Page 2 of A Bride for the Wicked Duke (Claimed by Regency Devils #2)

Chapter Two

"W ho are you!” The thug came for her. He was well over six-feet tall, as thick as an oak tree, and as mean looking as a rabid dog cornering a kitten.

Aurelia yelped as she scrambled back.

“Thomas,” His Grace said quickly. “It is fine.”

“Fine!” Thomas swung about in surprise. Aurelia too, could not help but gawk. “No one is meant to be in ‘ere! He can’t just --”

“I said it is fine.” He did not raise his voice. He did not threaten. But the duke radiated command and power in a way that made the savage thug cower and shrink back. “Leave us,” he then ordered.

Thomas didn’t look as if he wanted to. He scrunched his face and looked between Aurelia and the duke, growling as he did, before conceding and lumbering toward the door. “I’ll be right outside,” he said.

“I am sure it will be fine,” the duke said simply. “Close the door. And I am not to be disturbed, is that understood?”

Thomas mumbled what might have been agreement before stepping outside and slamming the door closed behind him.

Aurelia’s heart was racing, and she was sweating through her disguise. The plan had worked, she was alone with the duke, although now she wondered if that was such a good thing. The office was austere, little more than a desk and a fire-lit hearth and a few shelves crammed with books and other trinkets. On the walls were hung various animal heads. But what Aurelia took note of were the noticeable lack of exits...

As for the duke. He was seated behind his desk, dressed down in commoner garb, puffing on a pipe and drinking a mug of ale; both of which Aurelia might have never expected to see him do. Although she would have never expected to see him here either! He studied her from across the room, a smirk on his lips, his blue eyes dancing in the flames.

“I --” She stammered and coughed, very nearly speaking with her real voice, forcing it deeper. She was a man, after all. “I am sorry for barging in like this.”

“Are you, now?”

“But I needed to speak with you at once.” Her legs were trembling, but she forced herself to walk deeper into the office. “And I knew no other way to contact you.”

The duke said nothing as he studied her. His gaze was piercing, and Aurelia looked away, feeling her cheeks flush. What is he doing here? It was all she could think. His Grace was a man of esteemed reputation, respected by all, never putting a foot out of place because he simply wasn’t the type! I knew it was all a lie... although even I could never have guessed just how much.

“Speak with me, did you?” the duke said finally. “Concerning?”

“An unpaid debt, owed to you. It is one which I am here to assure you will be paid. Only, more time is required. Time that I insist you afford me.”

“Is that right?”

“It is.” She forced herself to look at him, her heart still racing. His stare was unblinking, and for a moment she wondered if he could see through her disguise... “My... associate, Lord Grayhill, is whom I represent. He has asked that we come to an agreement. He intends to pay, and he will. But more time --”

“-- is needed. Yes, I heard you the first time.” Again, the duke watched her from across the room, and she could see a smirk pull at the corner of his lips. He took another mouthful of ale. He had another puff of his pipe. Then, he rose from his chair and started around the desk toward her. “I do have one question, which I hope you will humor me with.”

“I...” She forced herself not to retreat as he came closer. He stood nearly a foot taller than she did, twice as wide in the shoulders too. The office was not a particularly large one, and it felt even smaller than that as he reached her. “Of course.”

“I cannot help but wonder, if this request of yours is so urgent...” He looked down at her, his eyes trapping her. “Why did you not bring it to my attention earlier tonight when we spoke? Surely, that would have been far easier than barging into my office like this.”

Her eyes widened before she could help herself. “Earlier...” She stammered. “What... I have not seen... this is the first time...”

“At the ball, is my meaning,” he continued, his smirk growing. “Surely, you did not expect that disguise to work on me, Lady Hawkins? As much as I know you loathe me, I would like to think you have more respect for me than that.”

The color drained from her face and her stomach dropped right through the floor. So much for my disguise ... Aurelia’s first instinct was to turn and run, as if that would make a difference. But she did no such thing, only because she reminded herself of why she was here.

What was more, as surprising as it was, the duke didn’t appear angered by the ruse. If anything, he appeared amused by it. Not even a little bit surprised, which was shocking. Maybe that’s because as dastardly as her actions were, his were just as much. If not more.

