Page 2 of The Duke’s Replacement Bride (The Wild Brides #6)

C aroline hardly slept a wink that night. When the sun shone through her bedroom window, she wasn’t sure whether it had woken her or if she had been awake the whole time.

I didn’t find her .

That was all she could think about.

She hadn’t found her sister in spite of her best efforts. And Prudence had not returned before the family had gone to bed last night. Unless she had come back under the cover of darkness, she was still missing.

Caroline felt sick. She should have stayed out and kept looking for her sister, but she hadn’t been able to think of where else to look.

And then there was the encounter she’d had at the tavern.

It lingered with her, troubling her even though she was sure she would never see that rake of a man again—whatever his name might be. At least, she hoped she wouldn’t.

Climbing out of bed, she dressed quickly and went down to the breakfast table. It would be good to get something to eat. And with luck, Prudence would be back.

But as soon as she reached the dining room, she knew it wasn’t so.

Her father was pacing back and forth, an un-drunk glass of wine in his hand, even though it was early in the day.

Her mother and Bridget sat at the table, but neither had touched the food laid out there. And Prudence was nowhere to be found.

“What are we going to do about this?” Caroline’s father raged. “The duke says he wishes to marry her tomorrow !”

“We may have to tell him,” Caroline’s mother said softly.

“Oh, don’t be foolish! Of course we aren’t going to tell him! Can you imagine what he would say if we did? He’d be sure to withdraw his proposal. No one wants to marry a girl who’s going to run off like this. I wouldn’t even blame him for it.”

A footman came into the room. “Begging your pardon, my lord—the Duke of Mowbray is here.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake…” Her father set down his glass of wine with such force that some spilled onto the table.

“I don’t know what we’re going to say to him!

Show him into the sitting room, I suppose, and tell him the family will be right with him.

Caroline and Bridget, you’re going to have to join us in speaking to him so he doesn’t feel as though no one at all was here to greet him. ”

“He’s still going to notice that Prudence isn’t here,” Caroline said. “We should probably tell him what’s happened. His resources are far greater than ours. He could help us to find her.”

“And why should he do that?” her father snapped.

“He bears no responsibility for your sister yet, and if he discovers how willful she is, he won’t try to help, he’ll turn and walk away.

Our only hope is that she cares enough for this family to return before we are disgraced.

Come, we’re going to have to face the man—we can’t keep him waiting. ”

He beckoned, and his wife, Bridget, and Caroline followed him to the sitting room without a word.

A gentleman who Caroline supposed must be the Duke of Mowbray stood with his back to them, staring out the window.

Caroline had all but forgotten the fact that she had never had a conversation with him before.

It seemed wrong for that to be happening for the first time today, of all days.

It should have been a happy occasion instead of one where the family was trying to cover up a problem.

Then he turned away from the window and faced them, and Caroline had to struggle to hold back a gasp as her problems suddenly grew much larger.

She knew that face—it was him.

The man from the tavern. The rake whose name she had never learned.

He was the Duke of Mowbray?

But how could he be? He had eyed her in that tavern as if he had every right to look at her.

He had spoken about the ladies there being fun , and there hadn’t been a doubt in her mind as to the kind of fun he meant.

He was supposed to be engaged to her sister, but he certainly hadn’t been acting like a man who was engaged to anyone at all.

But what could she say?

If she revealed that she had met him at the tavern, the next question would be about what she had been doing there. She would have to reveal that she had gone there in hopes of finding Prudence. And then she would be asked why she’d believed Prudence would be in a place like that.

She couldn’t. She couldn’t betray her sister. Even now, when her sister had left her alone with this mess to clean up. She had to safeguard Prudence and keep her from any harm.

She watched the duke carefully. If he started telling secrets, it would be a different story. If he decided to reveal that the two of them had met before, she would have no secrets that required safeguarding, and then she would be able to reveal what she knew about him.

He must have realized that was the case, because although his eyes widened briefly upon seeing her so that she knew he had recognized her, he turned away quickly, saying nothing.

He focused his attention instead on Caroline’s father. “Baron Highgate. Always a pleasure to see you and your family.”

“The pleasure is mine, Your Grace,” Caroline’s father said. “And I believe you are meeting some of us for the first time. Everyone, this is His Grace the Duke of Mowbray. Your Grace, you already know my wife, Lady Highgate. And this is my niece, Lady Bridget, and my daughter, Lady Caroline.”

