Page 39 of The Duke's Indecent Match

“Come in and sit down.We were just discussing the matter of how Nathanial got into Miss Little’s room,” Drake said.Like his fiancée, his words came out as more of a demand than a request.He gestured at the empty chair by the escritoire, which no one had yet taken a seat at.

Lifting her nose in the air, Lady Astrid paused for a moment, as if to prove to Drake that she did not have to immediately jump to do as he said, before regally sweeping over to sit down.Unlike the gentlemen, she was already dressed for the day in a coral dress trimmed with copper ribbon and creamy lace.Her red hair was pulled back from her face and pinned neatly in place without any alluring tendrils or curls to soften her.

And the look that she sent at Nathanial was very hard.

“As I was just saying, I remember Mr.Little coming into the library.He gave me another drink.”Nathanial ignored the groans and shaking heads that accompanied his words.Only Lady Astrid did not react, sitting as straight as a poker, ignoring Drake as he hovered at her side.“I know we talked.I do not remember about what.”Leaning back against his wardrobe, Nathanial rubbed his head again.

“Did he take you to Miss Little’s room?”Christian asked, though his frown was far less fierce than it had been before.

“I…”

“You need to be sure.Her room is just below yours,” Lady Astrid said as Nathanial’s voice trailed off.His head had already been throbbing, and trying to remember made it hurt even more.“Did he lead you there, or did you forget to go up the second staircase?”

The staircase.

Nathanial remembered the staircase.

“He helped me up the stairs.I would not have made it otherwise.I was…”

“Indisposed?”

“Four sheets to the wind?”

“Completely foxed?”

“Snockered?”

Glaring, Nathanial lifted his head to cut off his friends as they snickered in amusement.Strangely, the joking did make him feel a bit better, despite everything.

The idea of marrying Miss Little… well, part of him was not at all unhappy with the thought.The idea that she and her father had trapped him did cause him a great deal of unhappiness, which easily overshadowed the first part.

“I suppose it does not really matter, though, does it?”Sebastian asked.“Either way, he has to marry her.”

“It would change how I feel about it,” Nathanial muttered and saw Lady Astrid nod in agreement.

“Does he have to marry her?Christian was courting her; he could do it,” Matthew pointed out.Nathanial’s head snapped up, despite the pounding, and his stomach turned over again at the thought of Christian marrying Miss Little in his place.Zounds, but that would only make this whole farce even worse…

Except…

If Christian was willing, he should probably allow him.

“By that logic, so could you,” Christian pointed out.

Matthew shook his head, his hand lifting to pat the pocket of his dressing robe.Even now, he must be carrying that damned lucky coin, which had told him not to pursue Miss Little.

Rolling his eyes, Christian continued, “I could, and that would save her, but not Nathanial.”

Lady Astrid frowned, her expression turning speculative.

“What do you mean?”Nathanial asked.

“We could shuffle dukes around the altar to save Miss Little’s reputation,” Lady Astrid said, working through the problem out loud.“Though those here at the house party know it was Nathanial in her bed, if someone else were to marry her, it would be gossiped about for a few weeks until the next scandal.However, because it was Nathanial in her bed, the fact that he did not step in to do the honorable thing would reflect rather badly on him with the ladies.”

Her gaze had turned to one of sympathy as she met his.

Understanding dawned.

If his goal was to marry a woman of impeccable reputation and social standing with a massive dowry, acting dishonorably with another debutante was a surefire way to scuttle his ship.No woman of impeccable reputation and social standing would marry a man who ruined another woman, then allowed one of his friends to marry her in his stead.Even his rank as a duke would not be enough to save him from Society’s approbation.