“I did not wish to ruin the evening, is why,” she said, attempting to appear nonplussed. “Nor did I wish to expose you in front of the ton.”

“Expose me...” The duke frowned, only for his expression to darken. “How dare --”

“I cannot imagine what people might say if they were to find out what it is you do in your spare time. Not to mention those people who you choose to spend it with.” She forced herself to shrug casually. “Reputations have been ruined for far less.”

A shadow passed behind his eyes and he took a step closer to her, standing right over her now. She gasped and held her breath, refusing to back down. “The only reputation I would concern myself with if I was you, is your own.” He reached out and pinched the material of her shirt between his fingers, scoffing at her. “What will people say when they hear of this? Lady Hawkins, dressing as a man and sneaking into the city on her own.”

“I doubt they will be surprised,” she said. “Just as you so clearly are not. I have no misgivings concerning what people already think of me, Your Grace. A shame the same cannot be said of you.” She raised a challenging eyebrow at him, forcing herself not to look away.

Aurelia had always known the duke to be a perfectly composed gentleman. She had never seen him lose his temper. She had never seen him rise to anger. That simply was not done, and until tonight she might have struggled to even picture it. But now...

She could see the anger building in him. She could feel it radiating off his trembling body. There was a darkness inside of the man, a hidden side which he worked so hard to keep a secret. She saw him now for what he was, a fact which should have elicited fear inside of her. Strange that she felt excitement instead. Although she could not say why.

“Is that a threat?” he growled.

“A statement of fact,” she responded. “I did not expect to see you here tonight, but now that I have, I cannot help but see the advantage.”

He stood over her, a final effort to intimidate. His glare bore into her, his teeth bared, and the growl he let escape his lips was felt in her chest. Alone as they were. Nobody coming to save her. Aurelia felt her body tremble, the danger apparent. But she did not look away...

Surprisingly, the duke suddenly smiled. “Very bold of you. Although I cannot say I am surprised.” He took a step back and she breathed a sigh of relief. “You always were a pest.”

“At least I am honest about it,” she shot back. “Which is more than I can say about you.”

He scowled at her. “What I do with my personal life is nobody’s business. Yours’ especially.”

“It is when it involves my family.”

He groaned and rubbed his eyes with frustration as he turned and stalked back to his desk. There, he picked up the tankard of ale and took a swig, slamming it down roughly, which made Aurelia jump. “You are here concerning your family’s debts.” It wasn’t a question.

Aurelia hadn’t come here completely unprepared. Although she suspected that talking a loan shark out of collecting on a payment might be next to impossible, it didn’t mean it could not be done. For that reason, she had come here tonight with a plan... half a plan... an idea that she had felt not that confident about at the time but now realized might just word perfectly.

“I am,” she said, forcing herself to stand tall and appear in control, even if her body trembled. “My brother --”

“I will not forgive them,” he cut her off. “And no number of threats will make me.” For a moment, he appeared regretful, his brow furrowing as he looked past her. Then he shook his head and focused on her again. “That is not an option.”

“I am not here to ask that, nor do I expect it.”

“What then?”

“I...” She hesitated, for now was the time to make her offer. An offer she still wasn’t certain she wished to give, even if she had no choice. “I wish for you to delay their payment, is all. You know of my family’s financial burdens.”

“The entire ton does.”

She grimaced. “Just as you know that they are easily fixed, should certain advantages me afforded us. My meaning...” She grimaced again, her stomach twisting. “My two sisters have already married, their husbands more than happy to pay off the majority of what was owed. If a third marriage is to be secured within our family, I have no doubt that a dowry will be arranged that will more than cover what is owed to you.”

The duke frowned and tilted his head. “You speak of your younger sister, Eveline?”

No, she did not. That plan that she was referring to. One that she had sat with for some time now. One which she had been desperate not to see through but knew she would likely have no choice in. For her sister, if nothing else.

“No.” She swallowed. “I speak of myself. I will --”

The duke laughed. “You! You intend to marry. Of all the twists and turns I have stumbled through tonight, that is by far the most --”

“Why not?” she snapped, angry, even if she couldn’t say why. “Why should I not be able to wed?”

