Page 13 of Until the Rake Surrenders (Rogue Rules #5)

M in was torn between still being annoyed with Evan and being incredibly flattered by everything that he said. He was either a consummate rogue or incredibly charming. She would give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Shaking off her encounter with him, she walked into her father’s house as Jurgens held the door. The butler welcomed her with a smile. “His Grace, his lordship, and her ladyship are upstairs in the drawing room.”

“Thank you, Jurgens.” Min gave her hat and gloves to him before going upstairs.

Sheff and Jo sat together on the settee, while their father stood near the hearth. He looked a bit agitated, with lines fanning his mouth. His jaw was clenched.

“Afternoon, Min,” Sheff said. “How are things with Mother?”

“As strained as you might imagine.” Min sat in a chair angled near the settee. She looked over at their father. “Papa, are you going to sit?”

“In a moment.” He waved his hand. “Sheff, you go first.”

Why did Min feel as though she’d walked into a tense situation in which everyone else knew far more than she did? She’d come here thinking it would be a haven from her mother, but now felt as though she needed to be on guard. Jo gave her a sympathetic look, which didn’t help matters.

“This doesn’t appear to be good news,” Min said. “Just tell me what it is.”

“We’re returning to London,” Sheff said. “Jo would rather be at home. Well, not the home she used to live in, but in London.” Sheff blew out an exasperated breath. “You know what I mean.”

Min nodded. “I do.” She understood why Jo would want to go home. She’d never been far from London before. And she was newly married and expecting a child. She was also a countess and would be a duchess someday. It was a great deal of change all at once.

“My father is also keen to return, as he finds Bath too sedate,” Jo said with a grimace. “You are more than welcome to come with us.”

Min was surprised she didn’t leap at the chance, but what her mother had said about Jo and Sheff not wanting her around screamed in her mind. Even if Min didn’t fully believe that, neither did she want to insert herself in their new married life together. And that would be required since they would be living at Henlow House, which was Min’s home in London. Although, without Ellis there, it would not feel like home.

Min still didn’t know where that was anymore.

“I think I’ll stay here in Bath,” Min replied

Both Sheff and Jo blinked, appearing surprised.

Min shrugged. “I know it’s shocking, but Mother and I stay out of one another’s way. I can suffer her presence awhile longer. However, I may yet decide to return to London sooner rather than later,” she added.

“Whenever you want to come, you are more than welcome,” Sheff said. “Not that you need our invitation. Henlow House is as much your home as it is ours. In fact, it’s more your home since I’ve been residing at the Albany the last few years.”

“Yes, but your future lies there, whereas mine does not.” Min had no idea where her future would be, which only increased her unrest. She looked to her father. “Is that why you summoned me here today?”

“Not entirely.” Her father finally moved to sit down, taking the chair nearest Min. He looked from her to Sheff, then back again as he spoke. “My news is far more disruptive, I’m afraid. I have thought for a long time about this, and I’ve never wanted to do it because it seems hypocritical. And yet, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is the only way forward in which we can all find peace.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to seek a divorce from your mother.”

“What?” Sheff blurted, leaning forward. His brows pitched over his eyes as he stared at their father. “As bad as things are with you and Mother, you can’t do that.”

“I can do that,” the duke said calmly. “I realize it will be difficult and cause a furor. But I cannot continue as I have these many years. I have you to thank for that, Sheff.”

“Don’t blame me for this,” Sheff said sharply.

Jo reached over and took his hand, clutching him tightly. Min wished she had that kind of support, or any support, really. How she missed Ellis.

“Think of Min.” Sheff sent her a furious glance, but she knew his anger was not directed at her. “This will ruin her chances for marriage. It doesn’t matter that you’re a duke. This will be a horrendous scandal.”

“I realize that.” Their father gave Min an apologetic smile. “I won’t do anything until after you’re wed. That said, I would very much appreciate it if you would marry soon.”

This must have been why he’d agreed with her mother’s insistence that Min marry. He wanted her to hurry up and wed so he could cause a scandal. If he did that before she married, her value on the Marriage Mart would completely evaporate. That her father would put her in such a position reminded her of where she ranked in this family, which was at the very bottom.

“You presume I can snap my fingers and have a husband?” Min said coolly.

His mouth twisted into an almost smile that ended up looking more like a smirk. “There was a time, my dear, when you could have had your pick of any gentleman.”

Was. That time had passed, apparently. How she hated being reminded. As if she’d failed because she hadn’t wanted to settle for anything less than what she wanted. “I found all of them lacking. You must forgive me if I choose not to shackle myself to someone without being completely certain I could suffer them for a lifetime. I would expect you, of all people, to understand that.”

The duke flinched, which gave Min a small amount of satisfaction. “Of course, I do,” he said quietly.

Min felt as if she’d been cast adrift in the ocean. She was bobbing about in the waves, her hands flailing, her body sinking as she struggled to stay afloat. Her heart beat faster, as if she were actually having difficulty breathing.

“Have you really thought this through, Papa?” she asked.

“An excellent question,” Sheff said. “You would file a suit against Jo’s father?”

Jo paled. “Please don’t do that,” she said to the duke, her brow furrowed with grave concern, as she seemed to grip Sheff more tightly.

