Page 1 of The Beast’s Unwanted Duchess (Icy Dukes #1)

CHAPTER ONE

" H e eloped? Are you sure the Earl eloped?"

The news was all over the scandal sheets in all of London, spreading like wildfire among the ton .

Whispers of the Earl of Pembroke’s sudden departure with his lover was all everyone was talking about.

Rumor had it that he was in Gretna Green with Florence, the modiste, after they had secretly tied the knot.

"That wretched boy! After everything his mother promised us," Timothy ranted, pacing. "We were counting on this match, we have talked about it at every opportunity, and now he’s gone and thrown it all away for some fleeting romance. It’s utterly disgraceful! What was he thinking?"

"Let’s calm down, my lord," Patience, Alice’s mother, tried to assuage him. "I know we had high hopes for this match, but perhaps it is not the end of the world. There are still other eligible gentlemen that I am certain will?—"

"Other eligible gentlemen? Did you read what was written in the scandal sheet this morning?

" Timothy interrupted her and stopped pacing, his brow furrowed.

He snatched a paper from his desk and unfolded it with a sharp flick.

"Here... ‘The once-promising match between Miss Alice Robins and the Earl of Pembroke crumbles, as the Earl elopes with another, leaving Miss Alice – once again without a suitor.’ My goodness. .."

Timothy flung the sheet aside and let out a loud sigh. "Do you think I want to start again, Patience? To sift through the same crop of young men who have neither ambition nor the title to match? No. This was our opportunity, and now it has slipped through our fingers like sand."

"Papa, please…" Catherine, Alice’s sister, interjected.

She had visited two days ago to spend time with the family, given the season and Alice’s potential match.

The air in the house always seemed to change when Catherine was around.

A kind of tension filled the space, as if Alice were a shadow in the light of her sister.

On most days, Alice didn’t mind. Her parents always seemed to be in a better mood whenever Catherine was in the estate.

But there were days when the reality that she was seen as less stung.

Growing up, people couldn’t tell them apart.

They had the same physique, the same long, honey-brown hair and blue eyes.

However, as they matured, their differences became more pronounced.

Catherine’s graceful elegance and poised demeanor seemed to overshadow Alice’s more spirited nature.

Alice had developed a dust of freckles across her nose, while Catherine didn’t.

The older they got, the more different they became.

Catherine grew in the image that her father cherished, while Alice strayed further and further from his expectations.

"…Becoming agitated won’t change what has happened," Catherine continued. "We must remain composed and consider our options moving forward."

"There are no other viable options, my dear," Timothy said and sat down. "Perhaps, it would be a different case if we had better material to work with. But you know your sister. You know how she is. We were lucky that Pembroke thought her a good match in the first place."

Alice played with her fingers, staring down at her lap as they discussed her as if she were not even present.

She wanted to say something...to explain that she tried to warn them, but no one listened.

She wanted to say that Edward looked uninterested in the match from the start, and she tried as much as she could to make the match work for Timothy’s sake.

She wanted to defend herself, but the words caught in her throat, leaving her feeling more like a child than the young lady she was meant to be.

"You did something, didn’t you?" Timothy asked Alice. "You must have done something to chase him away."

"I didn’t do anything, Papa," she managed to say, her frustration melting the lump that had previously choked her ability to speak.

"I did every single thing you told me to do.

I talked to him, I smiled, I was courteous, I danced with him.

..what more could I have possibly done? I did nothing wrong. "

"Of course, you didn’t," Timothy scoffed, throwing his hands up in frustration. He rose to his feet and began pacing, his agitation clear. "You never do, do you? It’s always someone else’s fault.

We never had this issue with Catherine. When I chose Lord Davis for your sister, it was a seamless match.

No problems, no delays. He asked for her hand in marriage after just a month of courting. "

He stopped pacing and turned toward Alice, his eyes narrowed.

"But with you, it’s always a struggle. Every time we find a decent man willing to give you a chance, something goes wrong.

You either say the wrong thing, laugh too loudly, or behave in a way that drives them off.

