Page 13 of Trapped with the Beastly Duke

If she is to be chained to me, let it be the least heavy of chains. She shall be a wife in name only, and anything she wants, she shall have it.

Her heart, her body, those were for her. He would not claim them, and he would make this clear to her.

He ran a hand over the thin scar on his cheek. He wondered what his father would think of the situation. Would he be proud? Alexander had not talked to his father about marriage, but he had seen his parents’ love for each other as clear as day.

“Keep them safe.” Those had been the last words his father had said to him. “You must protect them.”

“I will keep her safe. I will keep them all safe,” Alexander spoke into the night, a vow to the heavens.

Even if it means keeping them safe from me.

He would marry Miss Rose Pembleton, and she would live with him in his London townhouse. He would let no further harm befall her or her family. He would honor his father’s wishes and be the man he needed to be.

Safety is its own kind of happiness.

With that thought, he drifted off to sleep. An uneasy sleep full of the sting of steel and screams that slowly shifted into something gentler that smelled of oranges.

Chapter Five

The Morning After

Rose had spoken to no one upon her return. As soon as she had re-entered the ballroom, the whispering and finger-pointing had started. She had managed to hold her head high, even bidding farewell to the hosts.

Yet, as soon as she had climbed into the carriage, her strength had failed her. She had begun to weep as her mother held her. There was no consolation to be found.

“Come now, there is still hope.” Her mother squeezed her arm.

“How can there be? What respectable man will want me when he thinks I have behaved so wantonly?” Rose sobbed.

“My dear, no situation is unsalvageable. No reputation is completely beyond repair. We must act decisively and with purpose. Uncontrolled rumors quickly control us.” Lady Cotswalts pursed her lips in thought. “I must think who might be able to help us. Ideally, the Duke should fix the situation…”

Rose snorted. “I shall not hold my breath.”

The Duke had not even returned to the ball. She had not seen him and was not sure that she wanted to. The anger and coldness she had seen on his face still sent shivers down her spine.

She tried to reconcile the earlier moments of their encounter with what little she knew of the man. Yet, she could not marry the two halves. It was as if he had been an entirely different person.

Shaking her head, she tried to recall their conversation. She had been surprised by her own boldness.

And yet it was my own undoing.

If she had been less bold, if she had instead done what she ought to do and been meek and accommodating, perhaps this would never have happened.

If only she had not reacted so badly to Lord Verimoor. Tears filled her eyes once more, and she felt anger rise in her. Though whether it was directed at herself or another, she could not rightly say.

“I am not asking you to be hopeful.” Lady Cotswalts’s voice cut into Rose’s thoughts. “I am asking you to do what I have always taught you. Consider all the options and use your mind. You must understand what you need, what someone else wants, and how to meet halfway.”

Rose nodded, but her mind was too full of the evening’s events to contemplate any of her options. Her mother seemed to sense this, and the two lapsed into silence. For her part, Rose was sure that her mother was already planning and scheming.

In the morning, once I have slept, things will be clearer.

The thought had been comforting, but when she awoke the next day, Rose found herself in a state of despair. Her heart was heavy, aching from the night before. She was dimly aware of the sound of running footsteps and a knock at the door before her lady’s maid, Abigail, entered.

“Oh, Miss Pembleton, you are awake. Good. I am afraid we have very little time to prepare.” Abigail wrung her hands, worry etched on her face. “Lady Cotswalts bade me allow you to rest, but then the Duke of Emberly arrived and?—”

“The Duke of Emberly?!” Alarm shot through Rose, and she spun around to face her maid.

The Duke of Emberly. He is here. In my house. Speaking with my parents. What is he doing here?