Page 36 of Courting Scandal With The Duke

‘It will be fine,’ Charles said cheerfully, urging her forward with a little more enthusiasm than was warranted.

They marched up to the front door and a footman opened it.

He did not seem surprised to see them.

‘Send a man out for our bags,’ Charles said.

‘Yes, my lord. Her Ladyship said to bring you to the yellow drawing room.’

He led the way down a long corridor to the back of the house.

Well, at least they were expected.

The drawing room was most tastefully decorated in gold and red after the Chinese style.

‘How elegant,’ Barbara murmured.

‘Wait here, please,’ the butler said. ‘Her Ladyship will join you shortly.’

Barbara looked at Charles as the butler departed. ‘This doesn’t seem like much of a party. We cannot be the only guests, surely?’

‘As I said, I think we are a little early. ’

Barbara wished she had kept the letter of invitation, to see exactly what time they were expected. But she hadn’t.

The minutes ticked by.

‘We are going to have to apologise for our mistake,’ Barbara said. ‘I am going to put all the blame at your door, Charles,’ she teased.

He looked a little grim.

‘I am jesting.’

The drawing room door opened. Barbara turned to see who the butler would announce.

She stumbled back as she realised she was face to face with—her father?

‘What are you doing here?’ she said and looked at Charles.

Guilt had replaced grimness in his expression.

‘You knew he would be here?’

Her father regarded her with hooded eyes and pulled at his bottom lip.

‘You have been behaving very badly, my girl. It is time you saw sense.’

She glared at him. ‘What I do is none of your business. I am a widow and independent of anyone. I suppose you want me to marry the Duke. Well, be assured, he wouldn’t marry me if I was the last person on earth.’

Her father’s eyes narrowed. ‘And why is that, daughter?’

‘Because I made sure he won’t.’ By her visit to the boxing saloon. Her heart ached with the knowledge, but she could not help but feel a tingle of gladness. Xavier did not deserve to have her father as part of his family. Or her.

She breathed deeply against the burning sensation at the back of her nose. She would not let her father see her cry.

Charles rose to his feet. ‘Good evening, Ambassador. Your daughter has managed to break every social rule possible by attending a boxing match today.’

‘It wasn’t a match,’ she said. ‘It was sparring.’

‘No difference,’ Charles said. ‘You are ruined and you know it.’

He actually sounded self-congratulatory.

She stared at him, puzzled by the expression on his face, a sort of triumphant look.

‘Well, if the Duke won’t marry you, we have to find a different suitor.’

Father looked at Charles with a smirk.

The back of her neck prickled. ‘Charles doesn’t want to marry me any more than the Duke does.’

Father raised his eyebrows. ‘Charles?’

‘This is nonsense,’ Barbara said.

‘You wrong me, Barbara. I would very much like to wed you. And you need have no fears for your reputation in my country. No one will know or care about what has happened in England.’

‘I care,’ she said sharply. ‘And even if I did not, I won’t marry you, Charles.’

‘You will,’ Father said with a smile that was all teeth and a hard expression in his eyes.

She had never heard her father sound so implacable .

She stiffened. ‘No one can force me to marry. Not here in England. It is against the law.’

Her father shrugged. ‘So they say.’

She looked at her brother-in-law. There was a smidgeon of regret amongst the triumph. ‘I am sorry, Barbara, but I need my family’s jewels, and this is the only way to be sure of them.’

An awful thought occurred to her. ‘Did you arrange for someone to enter my aunt’s house, to try to steal them when I first arrived in London?’

He winced. ‘It was not my best idea. As your father pointed out, if I stole them from you, I would never be able to use them as collateral. So, while I would have preferred another way to regain my family property, this is the only option.’

She backed away from him. ‘Of course it is not. Take them. They are yours for the asking.’

He prowled closer. ‘I cannot risk you trying to take them back at some later date, because of that ridiculous settlement my brother made.’

‘I won’t. I swear it.’

‘Well, if it was only you, I might trust your word, but your father is another matter.’

She wouldn’t trust her father either.

She eyed the door. Father was standing in front of it. She would not get past him.

Perhaps a window?

Charles took another step closer. ‘It is a fair offer, my dear. You will have everything you need. We are friends. You will not find me a bad husband; I am not like my brother. I will not disrespect you. And you will not have to face the consequences of your terrible behaviour.’

‘I do not have to face anything. I have no intention of returning to London.’

‘And how will you live?’ her father asked.

‘I have saved up some money. And I will receive the settlement from my first marriage in four weeks’ time. On my twenty-fifth birthday. You know this.’

Her father grimaced. ‘That money is spoken for.’

Her gaze focussed on him and his defensive expression. ‘How can it be spoken for? You have no right to use that money. It is set aside for me.’

‘Whatever I have done has been for your benefit. You should be thanking me.’

She glared at him. ‘When did you do anything that was for my benefit? Never.’

Father’s face reddened. ‘That is no way to speak to your father, girl.’

Charles put up a hand. ‘Enough. You squabble like children.’

She turned on him. ‘This is nothing to do with you.’

His expression darkened. ‘It has everything to do with me. I have agreed with your father to relinquish any claim to that money, in return for your hand in marriage and my family jewels.’

She stepped backwards, trying to get closer to the window. ‘Are you saying that you stole my money, Father? ’

Her father’s face reddened. ‘I used it to better our lot in life. It is expensive being a diplomat.’

‘Your lot in life,’ she muttered. ‘You never gave a fig about me.’

What was she to do now? Take in washing, as her aunt had suggested?

She stared at Charles. ‘You actually believe my claim to be legitimate.’

His mouth hardened. ‘I did not say that.’

‘If it is not, why would we need to marry? You could take me to court and get them back.’

He glanced over at her father. ‘I am sorry, this is the safest way. The best way.’

‘Well, I won’t marry you and that is final.’

A woman walked in, followed by the footman who had let them in. This was the woman who had been sitting with her father at the theatre. She was Lady Wells?

Barbara’s stomach dipped. There would be no help coming from that direction. How dare Father plot against her in this way!

‘I am leaving.’

‘I think not,’ Father said.

‘Let me show you to your room,’ Lady Wells said in an infuriatingly patronising voice. ‘You can freshen up while you await the vicar.’

‘You cannot force me to wed,’ Barbara said.

The young footman took her arm in a hard grasp. ‘This way, miss,’ he said.

Where on earth had they found such an awful man? ‘Countess,’ she said, glaring at him.

Glaring did no good. He pulled her out of the room and up the stairs.

‘Go with her, darling,’ she heard her father say. ‘She might as well wear the jewels so Charles knows he is getting what he wants.’

The sound of Charles’s crack of a laugh was like a slap across the face.