Page 3 of A Duchess in Ten Days (Icy Dukes #2)

CHAPTER TWO

" I have decided what I must do," Lavinia whispered, leaning closer to Emma, her fan fluttering nervously in her gloved hands.

The more Lavinia thought about it, the harder it was for her to breathe through the restricting corset that cinched her ribs. Her mind raced with a litany of doubts and excuses, each one louder than the last.

Emma raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. "Surely, it's not what I am thinking. You have been acting odd the past couple of days, Lavinia, and it started at Lady Pembroke's tea party."

"I'm going to secure a match with Lord Brandon," Lavinia declared and took in a shuddery breath.

Emma inched closer to her. "What do you mean when you say you will secure a match?"

"Do whatever is necessary," she answered, giving Emma a knowing look.

The past few weeks had been more difficult than the entire last four years of her life combined.

It was almost as if she were running out of time.

Her father's occasional complaints had turned into daily remarks, each sharper than the last. Not only did he voice his displeasure, but he had also taken it upon himself to micromanage her every move.

"Lavinia, has it gotten that bad?" Emma cooed and shook her head. She scanned the garden, as if hoping no one else had heard. "We used to make jokes about the women that tried to charm their way into marriage."

"I know, but..." Lavinia replied, glancing nervously toward her father, who stood a few feet away, chatting animatedly with a group of gentlemen.

"It's about ending this nightmare. Papa's constant demands are getting unbearable, Emma.

If I don't do something now, they'll take matters into their own hands.

I cannot live with my aunt in the country. I won't."

Lavinia swallowed and massaged her nape, restless all of a sudden.

"Father drags me to every function, every ball, every tea party where an eligible gentleman might be present.

He stations me by his side like some decorative vase, ensuring I'm on display.

He forbids me from even standing with you or Alice, claiming it makes me look.

..unsociable. He watches me like a hawk.

Smile wider, stand straighter, laugh at every joke. I have had it."

Emma emitted a soft sigh. "I am so sorry, Lavinia. But...Lord Brandon? Of all people?"

"He's everything Father wants," Lavinia said with a sigh, glancing again toward the terrace where Lord Brandon was standing. "Respectable, wealthy, and established. If I can secure a match with him, it'll stop the criticism, and Papa will finally leave me alone."

Emma shook her head. "I just cannot imagine you dropping handkerchiefs and batting your lashes at him. You have never been one for theatrics, Lavinia."

"I'm not," Lavinia replied with a firm tone. "But I can use it to my advantage. The least I can do is try. What I know is that Lord Brandon isn't a fool swayed by fluttering lashes. He values intelligence, practicality, and good sense. I have prepared myself for this."

Emma's lips twitched as though suppressing a smile. "Prepared yourself?"

"For days, I've been poring over books on estate management," Lavinia said, her voice gaining a touch of conviction. "I can discuss crop rotation, irrigation systems, and livestock yields with confidence. These are subjects he cares about."

Emma was about to respond when the sound of a throat clearing interrupted their conversation. Both women looked up to see Lavinia's father looming over them with an expression that teetered between impatience and exasperation.

"Lavinia," he began, his tone clipped, "I trust you are not planning to spend the entire evening in this corner. This is not the time to be idle. There are eligible gentlemen here; use the opportunity to mingle."

"Of course, Papa," she said, forcing a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before walking away from Emma.

Her plan to seduce Lord Brandon was one born out of necessity.

Extreme necessity. He was exactly the type of man her father would approve of—respectable, wealthy, and established.

A match with him would end her father's endless criticism and secure his future.

It was not the romance she wanted so desperately, but it was the lack of choices that had influenced her decision.

The afternoon was dragging longer than she had expected. It felt almost impossible to get Lord Brandon alone. Finally, he stepped away from the throng, retreating to the garden terrace with a glass of wine in hand.

"Lady Lavinia...hello."

The sound of a sudden voice pierced through her concentration, and she jerked so hard, her heart almost leaped into her throat.