“Oh, I am sure you can,” he said, still chuckling. “Only, and forgive me, Lady Hawkins, but you do not exactly scream marriage material. Nor have you ever intended to, for that matter. The way Rosalind tells it, you have no desire to marry. Nor have you ever.”

“Yes, well...” She glared at him. “Clearly, things have changed.”

He chuckled and shook his head as he crossed the room toward her again. “So, let me get this straight. You wish for me to delay payment owed until you find yourself a groom willing to cover your family’s debts.”

“That’s right. And all things considered...” She swallowed, knowing that this next thing spoken was sure to cause anger. “You should be more than happy to oblige me. Lest I accidentally let slip your secret.”

His eyes flashed with anger, and he stormed right for her, stopping short but putting himself mere inches from where she stood. He was so big. So strong. So powerful . Like a storm crashing down upon her, it was all she could do not to cry out.

“So, I was right. You mean to threaten me,” he snarled.

“I mean to make a deal,” she shot back, her body still trembling as he looked down at her with fury. “You owe me --”

“I owe you nothing,” he hissed. “Nor do I appreciate being blackmailed. You forget, your situation is as imperious as my own. Should I let slip your little secret, regardless of how much you want it, no man will marry you. Then what will you do?”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

He was glaring down at her. She was glaring up at him. Their faces were mere inches apart, as were their bodies. The fire crackled in the hearth behind them. The sounds of drunken gambling echoed from through the door. But they said nothing, holding their stare, daring the other to break...

Aurelia had never much liked the duke. Too proper. Too arrogant. Too boring , as she always saw it. But in that moment, despite herself and how wrong she knew it to be, she was beginning to see him in ways she had never thought possible. Ways that made her stomach flip and her body run warm, and her cheeks flush furiously so she wanted to look away. Not that she dared.

“Give me time,” she said, still glaring at him. “That is all I ask. Time to find a husband.”

“To stall, you mean,” he cut her off.

“No,” she said. “I promise --”

“A promise worth nothing,” he snarled. “Your family owes me a rather large amount. I have been more than kind thus far. I want what is owed.”

“The Season,” she said. ‘Give me the Season.”

“No,” he said. “What I will give you...” His eyes flashed again, more anger, more fury, and something else... a look she did not recognize because she had never seen it before. It reminded her of a hungry wolf, famished and desperate to sink its teeth into its prey... “There is a ball next week, yes?”

“I...” She considered. “I believe there is.”

“I will give you one month.”

“But --”

“And only if by the end of this ball I see proof that you are not playing me for time. That you do intend to find a suitor.”

“Proof? What do you mean? What proof?”

“I will be there,” he said to her. “I will be watching you. And I will be the one to determine if you are true to your word, or if you are playing your own game. Is that understood?”

Aurelia considered the offer. Not the one she wanted. Certainly not one she thought herself capable of achieving. One night? That is how long he expects me to take to find someone? That is insane! Sadly, she also knew she had no choice.

“Fine,” she hissed at him. Her heart was racing, but not from fear. Rather, it was anger that did it. “If that is what you require, consider it done. But I warn you...” She raised both eyebrows at him. “If you lie to me or change the rules or do anything to go back on your word. This...” She indicated to the room. “Everyone single lord and lady in the ton will hear of this.”

“As they will of you,” he snarled. Then, oddly, he smiled and even laughed, shaking his head as he turned and walked back to his desk. “Leave me,” he sighed as he collapsed back in his chair. “Before I change my mind.”

“But --”

“Now!” he roared.

Aurelia didn’t need telling twice.

She was quick to turn on the spot, throw open the door, race back through the gaming room, and find herself on the street before taking even a single breath. Thus, it wasn’t until she began toward the carriage, parked down the end of the road, that she was able to properly consider what had just happened and whether it was advantageous or not. More like suicidal.

The duke was not what he seemed. Rosalind could never find out. Aurelia had to find a husband at the next ball. And all the while her heart beat inside her chest and her body ran all the warmer as her mind drifted back to the duke and the way he stood over her, the look in his eyes as he glared at her, and how it made her stomach flip with feelings which she refused to acknowledge.

