Page 79 of Never Beguile a Duke

Winifred touched a finger to her mouth, silencing her mother’s tirade, and spun around, closing the door.

“Nora,” Winifred said, the lie rolling off her tongue as she guided her mother back toward her bed, “was assisting me with an issue.”

“At this hour?” Her mother pushed away Winifred’s hand. “What could possibly have occurred?”

“There was an incident with Mr. Hollingsworth,” Winifred replied, wondering how much of the confrontation her mother had overheard. “Before sunrise, he came pounding on the bedchamber doors seeking me.”

Her mother paled and sank onto the bed, her hand fluttering to her chest. “Was he drunk?”

“Foxed.” Shaking her head, Winifred sat beside her mother. “And you should know, I refused his offer.”

“With just Nora’s protection?” Her mother reached over, grabbed Winifred’s wrist, and squeezed. “That was a dangerous decision. He could have harmed you both.”

“The Dukes of Beaufort and Roxburghe were present.” Winifred’s gaze skated to the closed door, expecting Nora to burst through it at any moment. “They expressed the sentiment for me, then escorted Mr. Hollingsworth from the property.”

“I’m grateful they intervened,” her mother said, wringing her hands as she rose from the bed. “Where is your sister now? Surely, she didn’t participate in Mr. Hollingsworth’s expulsion.”

“I’m not certain.” Winifred’s reply died on her tongue as her mother spun around, eyes flashing.

“Don’t lie to me, Winifred.” She advanced, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Nora is in the Duke of Roxburghe’s bedchamber, and I know this because I was awake prior to Mr. Hollingsworth’s embarrassing behavior. You and your sister have been missing for over an hour!”

Winifred swallowed.

“Now, I’ll forgive Nora’s conduct because she’s engaged to a duke, and I realize I must allow certain leeway for a man of his title. However, you,”—she stabbed her finger at Winifred—“have no reason to prowl around this manor in the early morning hours.”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the library in search of something to calm my thoughts.” Winifred held up the book. “When I heard Mr. Hollingsworth yelling, I went to confront him and was stopped by the Duke of Beaufort.”

“And what was he doing awake this early?” Her mother’s eyebrows shot up.

Winifred shrugged. “Preparing for the day’s events? How should I know what occupies his time?”

Her mother stared at her for a long minute, her unblinking eyes peering into Winifred’s soul. “Don’t risk your future for some pretty words.”

“What future?” Discarding the book, she pushed off the bed. “You and Mr. Hollingsworth cursed me to a life of solitude.”

“There are men who are less discerning.” Folding her hands together, her mother took a step forward. “Men who understand that a woman can be duped.”

“I know of no such man.”

Actually, she did, but she had no intention of discussing the Duke of Beaufort or his unusual proposal with her mother.

“Surely, you must have been introduced?—”

“No, Mother.” Winifred strode to her trunk.

“When your father’s house falls to the creditors, we will be destitute.” Uncertainty flickered in her mother’s amber eyes. “You must have some plan.”

Kneeling, Winifred lifted the trunk’s lid. “The Duke of Roxburghe swore to Nora that he wouldn’t permit that outcome to occur.”

“Did he also promise to allow me to live there?”

Winifred pressed her lips together, unwilling to commit herself or Nora to assisting their mother, and sorted through the clothing, searching for a chemise.

“What is to become of me?” Her mother’s voice flew up a whole octave.

“You could marry.” Winifred peered over the trunk’s lid. “You’ve touted the benefits of marriage for the whole of my life.”

“With two dead husbands, no man would risk taking me on.” Expelling a heavy sigh, her mother flung herself onto the bed. “Perhaps it would have been best if Mr. Curtis had murdered me.”