Page 24 of The Scottish Duke's Deal

“Thetonwon’t forget what happened. And my sister… well. She’ll be at their mercy.”

He can’t be serious.

Kitty turned, sharp-eyed. “Norman.”

“I was in a similar position last year,” he went on, eyes fixed ahead. “Kitty was tied to a scandal. A man with no decency. I did what was required.”

“You married her,” Ramsay said. His voice was flat, but Eleanor caught the subtle weight beneath it.

“Yes.”

Her skin went cold.

Her voice came out strained. “Surely you don’t mean?—”

Norman turned to Ramsay. “I’m saying we must consider every solution.”

Her pulse spiked. For a breath, she couldn’t move—couldn’t think past the heat climbing up her neck.Every solution?The words rang in her ears, cold and calculated.

She rose slightly from her chair, her pulse pounding. “You cannot be serious. This dinner—was it meant to trap him into a proposal?”

Kitty reached beneath the table, but Eleanor pulled her hand back, heart thundering in her ears.

“No one said—” Norman began.

“I’m still here,” Ramsay said.

His voice was quiet, and yet it cut through the room like steel.

Eleanor froze.

Ramsay stood, unhurried, controlled.

“Where I was raised, we value directness. We don’t corner men like livestock—or trade women like livestock either.” His eyes moved across the table—from Norman to Eleanor. She couldn’t look away. “If your concern is reputation, say so plainly. But don’t dress up ambition as virtue.”

“Your Grace…” Norman started, but his voice lacked its usual weight.

“I came here in good faith,” Ramsay said. “I’ve already had more than enough of being treated like a solution to someone else’sproblem. I won’t be used to fix another man’s mistake. I don’t care for schemes. Or for silence passed off as consent.”

He looked at her—really looked at her—and she felt her breath catch. Her cheeks burned, but she didn’t look away.

“I’m leaving for Scotland soon.”

He bowed first to Kitty then to her. Not just polite. Sincere.

To Norman, he gave only a nod.

Then he turned and walked out, his footsteps unhurried, his back impossibly straight.

No one followed.

And not a single voice dared to stop him.

He’s leaving soon…

Seven

The dining room door clicked shut behind Ramsay.