Page 5 of His Scandalous Duchess (Icy Dukes #4)

CHAPTER THREE

“ H ow could you, Howard!” Marianne’s voice cracked with fury as she confronted him, eyes blazing. “Using your daughters like pieces on a chessboard! I must say, this was very well played.”

“There was nothing at play here, Marianne. This was necessary,” he retorted.

“Necessary?” she questioned. “What was going to happen? No one knew! It could have been swept under the rug.”

“Then why were you throwing a tantrum?” he asked. “We only got here because you got so upset, you were throwing accusations all over the place. I didn’t orchestrate anything, but I would do anything to make sure my daughter does not see ruin.”

“Oh, please!” she snapped at him. “Did you think we didn’t hear the whispers? You let Emma marry that duke just to save your own skin, and now you expect Cecilia to do the same? When would you stop letting your daughters save you?”

Howard’s jaw tightened, and he scoffed. “Oh, so you heard? Thank goodness. I was beginning to think you’d gone deaf, seeing as we did not hear a word of support or presence from you when we needed it most.”

“You must be so desperate to keep up appearances.” Marianne took a step closer, voice trembling with anger. “Is that why you came? To carry out this plan of yours?”

“The only reason we are here is because unlike you, your daughter is a very kind girl.”

“Oh, come on. You have gotten what you wanted, so you might as well come clean,” she pushed. “You heard that my daughter was betrothed to the Duke of Ashbourne, the wealthy Valentine Price, and you devised this plan with your daughter?”

“I have told you not to speak ill of my children.”

“Enough of this arguing,” Cecilia said firmly, stepping forward.

“Why, Papa? Why did you agree to this? It feels excessive. There was no need for such a drastic measure.” She glanced toward Aunt Marianne, whose glare only sharpened, and then to Lucy, who was quietly wiping away tears in the corner.

“What about Lucy? Her wedding is tomorrow. Doesn’t that matter at all? ”

Howard’s jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Cecilia, it’s not about punishing you or Lucy.

This situation compromises you both, but in different ways.

I agreed because I believe it’s the only way to protect you.

What if word of this just happened to come out?

What if one of the guests downstairs got a whiff of what transpired? Rumors will spread.”

“It didn’t have to escalate to this,” Cecilia argued. “I do not want to marry the duke. I barely know the man.”

Marianne scoffed loudly, stepping closer. “I won’t stand by and watch this happen, Howard.”

“Enough, Marianne!” Howard said sharply.

Just like that, Howard and Marianne were back to yelling at each other. Cecilia’s eyes drifted, drawn to the far end of the drawing room where Lucy sat in a chair, half turned away from them. Her hands clutched a handkerchief in her lap, terribly still, and she looked so small there.

Cecilia’s breath hitched as she turned on her heel, approaching Lucy. She only came to a halt a few paces away from her, trying to put together what she wanted to say.

What could I possibly say?

“Lucy…” she said gently.

Suddenly, Emma appeared at her side and took her arm. “Not now, Cecilia,” she said quietly. “Let Lucy be.”

“But she deserves an explanation,” Cecilia protested, glancing between Emma and Lucy. “She will understand that none of this was meant to happen.”

“Let her be. She needs time. You can discuss with her later.”

Cecilia looked once more at Lucy, her heart twisting as she gave a reluctant nod. The corridors were quieter than inside the drawing room. Cecilia followed Emma in silence. Her steps were light, but her heart pounded heavily beneath her ribs.

They passed the guest chambers and turned down the familiar wing to Emma’s room where she had come to change into a new dress before she had been summoned to the drawing room.

Emma opened the door to the room and stepped aside to let her in.

Cecilia sank onto the edge of the bed, fingers tangled in her skirts.

The moment the door clicked shut, the dam inside her burst.

“Emma, I don’t understand what is happening,” she sobbed. “Surely, Papa doesn’t expect me to marry a man that I don’t know.”

Emma crossed the room and sat beside her, folding her hands neatly in her lap. “What happened, Cecilia?”

“Exactly what I said!” she answered. “Don’t you believe me?”

“I believe you. You know that I do,” Emma assured her. “I also know how cautious you became after that incident with Solomon two years ago.”

Cecilia’s breath hitched. She let out a shaky laugh and raised her hands in defeat. “This is most definitely retribution, then. Ill fortune for what I tried to do that day. But isn’t this retribution too extreme? I mean, I didn’t go through with it after how terrifying I found your husband to be.”

