my way to marry a Duke, is it not?” she worried almost nervously. It seemed she had been witty with the Duke the night in the garden, challenging him as he did her, but now, only nerves fluttered within her.

What sort of life shall I be subjected to with such a cold-hearted man ?

“It is very fortunate,” her mother corrected, smiling encouragingly. She reached out to take Veronica’s hand. “And you make a very beautiful bride, and you shall make an even more beautiful duchess.”

Duchess .

The title rang through her with a shiver.

“I am to be a duchess, yet I could not even help you,” Veronica whispered in a moment of vulnerability. But her mama clasped the side of her face, shaking her head gently.

“Do not think these things, my dear girl.” Silence settled between them, and her mother frowned, glancing down.

“What is it, Mama?”

“It is only that I worry. Although your marriage to the Duke of Westley is most fortunate and the perfect outcome, I cannot help wondering if he will make you happy.”

Veronica gave her mother a smile. “Mama, as long as you are safe and happy, then I shall be too. Do not worry about me.”

Her mother’s eyes shone with tears. “I am your mother. It is my duty to worry about you, and I have caused you enough worry, darling. It is time you let the roles reverse. I am ever so proud of you, Veronica. I shall be sure to let everybody know that my daughter is now a duchess.”

“Not just yet,” Veronica teased, enjoying the moment. “We still have some time before we arrive at the chapel, and I shall spend every second enjoying time with my mama.”

Judith squeezed Veronica’s hand. They both knew their impending parting was lurking ahead, but neither wanted to acknowledge it just yet.

“We have time,” Judith assured her softly. “Do not run off to Westley Manor just yet.”