Page 2

A licia’s fingers tightened as her anger flared.

“It is a shame that titles are not earned the way respect is, Your Grace, for there are many things I would prefer to call you.”

“When you become my Duchess, you will have very little choice in the matter,” he said, his low voice rumbling like a death knell.

Alicia’s whole body began to tremble as the dance ended and her partner stepped back, his lips curled into a grimace. It was condescending and pitiless, as if she were entirely unimportant.

“What did you just say to me?” she demanded, a sickening dread slamming through her.

“I will be your husband, Lady Alicia. It is all arranged. I suggest you begin to show me the respect you so clearly desire.”

And then he walked away.

Alicia seethed, standing in a room full of strangers, staring after a man who, with a few words, had robbed her of her liberty.

“Excuse me, My Lady.”

Alicia only realized she was standing motionless in the center of the dance floor when a man and woman brushed her aside.

Swiftly, she stepped away, her eyes scanning the crowd for her father.

She felt dizzy, bile rising in her throat with every second that passed. Surely, the Duke was mistaken. Was it some kind of sick jest?

Alicia had been at the ball for no more than half an hour, and her father had already promised her to someone.

This is absurd! Preposterous! I shall tell him so the moment I find him.

As she looked toward a group of laughing gentlemen across the room, cigar smoke rising all around their heads, she finally saw her father speaking to a man.

There was a large plant beside him, next to a beautiful urn filled with white roses. They perfectly matched the grey at his temples as he laughed with whoever he was speaking to.

Perhaps another prospect, should the Duke change his mind.

She stormed through the crowd, careless of propriety as she elbowed and shoved her way through the bodies around her. There were several exclamations and curses as she did so, but she did not care.

As she reached her father, the tall gentleman he was speaking to was already moving away.

As soon as the Earl saw her, his expression soured.

“Papa, tell me this is not true,” Alicia hissed.

For a moment, her father looked unsure, as though he might feel a shred of sympathy for the tears that were pooling in her eyes. But then his face smoothed into a blank expression as he looked down at her coldly.

“Decorum, Alicia. Do not embarrass yourself.”

“Tell me it’s not true,” she commanded, careless of how loud her voice was.

Her father gripped her upper arm and pulled her back behind the urn, away from the many curious glances they were attracting.

“What are you speaking of?” he asked, sipping his drink nonchalantly.

“I have just been dragged to the dance floor by a giant who has proclaimed that I am soon to be his Duchess. Tell me that you have not acted on your threats when I specifically asked you to give me more time.”

“You have had ample time, Alicia. The fact that you have been dragging your feet and refusing to choose a husband is not my concern. I have done what I needed to secure your future, and I have made an alliance with one of the richest men of the ton. You should be grateful.”

“We have not even been introduced!”

“There will be time enough for that. You will be wed in a week. I warned you, girl. Do not blame me for your dallying.”

Alicia wanted to scream, to bellow at the top of her lungs. She had never felt so powerless, so hamstrung by her sex.

Her father watched her impassively as he sipped at his wine, before turning to face the room. He was done with her, with their conversation, and there was no further room for protest.

With a growl of fury, she forced her way back through the crowd.

Fighting tears, she ran out of the room, through the wide doors, and out onto the terrace.

The cool night air stung her cheeks where the tears fell. Her feet tripped over a loose slab of stone as she continued down the steps, feeling the soft blades of the grass beneath her feet as she reached the lawn.

Coming to a halt, she covered her face with her hands, trying to compose herself.

All her life, she had believed that she would find love, that somehow, she would defy the odds and meet a man worthy of her spirit and zest for life.

But now she had been tied to someone who, by all accounts, had no feelings for her.

The expression on the Duke’s face had not changed throughout their dance. The only hint of emotion she had seen from him was a smirk when he had told her of her fate.

The idea of it chilled her to her bones.

Hearing a whisper nearby, she lifted her head, looking down the narrow path to find two figures melting into the shadows hand in hand, laughing with one another.

Alicia cast her gaze around, looking for a quiet spot to compose herself. She spied a bench in a secluded section of the gardens, where hedges towered high.

She made for it, easing herself onto the cold stone and taking long, stertorous breaths to try and calm her racing heart.

How could Papa do this to me? Does he hate me?

Soft footfalls outside her little haven made her look up. Horror swamped her at the thought that her father had followed her out here, bearing witness to her despair.

But she gave a cry of joy as her sister, Jane, appeared around the corner of the hedge, her rounded belly just beginning to show beneath her dress.

She was closely followed by Katie. Both of them looked deeply concerned as they moved forward.

“Jane!” Alicia exclaimed with genuine joy. “I did not know you were in attendance tonight—oh, thank God. I have never been so happy to see you.”

Alicia pulled them in a fierce hug, which they returned in earnest. Several seconds passed before Jane pulled back, pushing her gently toward the bench, where Alicia resumed her position with a heavy sigh.

Katie, in her gentle kindness, crouched beside the bench, holding her hand, careless of the wet grass soaking her gown.

“What has happened?” Jane asked.

Alicia scoffed. “Papa has made his choice. I am to be married within the week, and he has made it clear that I am to be grateful for the privilege.”

Jane sucked in a sharp breath, taking her hand. “What do you mean? Who are you to marry, for heaven’s sake?”

