Page 1 of The Duke’s Sworn Spinster (A Duel and a Wedding #1)

Chapter One

“ I am giving you one chance, Lord Nittinghill; think carefully before you do something you regret.” A cold voice carried towards Lady Lydia Babington, turning her blood to ice.

It was past midnight as she hurtled through Hyde Park. The shadows cast by the moonlight gave the place an ominous nature that only added to her mounting nerves. Lydia searched desperately for any sign of her brother, Landon Babington, Earl of Nittinghill.

“I did not have you pegged for a coward, Your Grace. Are you reneging on our duel?” Lydia heard the quaver in her brother’s voice even as he put on an air of teenage bravado.

Curse every teenage boy and the foolishness that comes with it. Lydia hurtled in the direction of the voices, the thundering of her footsteps making their conversation barely audible. Lydia’s heart raced, her chest felt like it might explode but she dared not stop.

“Do not test me, little Lordling. I have excused your insolence thus far because of your youth, but my patience has limits.” Lydia heard the threat in the man’s voice. “If you are foolish enough to throw your life away, so be it.”

She caught sight of two figures in the distance. One was the familiar silhouette of her brother. The other belonged to the stranger who stood a head and shoulders taller than Landon and was easily twice as broad.

“Ten paces should do it.” Landon’s voice carried towards her.

No! There was no air in Lydia’s lungs to scream, to shout out to the men and stop them. Panic filled her, renewing her energy as she ran towards them. The thundering of her heart and the sound of her own breathing drowned out most of the counting.

“Seven.” It was Landon’s voice.

The men were ten yards away. She could see them moving apart, their coat tails swaying in the wind.

“Eight.”

Come on Lydia. She could see the shaking in her brother’s steps. Her heart screamed, but she could not stop.

“Nine.”

She was not going to make it. She was not going to get there in time.

“Ten.”

The men turned around, pistols raised, fingers on the triggers. Lydia lunged forwards, throwing herself between them. An ear splitting ‘bang’ rang out as the guns fired. She felt something brush against the fabric of her dress, and then she hit the ground.

“Lydia!” Landon screamed. “No!”

Lydia’s head spun, but she could not feel any pain. Am I dead? She felt someone grab her arm, the scent of spices and pine filling her nostrils as she was pulled to her feet. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the face of a stranger, his eyes dancing in the moonlight

His jaw was tight with anger, the soft curls of his hair highlighted the harsh angles of his face. Lydia could not tell what color his eyes were, only that they seemed to pin her to the spot like an insect on display.

“What were you thinking?” His eyes roved across her body, and his gaze felt like a physical touch. “You could have been killed!”

Lydia shook her head, breathing hard, struggling to find the air to get words out. The only thing that hurt was her side where she had landed on the ground, but there was no blood. She felt oddly giddy.

“I wasn’t thinking.” She felt her body, aware that the stranger was still holding her up.

“Clearly.” The man shook his head. “You do not seem to be bleeding. You were not hit.”

“I have never been so thankful for terrible marksmanship.”

“Nor I,” the stranger replied, and Lydia realized she had spoken her thoughts aloud. “In future, you would do well not to gamble on such a thing.”

“I had not really planned on making a habit of throwing myself between duelists.” The giddiness mingled with the panic, and Lydia’s answer surprised herself.

“Get away from my sister!” Lydia felt her brother beside her as the stranger released her, his eyes widening for a moment before he stepped into shadow.

“It seems foolishness runs in the family.” The corner of the man’s lips quirked upwards as Landon pulled Lydia away.

“What in Heaven’s name are you doing? Leave here at once.” Landon gestured back in the direction Lydia had come. “This is between me and Duke Dashings.”

“I am not going to let you throw your life away, especially not over some silly game of cards,” Lydia hissed at her brother, tugging free of his grip.

Landon’s face blanched. “It is not that simple, Lydia. I—how did you even find out about this?”

“It does not matter.” Lydia turned to face the Duke.

“Lydia—stay out of this.” Landon tugged at her, but Lydia shrugged him off.