“Ah.” The duke inclined his head. “Lady Bridget, how lovely to make your acquaintance. And Lady Caroline…” He lingered for a moment, looking at her. “It’s a lovely dress you’re wearing today,” he said at last, his tone pointed.

Caroline stared.

She knew exactly what he was doing, of course.

It couldn’t be any more apparent, the way he was referencing the first time they had met.

She was shocked that he had the audacity to stand there and do that right in front of her family.

But perhaps she shouldn’t have been. He had already shown himself to have staggering audacity.

Was he going to give her away after all?

No, she didn’t think he would. That comment had been made for her benefit, not for the rest of the family’s—he was trying to make sure she knew she had been recognized.

Well, if that was what he wanted, he had it.

She knew well enough. What she didn’t know was what the result of her moment of indiscretion would be.

Now the duke was looking around. “And where is Lady Prudence?” he asked. “I came here today hoping to see my bride-to-be, but she doesn’t seem to be among you.”

“She—well, no, she isn’t here today,” Caroline’s father said.

The duke’s face darkened. “What do you mean, she isn’t here? Where is she, then? We’re to be married tomorrow, after all. There are preparations that must be made, or doesn’t she take that seriously?”

“I—well—we think she may have gone to her aunt,” Caroline’s father managed.

The duke’s jaw clenched. “To her aunt ?”

“My daughter is very young, Your Grace. She is understandably nervous at the prospect of marriage. We’ve sent a letter to my sister in hopes of discovering her whereabouts and bringing her back, and in the meantime?—”

“In the meantime, you sent this one to the tavern to keep an eye on me, I suppose? Is that what you were really doing there?” He whirled on Caroline. “Speak! What kind of trickery are you trying to pull?”

“I don’t understand,” Caroline’s father interjected. “What’s all this about the tavern?”

“Don’t play dumb. You know your daughter here was at the tavern last night in the garb of a common boy, watching me—I’m sure you sent her there yourself. This one a spy and the other one missing? I should never have gotten involved in this family’s affairs.”

“Caroline, what is he talking about?” her father demanded, whirling on her.

But Caroline couldn’t manage to respond. All her attention was currently reserved for the duke, who had betrayed her after all.

“And what of you?” she demanded. “You hurl accusations at me, but what were you doing in that tavern mere nights before your wedding to my sister?”

“So, you were there to spy on me,” the duke said triumphantly.

“Of course I wasn’t. Not everything in the world is about you, Your Grace , although I suppose you must have grown used to the idea that it is. I suppose it’s been a very long time since you encountered anyone who did anything that wasn’t about you.”

“Caroline, for heaven’s sake—we’re in enough trouble,” her father snapped.

The duke folded his arms across his chest. “I came here to claim a bride, and now you’re telling me she’s run away,” he said darkly. “This is a humiliation I won’t bear, Highgate. Something will have to be done.” He lifted his eyebrows and waited.

He’s waiting for Father to think of a solution , Caroline realized.

For the first time since this mess had started—while she still didn’t agree with it—she understood why her parents had been more concerned about a blow to their reputation caused by her sister’s running away.

It was going to be a serious problem for the whole family, and she didn’t know how they were going to solve it.

And then she heard her own name and began to pay attention to the conversation once more.

“Caroline is not promised in marriage to anyone,” her father was saying.

“I know you came here hoping to marry Prudence, but in light of this—situation, I’m more than happy to offer my other daughter.

Caroline is the elder of the two, so no one would question it too much.

They would believe readily enough that we simply changed our minds about who you were to marry.

And as you can see, she’s every bit as lovely as her sister. ”

Caroline thought this was stretching things a bit.

Prudence was the most beautiful of the three sisters.

It had always seemed obvious to her that Prudence would have the least trouble of any of them in finding a husband.

But it was also true that she wasn’t horrible to look at.

With her slender frame, soft brown hair, and hazel eyes, she could imagine a gentleman finding her attractive enough to marry.

Then her father’s words hit her. Marry ?

“Father,” she interjected, hoping to sway him. She couldn’t marry the Duke of Mowbray! “This is Prudence’s intended…”

“But Lady Prudence is not here,” the duke interjected.

“And I won’t be kept waiting. Very well, Lord Highgate, I accept your offer.

I will marry Lady Caroline. We will have the wedding tomorrow, as planned.

For now, I will take my leave of you, and I will see you again in the morning. ” He bowed. “Lady Caroline.”

Before she could begin to process what had just happened, he’d gone.