Page 44 of Courting the Duke (Reimagined Regency #2)

“No, he went to London on business and, I suspect, to seek out Blackstone.” A surge of emotion welled in her chest, and Serena stared at the ceiling to stop the tears.

She didn’t want to cry again, but she couldn’t help it.

Her lower lip quivering, she swallowed. “He believes Blackstone and I colluded to force his hand so that Blackstone would be free to marry you.”

“That must be why he asked me to call today.” Lady Roxanne plucked at the fabric of her skirt. “He must have discovered the truth.”

“Beg pardon?” Serena wasn’t sure if she had missed something in the conversation. It wasn’t an unusual thing for Roxanne to jump from subject to subject without a clear transition.

“Hoxton asked to call on me today, and I panicked.” Roxanne squeezed her hands tighter and finally looked at Serena, guilt brightening her eyes. “This is all my fault.”

“How could it be your fault? You’ve been nothing but supportive of me, and it was because of you that my reputation was saved, even though I don’t personally think that it was ever in jeopardy.

However, society has odd rules that we must follow.

” If she weren’t a lady, she would simply ask for an annulment and leave Hoxton House.

Except the thought of losing him tore at her soul.

It frustrated her more than anything to know that she was that dependent on him, the man she had just met, but was deeply in love with.

“I—” Roxanne shot to her feet, the skirts of her light pink gown rustling in the quiet that settled between them. “I told mother that you and Hoxton were trapped.”

Serena felt as if she had been slapped in the face as she shook her head, unable to believe that the one person she could depend on most had betrayed her in such a manner. “What would you do that for? Why would you hurt me like that? I thought you loved me.”

Roxanne snapped her head around, her pleading gaze locked with Serena’s.

“I do love you deeply, cousin. That is why I did it. I could see the connection between you and Hoxton because it, well, it’s the same connection I have with Stiller.

And I thought, if you could marry Hoxton, then that would leave me open to marrying Stiller, and both of us would get exactly what we wanted. ”

Her na?vety shone through, and Serena tried to tamp down her own temper.

“I asked you several times if you were in love with Stiller, and you assured me that you were not. If you were truly in love with him, all you would have had to do was turn down Hoxton and marry Stiller. Your father wants you to be happy, and he’s the one who will ultimately make the decision about whose hand you accept, not your mother. ”

“You know my mother, she will get her way no matter what.” Roxanne glowered as bitterness twisted her lips.

A hardness touched her expression that normally wasn’t there.

“I simply needed to ensure that you were taken care of, Serena, so that I could do what I truly wanted to do. Only, Stiller is furious with me for doing so, and now you hate me.”

“I will never hate you, but I am not happy with you right now.” Serena’s pulse raced with an underlying fury. “You should have just told me that. I would have been supportive of you and, if you wanted to accept Stiller’s offer, I would have done whatever I could to help you.”

An unpleasant laugh crossed Roxanne’s lips, a resentment that was rarely seen with her good nature.

“ You were as helpless as I am, Serena. Well, I would say that at the time, you were even more helpless than I was. You are a duchess now and wield much power. Mother might have her thumb on me, but you are free now.”

“Is your mother with you or did you come alone?” The confession chipped away at her anger.

Serena felt sorry for her, but what she did was incomprehensible and out of line.

What had transpired between her and Hoxton had promise, but now it was tainted with mistrust. Even if she told Hoxton everything Roxanne disclosed to her, the fact that he didn’t trust Serena was beyond the pale.

“I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I told her that Lady Diana was in residence and that perhaps we should pay a call.

She jumped at the opportunity, of course.

She is with the duchess as we speak.” Roxanne sighed, lines appearing between her blond brows.

The fact that she didn’t try to correct the flaw showed how overwrought she was.

“I don’t understand why you’re not happy with Hoxton.

To see the two of you together was what gave me hope that someday I could have the same thing. ”

“You can have more because Stiller actually loves you. You are stronger than you think.” Serena should have been the injured party. Habit made her accept that others were more important than her.

Roxanne stopped her pacing and crossed her arms, rubbing her hands up and down the sleeves of her muslin dress. “I am sorry for hurting you, but I thought for sure it would work.”

“Well, you thought wrong.” Or perhaps she wasn’t. Before the incident with Lady Diana in the breakfast room, Serena was confident that she and Hoxton would live as happily as anyone could expect.

The door opened, and both of them looked toward the entry. Serena’s heart leaped at the sight of Hoxton. He offered her an uncertain smile in greeting before stepping aside to allow Daisy to enter. Both were still wearing their outerwear, which meant they had just arrived at Hoxton House.

Daisy cast a guarded look in her direction before she moved to the window, the light shining through hiding her expression from view.

A manservant stood by the door and stared straight ahead.

“Good afternoon, Lady Roxanne,” Hoxton said, his voice clipped and his eyes a chilly green.

“You received my message.” Roxanne’s face flamed as she stared at Daisy, who nodded in response. Serena’s suspicions elevated. Had the two women been in league?

“You are dismissed,” Hoxton told the servant on duty. The man bowed his head and left them alone. Her husband turned to her, his dark hair ruffled. “I have something important to tell you, as does Lady Roxanne.”

“Roxanne has just confessed everything to me.” Serena was proud that her voice remained steady and forceful.

His brow shot up as he glanced at Roxanne before his gaze locked with hers.

Serena pushed her heels into the thick carpet and willed herself not to bend in his direction. No matter that she’d been vindicated, the lie was only the first chip off a weighty stone that still hung around her heart.