“Loathe as I am to say it, your brother is right. This is no place for a lady; it is too dangerous.” The Duke made to turn from her, and his dismissal stoked an anger in her.

Without thinking, she took a step towards him. “Clearly, it is only a place for fools.”

“Lydia!” Landon glanced between her and the Duke.

“What did you say?” The Duke took a step towards them, his voice dangerously low.

“Only fools would think it was worth throwing their lives away over a silly little game of cards.” Lydia glared up at the Duke.

The man gazed down at her, his expression half hidden by shadow. Up close, Lydia could see just how powerfully the Duke was built. The muscles of his arms rippled beneath his shirt as he folded them across his chest.

Only an idiot would pick a fight with this man. And yet she could not bring herself to back down. Not when the stakes were so high.

“Apparently wading into situations you do not understand is a family trait.” The Duke’s lip curled. “This is about more than a card game.”

“Whatever it is, I cannot believe that it is worth dueling over. If my brother dies, my entire family will be ruined. He has no heir to speak of, and there is every chance that whoever inherits next would not allow my family to remain on the estate. More to the point Landon is just a child—” Lydia began, but Landon cut her off with an indignant growl.

“I am seventeen.”

“A child.” Lydia glared at Landon before turning back to the Duke. “Which makes this whole thing even more ridiculous. What kind of grown man challenges a child to a duel?”

The Duke ran a hand across his face, his voice dispassionate. “Your brother is the one who challenged me to a duel. And as a gentleman, I am honor bound to accept it.”

“Oh yes, terribly gentlemanly of you to try and kill each other.” Sarcasm dripped off Lydia’s every word. “Both dead, but your honor intact.”

“I had no intention of dying.” The Duke’s words were a dagger to her heart.

“And if you had killed my brother?” Lydia met his gaze. “Dueling is illegal—if anyone found out, you would be an outlaw or worse!”

The man canted his head towards her, an eyebrow raised. “Is that a threat, Lady Lydia?”

“No.” Lydia swallowed but forced herself not to back away from him.

The Duke looked down at her, his face impassive. “I do not take kindly to threats.”

“Nor do I,” she answered, trying to match his own cool tone, even as her heart beat around her chest like a rabbit fleeing a fox. “So it is a good thing neither of us is threatening the other.”

She thought she saw the flicker of a smile cross the Duke’s face, but it was gone too quickly for her to be sure. She heard Landon muttering something behind her, but she ignored it, focusing on the Duke instead.

“I will not let you duel him. I will stand here all night if I need to, but I will not let you kill each other needlessly.” She heard Landon mutter angrily under his breath but ignored him.

The Duke moved forwards, his tall figure dwarfing her as he looked down at her. “And what makes you think I would not move you?”

“It is not very honorable to manhandle a lady.” Lydia shrugged. “Unless you plan on tying me up, there is very little you can do to stop me.”

The smell of spices and pine assaulted her senses, clouding her mind as the Duke’s mouth quirked into a smile. “You are playing a dangerous game, Lady Lydia. Take care with your next move.”

“You will not scare me away.” Lydia swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, yet her voice did not shake.

She heard Landon mutter something indignant behind them, but she held out a hand to stop his interruption.

A dark look flitted across the Duke’s face, and he ran a hand through his hair, taking a step back from her.

“I am not entirely unreasonable. I would be willing to consider the matter of the duel settled. After all, we both fired shots, and that would absolve your brother of the insult he paid to me.”

“Thank you—” Lydia began, but the Duke continued,“—but that does not resolve the matter of his debt.”

The Duke looked at Landon, his eyes narrowing. Lydia resisted the urge to follow his gaze, focusing on the well-muscled man instead. His arms are nearly the size of my head.

“If this is a matter of money, I am sure my brother can repay you.” Lydia frowned at Landon, who was looking at the ground. “Please, all we need is time.”

The Duke’s eyes found hers. “Your brother has had nearly six months to repay me, Lady Lydia.”

Six months? “And how much has he repaid?” Lydia asked as her heart sank, the anger from moments before fading to something closer to despair.

