Page 105 of An Unwanted Spinster for the Duke

From her very entrance, she locked gazes with the impeccably dressed man seated across from her father.A table was set between them, laden with cups of tea and a plate of tarts. Elizabeth was seated next to their father, looking pale.

Anger surged through Marianne.

So, they still found a way to make the two meet.

“Marianne!” Elizabeth exclaimed, hope clear in her eyes.

Some color had returned to her cheeks. She thought of her sister as her protector. She didn’t know that Dominic wanted to protect Marianne to the point of imprisoning her and that this visit was more to make a point.

Linpool gave Marianne an assessing glance, his expression one of feigned surprise.

“Your Grace. What a pleasant surprise! We’ve certainly missed you. You were always flitting from one thing to another, forgetting me,” he drawled, sounding like she’d wounded him.

“I was not aware you were visiting, Lord Linpool,” Marianne said coldly, her eyes narrowing on him.

She knew that she was making a mistake and that she should have chosen diplomacy, but she could not help it.

“Marianne, it is your visit that I am unaware of,” her father interjected sternly. “You should have sent prior notice. Lord Linpool, on the other hand, had requested a meeting with Elizabeth.”

“I apologize, Father,” she gritted out, even as her gaze remained on the unwanted guest—unwanted to her,at least. “I felt the need to see my family.”

Elizabeth leaned closer to Marianne, her eyes wide as she saw her sister’s face.

“You’re hurt!” she said softly, clamping a hand over her mouth.

“It was merely a minor accident,” Marianne replied with a forced smile.

Linpool seemed to think it was his turn to express his concern, even though he didn’t seem against giving away veiled threats.

“I do hope you are truly all right, Your Grace. Accidents, after all, can be so unpredictable.”

“Ah. I do agree with you there, my lord. Some accidents seem almost deliberate,” Marianne retorted, glaring at him openly.

“Do you think someone has deliberately caused your supposed accident, Your Grace?” Linpool asked with aggravating innocence.

“You tell me, Lord Linpool, as I suspect you are an expert in this particular field, aside from the business and political views you claim to be knowledgeable of,” she retorted.

“Ah, but I don’t know where you are getting such an idea, Your Grace—that I am pretending to be your father’s humble servant and your sister’s suitor,” he replied callously, but with a smile so charming one would think the conversation was more pleasant.

“Marianne, that’s enough!” Lord Grisham scolded, thumping his cane on the floor.

Ah. The cane. Dominic did not know what it was like to be subjected to the horrors of not knowing whether he would be caned for disobedience. The possibility mostly hung in the air, but it was enough.

Finally, Marianne turned to look at her father.

“Father, may I speak with you in private?” she asked.

It was her intention in the first place, to be able to talk to her family about what she was going through. It wasn’t realistic, though. It had never been.

Her father would not listen to her. After all, he always thought that women had wild imaginations.

“We have a guest,” he pointed out firmly, shaking his head. “It would be rude to leave him behind. You can say whatever it is you want to say in front of the Viscount.”

Marianne stifled a scoff. She clamped her jaw shut and breathed deeply until she was calmer. “Very well.”

She sat primly and slowly, positioning herself diagonally across from Linpool. She watched him directly, though.

“So, Lord Linpool, are you planning to stay in London longer? I am not sure where to stay, here or in the countryside. Or whose estate it should be, my father’s or my husband’s.”