Page 9 of Married to the Icy Duke (Duke Wars #3)

He withdrew a neatly folded paper from the inside of his jacket and tossed it onto a nearby table.

Charlotte recognized the title of a particularly popular gossip column. It was especially cruel and had been the first to print the story of her ‘vicious attack’ on Sir Peter.

Before she could say a word, Thalia spoke up.

“We don’t read those rags in this house, Your Grace,” she said firmly, meeting the duke’s eye and holding it. “These gossip columns have written all kinds of lies and malicious nonsense about my sister-in-law, and we do not read them.”

The duke bowed, snatching up the paper in one smooth movement.

“Forgive me, Your Grace. I shall summarize, then—the article discusses Lady Charlotte’s surprising appearance from underneath a table at the party last night.

A small detail that has been left out is that she was retrieving my nephew, who had escaped and became overwhelmed by the crowds.

I am very grateful to Lady Charlotte for her intervention, but there is no denying that this paper is another nail in the coffin of her reputation. ”

“I should be very careful if I were you,” Gabriel said, his voice low and menacing.

The duke met his eye and grinned. “I have been called many things, sir, but never careful . I can promise you this, however. If Lady Charlotte agreed to my proposal, I could make this ,” he waved the folded scandal sheet in the air, “all go away. You’ll notice that I am rarely mentioned in these gossip columns. Don’t you wonder why?”

“Bribes, of course,” Gabriel growled.

“And threats, yes,” the duke agreed. “Well, Lady Charlotte, what do you say?”

A silence fell over the room. Charlotte stared up at the duke, her heart pounding. She had hoped to meet him with cool composure, with none of the heart-fluttering and breathlessness she’d felt previously.

Apparently not. Once again, prickles ran up and down her spine, and she felt the strangest urge to move closer to him. The sensation came out of nowhere, but it was a powerful one.

It is because he is handsome, she told herself firmly.

Society, as a whole, did not in fact seem to consider the duke to be handsome, which seemed very odd to Charlotte.

After all, the man was a remarkable specimen, taller and stronger than just about every other man she’d seen.

And his face, while not perfect, was intriguing.

But that meant nothing, of course.

A silence had fallen over the room. She knew without looking that both Gabriel and Thalia were staring at her, waiting for her response.

She opened her mouth, and the response came before she could think.

“Yes,” she heard herself say. “Yes, I accept.”

Thalia sucked in a sharp breath, clapping a hand across her mouth. In a trice, Gabriel stood beside her.

“Charlotte,” he said quietly, his voice grim. “Do you understand what you are doing? You are accepting the Duke of Arkley as your husband.”

“Well, am I likely to find another one?” Charlotte snapped back.

Perhaps a more benevolent guest would pretend not to be listening to what was clearly meant to be a private conversation. Not the duke, however, who stood there, visibly interested.

“You don’t need to get married, not if you don’t wish it,” Gabriel said firmly.

Charlotte shook her head. “You’re kind, brother, but it’s high time that I took my destiny into my own hands. So, I shall marry the duke.”

“Excellent,” the duke said, sounding amused. “Although if we are engaged, you had better call me Isaac. Well, I can think of nothing else to discuss, so I shall take my leave. My steward will be in touch to iron out the details. Good day to you all, and I daresay I’ll see you at the wedding.”

He bowed at Thalia, grinned at Gabriel, and nodded at Charlotte. Then, just like that, he strode out of the room and down the hallway, leaving the three of them in bewildered silence.

Charlotte didn’t know what made her run after him. She only knew that an instant after he had left, she found herself scurrying along the echoing hallway, doing her best to avoid tripping on her skirts.

He’d already reached the door and was receiving his hat and cane from the footman.

“Wait!” Charlotte cried. “You can’t possibly expect to simply walk away and not see me at all until our wedding day .”

He paused, turning to face her, and grinned. “Can’t I? I wasn’t aware you were so keen to get to know me better, my dear.”

She flushed. “It’s not that . But if we are going to get married, even if it’s a matter of convenience, then we ought to learn a little more about each other, don’t you think?”

She could hear quiet footsteps following her along the hallway. They were too soft to be Gabriel’s, so she imagined that Thalia had come out after her. She was glad that it wasn’t Gabriel. He would have a great deal to say.

The duke— Isaac —stared down at her with curiosity, never once dragging his gaze away from her face. Charlotte felt herself begin to redden at his scrutiny.

“Very well,” he said bluntly, placing his hat squarely on his head.

Rough black curls jutted out from underneath the brim.

“The wedding will take place in one week. I shall take care of the preparations. In the meantime, if you truly do wish to get to know me better—and my nephew—then I shall invite you to Arkley Hall. Bring a chaperone, and I shall be your host. What do you say to that?”

The footsteps continued approaching, but nobody spoke. It was certainly Thalia, then. Gabriel would not have been able to stay quiet for so long.

“I accept,” Charlotte said at last.

What am I doing? What am I accepting?

Have I made a very great mistake?

Once the engagement was publicly known, she would not be able to withdraw from it without ruining her reputation further.

What have I to lose, then?

“Very good. Come when you like, then,” Isaac said shortly.

He flashed a quick grin, which made Charlotte feel decidedly strange inside, and turned to leave.

Seconds later, he was gone. Through the open door, Charlotte caught a glimpse of him shooting past on horseback.

It was odd to see a gentleman choose horseback instead of a more fashionable carriage.

Footsteps approached, and Thalia came to stand beside her sister-in-law.

“This isn’t ordinary, is it?” Charlotte found herself saying.

Thalia shook her head. “No, I think not. Well, you had better start packing, hadn’t you?”

Charlotte clenched her jaw, lifting her chin. “I suppose so. If he wishes to be my host, I’ll be his guest. If I am going to be his wife, I cannot act like a scandalized child, can I?”

Thalia gave a wry smile, placing a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder.

“You should be careful not to underestimate him, my dear.”

Charlotte sniffed. “Well, he should not underestimate me .”