“Nothing.” The Duke’s voice was soft and at odds with the steel in his gaze.

“What does he owe you?” Lydia’s heart thundered, her mind racing as she thought of all the changes to the estate over the last few months.

“Three thousand pounds.” Landon sounded miserable, and it took all of Lydia’s willpower not to gape openly at him.

That is nearly double our yearly income! She swallowed the fury she wanted to direct at her brother—that would not help the situation. The Duke was still watching her, his stony face giving nothing away.

“You see the problem, Lady Lydia? That is no small sum, and your brother’s conduct has done nothing to earn my trust or clemency.” The Duke gestured to Landon.

“There must be some kind of arrangement we can come to, some kind of agreement. If you kill him in a duel, you will never get your money.” Lydia studied the Duke’s face, hoping for some sign of emotion, but it was stony.

Landon made to step in front of her. “Lydia, stay out of this. My sister does not speak for me; she is not the Earl. I am?—”

“Your sister is pleading for your hide, Lord Nittinghill; you would do well to show her some respect.” The Duke’s eyes flashed, and Lydia saw her brother wince and take a step back.

“I do not need you to defend me.” Lydia was not sure if she was talking to Landon or the Duke.

The Duke arched an eyebrow at her, shrugging in a languid way that reminded Lydia of a panther, but he said nothing.

Her mind raced. She had not seen the accounts since Landon had inherited, but from the changes at the estate, she knew they were in a bad way.

Even if she tried to sell anything, she would never be able to pay off that kind of money. But there was at least one pot her brother would not have been able to touch—at least she hoped not.

“I will pay you.” Lydia took a deep breath.

“And how would you do that?” He canted his head towards her.

“My dowry. I will give you my dowry. There is enough there to cover his debt.” She heard Landon’s sharp intake of breath behind her.

“Lydia, no, you cannot do that!” Landon cried.

“It is my dowry, Land. It is my decision. This is no longer your concern.” Lydia refused to look at her brother.

“That would leave you with nothing for your own marriage. It would be nearly impossible for you to find a good match or even a bad one.” The Duke frowned.

Lydia swallowed. “I am aware of just what it would cost me.”

She was not about to explain to this stranger that she had no intention of marrying—not when she had seen how miserable it had made her parents. That is none of his business anyway.

“Would you really give away your future for him ?” The Duke jerked his head in Landon’s direction, his lip curling in distaste.

“He is my brother; I would do anything to keep him safe.”

The Duke’s brow furrowed. “His recklessness has endangered your entire estate, jeopardized your future.”

“That does not mean I think he should pay with his life, nor do I wish for him to go to debtors’ prison.” Lydia let the sadness and fear enter her voice, hearing it shake. “He is the only family I have left.”

A look flashed across the Duke’s face, but it was gone too quickly for Lydia to decipher. “I will not agree to this.”

“Your Grace—” Lydia began, but the Duke held up a hand for silence.

The Duke’s hand clenched into a fist and loosened. “You said you would do anything to save your brother. Then let us see how true that is.”

Lydia said nothing, eyeing the Duke the way someone might watch a wolf.

“I have no wish to leave you destitute and without prospects. I will accept your dowry as payment only if you marry me.” Lydia could see the challenge in the man’s eyes, the certainty that he had called her bluff.

“That is my final offer. There will be no bargaining.” The Duke’s voice was full of steel.

“Lydia, don’t—” Landon began, but before he could finish, Lydia took a step towards the Duke and held out her hand as though to shake his. “Yes.”

The only glimpse of surprise Lydia caught in the Duke at her gesture was a slight widening of his eyes. He took her hand in his, fingers clasping around hers, warmth filling Lydia at his touch.

“Do not think to break your promise, My Lady.” The Duke’s eyes searched her face. “I do not tolerate betrayal.”

“My word is my bond, Your Grace.” She felt lightheaded, her eyes tracing the hard lines of his face, the strong set of his jaw.

“Then you will be my wife.” The words echoed around them.

What have I done?