Turning swiftly, she found herself face-to-face with none other than Edwina.

She had barely taken a step toward the terrace when she’d appeared, materializing in her path as if summoned by Lavinia's resolve.

Dressed in a gown that shimmered with an almost excessive brilliance, Edwina wore that cunning smile on her face that always made Lavinia uncomfortable.

It had been a while since she had encountered Edwina in such close proximity, and Lavinia had no idea how to feel about it.

A part of her wanted to run, to escape the suffocating presence of the girl who had tormented her for so many years.

But another part—an unfamiliar, more determined part—told her to stand her ground, to not let Edwina's sharp tongue unsettle her this time.

"Lady Edwina," Lavinia answered plainly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Lavinia's gaze flickered toward the terrace again, but there was no sign of Lord Brandon. She fought to keep her attention on Edwina, though every nerve in her body was attuned to the crowd, hoping for an opportunity to make her move.

"Oh, I don't need your help," Edwina said, crossing her arms with that familiar, superior air. "I was just wondering how you were doing. This is your... fifth year as a debutante, isn't it? And still no sign of a suitor."

Lavinia's breath caught, but she quickly masked the hurt that flickered within her. "No, it's not my fifth."

Edwina titled her head sideways. "Then what? Fourth?" she questioned, a faint edge of mockery in her voice. "It must be quite difficult to be this infamous. The mamas cannot stop talking about you."

Lavinia felt her pulse quicken. She had always known that she was—often times—the talk of the ton , especially when they needed an example to show their daughters what their future was going to be if they did not find suitors.

But hearing it from Edwina made it all the more real.

A part of her wanted to deny it, to tell Edwina it didn't matter, but something more curious pulled at her.

"What are they saying?" Lavinia asked, her voice steady despite the tightening in her chest. "About me, I mean."

Edwina's smile turned sharper, more calculating, as if Lavinia had just stepped into a trap.

"Oh, you know...the usual. They wonder why you're still here, why no suitor has yet taken you off your father's hands.

They gossip about how you seem content to remain in the shadows, avoiding the limelight.

It must be exhausting, Lavinia, living in the shadows while the rest of us move on with our lives. "

For a moment, they both remained silent, the air between them charged.

Edwina stood with a quiet, satisfied air, her gaze fixed on Lavinia as though she were an object to be studied, dissected for weaknesses.

It was obvious that Edwina still derived pleasure in watching Lavinia squirm, savoring every second of her discomfort like an animal toying with its prey.

The smugness radiated off her in waves, and Lavinia hated that Edwina still had the ability to render her speechless.

"You do know that your papa cannot do all the work for you, right?

" Edwina asked, her tone dripping with condescension.

She raised an eyebrow as if the thought were some great revelation.

"Because I see him, tirelessly trying to make connections for you, introducing you to every eligible bachelor in the room and parading you like some.

..prize. But even he can't force a man to propose, Lavinia. "

"I don't see how that concerns you, Edwina," Lavinia managed to say. "Perhaps you should concentrate on the things that do concern you and leave me out of your thoughts."

Edwina's eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a smile that was anything but friendly. "Very well, Lavinia," Edwina said. "I do believe I have better things to do than waste my time on you."

She studied Lavinia for a moment, waiting for a response but when she didn't get any, she rolled her eyes and with a dismissive flick of her hand and a final glance, she turned on her heel.

For a split second, the walls Lavinia had built around her crumbled, and the vulnerability she had tried so hard to conceal slipped through. She clenched her fists at her sides, forcing herself to breathe, to push the thoughts that Edwina had conjured back into the recesses of her mind.

Suddenly, Lavinia wasn't certain of her plan any longer.

She had been so sure of her plan before, so convinced that if she could just get close to Lord Brandon, if she could seduce him, everything would fall into place.

But now, standing in the aftermath of Edwina's cruel remarks, Lavinia couldn't ignore the truth she had tried to bury.

She wasn't confident enough to carry out her plan.