Page 39 of My Secret Duke
I vo wasn’t the sort of man to allow his ladylove to protect him from her angry brother, so he quickly stepped up beside her so that they could face Gabriel together. He understood why Gabriel was angry. He had caused Olivia’s reputation to be compromised twice already, and in Gabriel’s eyes, this was just another careless attempt on his part.
“I have asked Olivia to marry me,” he said.
Gabriel’s eyes widened. “You’ve what!?”
“And she has said yes.”
For a moment, he seemed at a loss, but not for long. “You need my permission for that, and you don’t have it. Marry my sister to a smuggler who is as likely to be in prison as hanged? What sort of brother would that make me? No, under no circumstances.”
“Gabriel, what about what I want?” Olivia cried. “I love Ivo. I’ve tried to tell myself I don’t, and that it would be better for us all if I married Prince Nikolai or Mr. Scott, or Viscount Carey, but I just can’t. You told me once that I should not marry without love, and that you knew what it was like to be made to feel your choice was wrong.”
At least Gabriel seemed to be listening to her, although Ivo did not know how long his patience would last.
“I know the smuggling is a problem,” he began.
Gabriel snorted in disgust.
“But I am divesting myself of it. People depend on me, so it will take a little time. I must think of their welfare.” He trusted Bourne to step into his shoes and keep everyone as safe as possible. “I can’t help but feel guilty when I think of my father and all those Fitzsimmonses before him, and that it is me who will bring this legacy to an end.”
“A poisonous legacy,” Gabriel huffed.
Ivo spoke simply and sincerely. “I promise I will step away.”
“Have you heard anything more from Mystere or Rendall?” Gabriel asked stiffly, but some of the fury had left him.
“Bourne had mentioned a strange ship seen lurking beyond Portside. He thought it was The Holly , the same ship that had brought the contraband from France the one time we used Mystere. But whenever they tried to intercept it, the vessel outran them. I feel as if he is not done with me yet.”
“And yet you would put my sister in danger.”
“No!” Ivo shouted. Then, trying to sound reasonable, he added, “No, I would not do that. I do want to marry her, but I want to wait until this matter has been resolved. I feel that Rendall will show himself again, and this time, we will capture him.”
Gabriel stared at him, and then at Olivia. “What do you think of this?” he asked her. “To align yourself with a man who has fallen foul of the law and may do so again? Could there be a worse scandal for our family? Your sisters will feel the mortification just as much as you. How will they find husbands, Olivia?”
“I know it sounds bad,” she said, and when he looked at her, Ivo could see tears spilling over her lashes. “But Ivo is changed. You heard him. He is stepping away from the smuggling that has been in his family for generations. He admits his faults. He has always admitted them. I love him for that, and I love the man he will become. Has become. Please, Gabriel, give him a chance. Give us a chance.”
Ivo expected the worst. That Gabriel would slash him to pieces with some vicious home truths and order his sister inside. He could not hide his surprise when the duke began to speak.
“I want to say no to you, Olivia. And yet I respect your judgment, and the thought you have given to your situation. You have done your best for this family, to the point where I feared you were setting aside your own happiness for the approval of others. I have worried about you, if I’m honest, because I see myself in you. I had to follow my heart to be happy, and so do you. Unfortunately, your heart seems to be leading you to Northam here.”
Ivo bit back a laugh. “Nicely put,” he said.
“It is!” Olivia declared. “I love him, and I want to marry him. I know we will be happy.”
Ivo felt his own eyes sting at her complete certainty. Her trust in him. After all that had happened, it humbled him.
“If I were to agree to this ramshackle union, and I’m not saying for a moment that I am,” he warned, “what would you live on? I know for a fact that Northam’s estate is hocked to the gables, and now that he will no longer be smuggling…”
Olivia shot Ivo a look, pleading for him to say something to satisfy her brother.
Ivo cleared his throat. He felt the weight of this moment, the importance of it, and he meant to do himself justice. “The club is doing well. Charles has asked me to be there more often, and we have spoken about partnering in another gambling venue. We are not rushing into things, we’re taking it slowly, but I think it will work. I have been able to pay off some of my debt to the bank, and even set aside moneys for my sisters’ dowries. As you know, Grantham, one must look after one’s sisters.”
Gabriel grunted.
“So although I am in hock, it is not as bad as it was, and I am confident it will get better. Whitmont is in good condition,” unlike Grantham he thought, “and my business and my tenants will support my wife and any children we may be blessed with. I will do everything in my power to continue my climb out of the pit, I can promise you that.”
Gabriel stared back at him consideringly, and then he threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t believe I am going to say this. I must be mad.”
“Gabriel?” Olivia was wiping her cheeks. She reached for Ivo’s hand, and he grabbed hers, holding on tight.
“I will agree to an engagement.” He held up a hand as they both spoke at once. “We will not announce it, certainly not yet. I want to see what happens with this fellow Rendall first, and whether your friends at Custom House decide to arrest you properly this time. Do you understand?”
His wave of giddy happiness subsided, and Ivo nodded soberly. “I understand. I concur.”
“But if all goes well, if the situation is resolved to my satisfaction,” Gabriel went on, “then you will at some point in the future have my permission to marry my sister.”
This time, there was no stopping Olivia. She ran to her brother, embracing him, and Gabriel wrapped his arms around her. “See,” Ivo heard him say, “I am not such an ogre after all.”
Olivia tipped her head back to look up at him. “You were never an ogre. You saved us all, and I am always grateful.”
Gabriel looked a little self-conscious, and Ivo tried not to laugh. He understood the man’s behavior, it was all to do with protecting his family.
“Thank you,” Olivia went on. “Even though we cannot share the news, I am so happy. So very happy.”
Ivo held out his hand, wondering if Grantham would take it. “You have my eternal gratitude,” he said.
Gabriel shook. “Very well. Now, Olivia, return to the house, and, Northam, be on your way before we have everyone out here asking questions.”
Olivia went to follow him and then turned back to Ivo. She looked alight with happiness, and Ivo grinned back at her. Then he watched as she skipped away, more like Roberta than her usual self.
He was relieved and happy, but he reminded himself that this was only the beginning. Now he had to find Rendall and make sure he could never threaten them again.