* * *

Aurelia did not sleep very well that night, for obvious reasons. Such that it was the following morning as she made her way to the breakfast room that her mind was very much still on the previous evening and what to make of it.

“... we have no choice, mother,” she heard her brother arguing with her mother in the breakfast room. “And I would appreciate your support, rather than your constant bickering.”

Aurelia’s eyes widened and she came to a stop just outside the room.

“I am not trying to upset you, Daniel,” her mother said. “I am simply saying that perhaps it is prudent that we do not accept the first offer that comes our way. Eveline is only --”

“She knows what is expected of her,” Daniel snapped. “Just as you should also. Oh, do not give me that look,” he then sighed. “You think I want her marrying him . Of course I don’t! But he has money, and I know for a fact that he will happily pay what is owed. We have no choice!”

“I know, I know,” her mother sighed regretfully. “I just wish we had more time. Just as I wish your father had not left us in this position in the first place,” she added bitterly.

Aurelia felt a pang of worry stab at her, for she knew exactly what her mother and brother were arguing about. The ball the previous evening was Eveline’s arrival onto the scene, a means to introduce her to eligible lords so that they might find her a match. And not just a match, but a match willing to pay off their family’s debts once and for all.

However, even Aurelia had not expected it to happen so quickly. She had hoped that with Eveline being as troublesome and chaotic as she was, that it would take time, perhaps all Season before she caught the eye of a willing suitor. That at least would give Aurelia time to make good on her promise to the duke. But if they had found a willing suitor already... there is only one type of man who would say yes so quickly. A shudder ran through Aurelia’s body.

She loved her younger sister, even if she was known to cause headaches capable of splitting Aurelia’s skull into two pieces. And the last thing Aurelia wished for was to see her married to a monster, a man who would ruin her life for the sole purpose of saving her family. A situation they should have never been in, in the first place!

It was this love, and this determination, which steeled Aurelia’s resolve for there was one thing she knew she could do. What she had to do.

“Mother, Daniel...” Aurelia walked into the breakfast room. “I need to speak with you both.”

“Aurelia,” her mother greeted with a tired smile. “I am afraid that now is not the time.”

“It will not take long,” Aurelia said. “Just a quick announcement and I will be on my way.” She looked between her mother and brother, making sure that they were listening. “I have been giving it some thought, and I have decided that...” A lump appeared in her throat. “I have decided that in light of our family’s troubles, it behooves me to do what I can to help.”

Daniel scoffed. “Aurelia, this does not concern --”

“I intend to marry,” she spoke over him. “And as soon as I can. In fact, at this coming ball, I plan on doing everything in my power to find a suitor willing to cover our debts.” She swallowed. “No matter who he is.”

As expected, her mother and brother were struck speechless with surprise.

“Eveline is young,” she continued. “She has her whole life ahead of her. What is more, she deserves more than to be married to a man who does not appreciate her. Me, on the other hand...” She shrugged. “I figure that regardless of who I marry, I am never going to be happy. So why not make it count.”

“Aurelia...” Her mother still looked shocked, as if she did not recognize the girl standing before her. “That is... are you sure?”

“I am,” Aurelia said, forcing a smile. “So please, whatever it is you have intended for Eveline, I ask that you consider delaying it. For a week at the very least, as that is all the time I will need to find a suitor.”

Daniel scoffed. “What makes you so certain?”

“Just a feeling,” she said.

Her mother beamed, rose from her chair, and swept toward Aurelia, pulling her into a hug. “Aurelia, I am so...” She held her close, kissing her on top of the head. “So proud of you. You have no idea how much.”

“Anything I can do,” she said.

“Hhhmmm...” Her mother pulled back, raised an eyebrow, and looked her daughter over. “Perhaps you might spend this week slimming down, then? If you wish to find a suitor, best that you shed a few of those extra pounds, no?”

Aurelia’s face dropped. My mother might be looking at me as if I have stolen her daughter’s skin, but at least I can be certain she is the same woman who raised me. Some things never change.