“The Duke of Radcliffe, or so Father told me. He promised he would give me time to find someone of my own choosing, but he has already broken his word.” Alicia clutched her stomach as if she might be sick.

“Why can I not be a bluestocking like Bridget?” she whispered as Jane and Katie exchanged a wary glance.

Jane’s sister-in-law, Bridget, was a fiercely intelligent girl whom Alicia had taken a liking to at Jane’s wedding.

They had become close friends, and Alicia had often wondered whether she could emulate Bridget’s life, reading books and surrounding herself with knowledge instead of the trappings of a husband and children.

Jane’s gentle touch was cool against her heated skin. Alicia dashed at her tears, irritated by her outpouring of emotion.

“I cannot condone what Father has done, nor would I,” Jane said softly. “But you may be lucky. Perhaps you will find a good man as I have.”

Alicia looked up sharply. “Do you love David, though?” she asked, doubting that the gentle affection between her sister and the Marquess was real.

Jane’s soft smile said more than any words could.

“I do love him, very dearly,” she stated simply.

“But you were not in love when you wed him. Father stole that from you. You never had the chance to feel the yearning I have always longed for.”

Alicia stood up, beginning to pace as Katie took her place on the bench.

“Papa wants me to marry someone like him. A heartless man who would sell his daughters to the highest bidder as soon as they are of age!”

“That is not necessarily true,” Jane said patiently.

“It is ridiculous! He has not given me any time,” Alicia protested, more to herself than anyone else. “I cannot marry him. I will not.”

But even as her resolve hardened, she looked to Katie and her sister for reassurance. But they had none to give.

Once her father had set his mind on something, there was no changing it. Alicia would be na?ve to think otherwise.

Her fingers fluttered over her stomach, churning in protest at the direction her life had taken.

She looked up at the twinkling stars, the enormous sky stretching forever above her head. Her teeth clenched, her fingers curling into fists.

Perhaps Papa has decided on my future without me. But that does not mean I cannot fight it with everything I have.

The following morning, she woke up to a great hubbub about the house. As her maid dressed her, she listened to the housekeeper’s shrill commands outside, the butler’s rumbling voice as he loped along the corridor.

Everyone was in a flurry of activity, and as she descended the stairs to the hallway, she could see boxes being delivered to the front door in dozens. When she asked the housekeeper about them, the woman gave her a strange look and then simply told her they were for the wedding.

Alicia swallowed past the lump in her throat, staring at the multitude of items that had arrived—too many to count.

She did not know what to do with herself, fidgeting in place, wishing she could set every one of them ablaze.

Standing in the hallway, she was almost bowled over by two footmen carrying an enormous mirror into one of the parlors, and she made a hasty retreat to the breakfast room.

There, she found her father reading the paper and chewing on a bit of toast as if it were any other ordinary morning. There was butter on his stubbled jaw, and his hair was unkempt and in need of some pomade.

She took a seat beside him, but he did not greet her.

The ride back from the ball had been tense and charged with anger, and she had no interest in speaking with him when all he would want to discuss was the wedding.

A folded piece of paper landed on her plate as she was about to pile it with scrambled eggs.

“St James’s, I think. That is where your mother and I were wed.”

Alicia blinked at him, picking up the paper and unfolding it to find a list of names, most of whom she did not recognize.

“What is this?”

“The guest list. Read through it quickly and tell me if there is anyone else I should invite.”

Alicia’s fingers began to tremble as she heard the front door open and close again with yet more deliveries. She could hear the servants shuffling about with packages and boxes outside the door.

How did he have time to arrange all of this? It has been mere hours since the agreement with the Duke was made.

Her gut clenched as she realized her father must have been planning this for weeks. He might not have known who she would marry, but he had been organizing it for many months.

He cannot wait to be rid of me.

She did not even review the list, not caring who would be there. If someone important to her were to miss it, then all the better—she wished she could miss it herself.

Handing it back, her father plucked it, still chewing loudly on his toast as he placed it in the inner pocket of his jacket.

“You will have your mother’s ring. Jane’s fingers were too big for it, but I do not want it moldering in a box in my room forevermore. Your hands are as slender as Anna’s were. It will do.”

Alicia said nothing, pouring herself some tea and staring at the empty plate in front of her, her appetite gone.

She could not speak as her father continued discussing the arrangements. Apparently, her groom had obtained a special license, and the wedding would indeed take place in one week.

The Earl spoke of the family members who would be in attendance and how important it was that everything ran smoothly. He spoke of the Duke and his wealth and reputation—that he was a hard man, but that she would be making a great alliance.

Alicia sipped her tea, feeling numb.

Eventually, the Earl finished his breakfast, dabbing at his chin and smearing the butter further down his neck as he rose.

“You are still sulking, I see. I do not need your opinion to arrange this wedding, but if you wish to have a say in the matter, then speak now.”

She said nothing.

The Earl scowled in irritation and threw his napkin on his plate, pushing his chair back.

“Very well, act like a child if you feel the need to, but this is all for your own good, Alicia. It will be a great day, you shall see. You are the Diamond of the Season, and I have secured you the best match you could have wished for. I hope you are aware of the sacrifices I have made throughout your life, and understand the weight of responsibility that now rests on your shoulders. Make me proud.”