Why is it so difficult for you to be like your sister? "

Alice rose to her feet, clutching a fist full of her dress. "I am not my sister."

"Clearly!" Timothy retorted, his voice rising.

"You are not. Catherine would never have caused such a scene.

Did you see her at the Huntington Ball, Darling?

" he asked, turning to Patience. "I told you what happened. She tripped over nothing but thin air, babbled on about her love of food, and asked the most absurd, childish questions. I lost count of how many times she stepped on the Earl’s toes while dancing with him. "

He shook his head in exasperation, pacing again.

"I was mortified. How is anyone supposed to take you seriously when you keep behaving so unladylike, Alice. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a respectable man willing to court you? You’re practically shunned by society, people gossip about you, laugh at your expense, and I don’t blame them!

You make it so easy with the circle of friends that you frolic with! "

"My lord!" Patience said, rising to her feet. "That’s enough. I’m sure Alice did her best under the circumstances."

"Yes, Papa," Catherine added. "The rumor is that the Earl and the modiste have been seeing each other for a long time now. If it’s really true, then there’s really nothing Alice could have done to prevent this from happening."

Timothy paused mid-pace, turning to face them.

"If this was the first time, I would understand. You might be fooled into thinking she’s trying her best, but I am not.

Her best isn’t enough. It is not even close.

Do you even realize what’s at stake here?

The season is drawing to an end, and if Alice doesn’t secure a match soon, she’ll be left behind.

Unmatched. Again. Another year wasted. What respectable gentleman will consider her then?

We don’t have the luxury of time or second chances. "

"This is just her second season, my lord," Patience tried to explain. "She’s only nineteen."

"Only?" Timothy asked with raised eyebrows. "Catherine was married in her debut year. She was a bride by eighteen and a mother within the year. We never had these issues with her. Yet here we are, two seasons wasted, and Alice is no closer to securing a match."

"What would you have me do then?" Alice questioned, her voice trembling with frustration. She looked between her parents, her gaze flickering with a mixture of anger and sadness. "Tell me. What do you want me to do? I am sorry that I am not like Catherine. It must be a shame. I mean, we are so physically alike, even down to the color of our eyes, and yet I can never be her, can I? I don’t walk like her, I don’t talk like her, I don’t. .."

Alice swallowed, realizing how unfair it was to put Catherine in such a position, as if her sister had done something wrong by simply existing. It wasn’t Catherine’s fault.

"We cannot live the same lives, Papa," she continued. "I don’t have to get married this season, but I will?—"

"Oh, you will marry this season, Alice," Timothy interrupted sharply. "I am not asking you to live the same life your sister lives. I am asking that you emulate her. You will marry, and you will do it soon."

Alice took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "But forcing me into a marriage I don’t want won’t solve anything! I need to find someone who appreciates me for who I am, not for the image you want me to project. I cannot be someone else for the rest of my life."

Timothy’s face flushed with anger. "You think you know what’s best?

You are a young lady of society. Your happiness should come from making a perfect match, not pursuing whims. Not from reading books and filling your head with nonsense ideologies about love and marriage.

You are running out of time, Alice. I will not have my reputation tarnished because you choose to rebel against your responsibilities. "

"I’m not rebelling," Alice countered, her voice steadying with determination. "I refuse to live my life in the shadow of someone else’s expectations. I will find my match, but have you considered, Papa, that your relentless interference are a hindrance to my path?"

"How dare you?" Timothy gasped.

Alice lowered her head as the familiar feeling of fear washed over her on hearing the anger in Timothy’s voice.

"I am not rebelling," she repeated. "I just...I don’t know."

The room fell silent for a few seconds, giving Alice a moment to gather her thoughts.

She slowly sat back down and crossed her arms. Even though Edward had embarrassed her family by eloping after promising Timothy he would marry Alice, her father still found a way to place all the blame squarely on her shoulders.

She had gone out of her way. She had done things she laughed at other people about, just so Timothy would be pleased, yet still...still, he could only blame her for his plan falling through.