Strangely, she could still remember the scent of the garden that night.

The sharp citrus of lemon balm, and the earthy damp of evening dew.

That night – after their father had come back from squandering what they had left of their savings – she had made a choice to trap a duke into a scandal.

A complete stranger. Back then, she figured that it was the best way to secure her family’s future.

But it had been a stupid plan.

Thinking back now, Cecilia knew that if Emma had not intervened when she did, she would have made the worst decision of her life.

“You recall how completely nervous you had been?” Emma asked her. “You were practically shaking in fear.”

Cecilia stared at her fingers. “I was desperate…and stupid.”

“I know,” Emma said to her and lowered her head. “If it hadn’t been for that silly attempt, I would have never met Solomon. I wouldn’t have had to make a deal with him, and I wouldn’t have married him.”

“Emma, this is not a blessing in disguise,” Cecilia whined. “I refuse to be optimistic about this.”

“I’m not saying that it is.”

“I was young then, and stupid to think I could corner a duke into marrying me. We have established that. I will never attempt such again, and this was not an attempt to trap anyone.”

“Cecilia, I know!” Emma said. “I just want you to keep an open mind. Sometimes love–”

“Emma, no,” Cecilia whined and rose to her feet. “I’m sorry, but the fact that you and Solomon fell in love in the most unexpected way does not mean that it will happen to me, too. It also does not negate the fact that this is all wrong.”

Emma rose to her feet. “Papa has agreed to it, and both Papa and the duke won’t go back on their word.”

“That is not right,” she said, frustrated. “Emma, we have to do something. I need a plan to stop this.”

“Listen to me, Cecilia,” Emma said softly.

Cecilia took in a deep breath and mellowed. She walked over to the bed and sat. Emma perched on the edge of the bed beside her, brushing a lock of hair from Cecilia’s face.

“When I first met Solomon,” she began softly.

“It was far from perfect. I was frightened, do you recall? I barely knew him, and he made the most ridiculous request of me. We seemed so utterly mismatched. Yet, I fell in love with him. We married, and suddenly there were expectations, so many that I feared I could never meet. But in time, everything began to settle. He truly saw me. He loved me, even when I was difficult, even when I tried to push him away.”

Cecilia tried to smile, but her lips didn’t quite manage it. “We can all see that His Grace dotes on you shamelessly. He saved us. Saved Papa. But I cannot sit idly and expect the same to happen to me. You are the exception, Emma. Not the norm.”

“Cecilia, what can I say to make you accept this?” Emma asked. “It will be easier if you do. I am your older sister. I know how these things work. The moment Papa accepted the duke’s proposal, your fate changed.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m happy it worked for you, truly. But I don’t have the luxury of hoping.”

“My dear–”

“I want a love match,” Cecilia blurted. Her voice cracked, not from volume, but from the weight of the truth she’d carried far too long.

“When I debuted,” she continued, her fingers twisting the ribbon at her sleeve, “I had dreams. Foolish ones, maybe. I imagined dancing with someone who would make me laugh. I imagined long walks in the gardens, letters filled with thoughts, not just pleasantries. I wanted to be chosen, not just for my dowry or the fact that I can hold a conversation. I wanted love.”

Her gaze dropped to the carpet. “But I ruined that. I said the wrong things. I questioned the wrong people. Most men didn’t care for my thoughts, much less my wit. So I played the game. Tried to be softer. Sweeter. But I was always…too much.”

“No, you were never too much,” Emma said firmly, moving closer. “You were always you.”

Cecilia swallowed. “It might be foolish to still hold on to the idea of a love match when I have seen two seasons come and go after my debut, but I don’t want this.

Also, this is about more than me. This is also about Lucy.

She does not deserve this. She might have been nervous about the entire thing, but she has spent weeks bracing up for this moment, preparing.

Everyone knows. She will be humiliated. People will talk about this and wonder what happened, and if they dig deep enough, they will find out. ”

Emma’s gaze lingered on Cecilia’s face before she reached out once more, brushing a stray curl from Cecilia’s brow.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “You should try to rest. You’ve barely slept these past few nights. Everything feels heavier when you’re tired.”

Emma offered a gentle smile, then stood, smoothing her skirts. “If you need me, I shall be downstairs. I’ll ask that our belongings be moved around, so your bags will be brought here, and I’ll stay in your room.”

Cecilia nodded. “Thank you, Emma.”