Their father gave her a sad look. “I don’t really want to involve your father at all, Jo, but I can easily prove that the duchess was unfaithful with him.”

The ensuing scandal enveloping Jo, her father, and Ellis, along with their own family spread out in Min’s mind. It would be horrible at a time when Jo and Sheff had never been happier. And Ellis was still likely trying to comprehend the truth of her parentage, only to have all of Society hanging on every salacious detail.

Min pressed her hand to her cheek. “You can’t involve Ellis, Papa. You can’t .”

“I don’t want to do this at all.” The duke stood and paced to the hearth and back again. “I have no choice. Don’t you understand? Your mother has made my life hell for nearly thirty years. I have put up with it, but no more.”

Sheff scowled at him. “You ‘put up with it’ by indulging yourself in every way possible. You are not blameless, and yes, it is incredibly hypocritical of you to file a criminal conversation suit against your wife’s lover. What of all your lovers?”

“It’s the height of hypocrisy,” Min said, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked over at Jo, whose gaze was fixed on her lap as she took deep breaths.

Sheff let go of her hand and put his arm around her, holding her against his side. He glared at the duke. “You’ve upset Jo.”

“I know.” Their father at least appeared anguished. “I’ve upset you all, and I’m deeply sorry. I have tried to endure this marriage and your mother’s hatred of me, but I have finally found a love that is reciprocated. It pains me greatly not to be able to claim that publicly.”

“So you would inflict pain on us all,” Sheff said, his voice low and angry. “Your plan, then, is to divorce Mother, plunge the entire family into an irredeemable scandal, and then marry Mrs. Welbeck? You think you’re going to be allowed to parade her about Society as if you hadn’t ruined us all. It’s incredibly selfish of you.”

That was exactly right, Min thought, and she was glad Sheff had said it. Once again, she felt an overwhelming pressure to wed. She had no other choices. She understood that her father felt trapped. Min felt the same. However, her father could continue with Mrs. Welbeck just as they were right now. That would be more acceptable than if he divorced their mother and married her. It made no sense, but nothing did to Min. Not anymore.

She abruptly stood. “I agree that you’re selfish, Papa, but I don’t know how we will dissuade you from this plan. I have long blamed you for the strife in our family, and I now realize it was largely Mother’s fault. However, this will be entirely on you, not that it matters where I’m concerned. My duty is to marry. Then I will no longer be a part of this family, for I will become the property of my husband. I hate that you would do this to Ellis and her real father, whom she hasn’t even had a chance to know.”

And with that, Min stalked from the drawing room and hastened down the stairs. As she donned her hat and gloves, Jo caught up to her.

“Come back to London with us,” Jo pleaded. “You don’t have to stay here.”

Min tied the ribbon of her bonnet. “I know I don’t, but I need to marry. Since there are eligible bachelors here, I may as well try.” She didn’t have any other choice. If she didn’t marry now, she wouldn’t have another chance. Not after what her father was going to do. So much for wanting to marry for love. She would likely be trapped in an unhappy marriage.

Jo looked stricken. “I’m so sorry, Min. It doesn’t seem fair that I’m the one married when I had never planned to be.”

Min gave her a slight smile. “I am exceedingly glad that you and my brother found each other. I would never begrudge you your happiness.” Someone may as well have that, she thought, because right now, she doubted that it would ever be her.

“I’ll see you before you leave for London.” Min gave her sister-in-law a quick hug, then left the house.

Emotion overwhelmed Min as she walked along the pavement. Nearing Evan’s house, she slowed. Despite her previous irritation with him, she yearned to stop and speak with him, to tell him what had just happened. He would console her, and she would feel better. But she couldn’t call on him a second time, no matter how much she wanted to. Hurrying past the house, she bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

She wanted Ellis more than anything. Her absence had left a gaping hole.

Min couldn’t face her mother. She would go to Pandora’s instead.

Thank goodness she had Pandora. Min only hoped she wouldn’t start crying before she got there.

T he moment Pandora greeted Min, she could see straightaway that Min needed consolation. Pandora asked for tea and cakes to be delivered to the cozy sitting room next to her bedchamber, then took Min under her arm—literally—while escorting her upstairs. They kicked off their shoes and curled up in a pair of chairs. Min told her everything that was happening with her family and barely stopped to take a breath. Pandora had embraced her, after which they’d sipped tea and eaten too many cakes.

“Do you really think he’ll go through with the divorce?” Pandora asked.

“He seems committed.” Min recalled the set of her father’s mouth and the determination in his gaze. “I don’t think he understands how terrible an ordeal it will be for everyone.”

“How can he and go through with his plans?” Pandora murmured sympathetically.

Min was angry with him, but a part of her understood. “It’s not hard to comprehend or even sympathize with his sentiments. It’s just wholly unfair that this is the way to end a union that probably never should have happened in the first place.”

Pandora shook her head. “It’s horrible that people, especially women, must suffer through unhappy marriages.”

As a young woman, Min felt completely trapped. “Now more than ever, I am afraid of being stuck in a marriage I don’t want. And yet, if I don’t marry before my father files suit, my chances to do so will be greatly diminished.”

Pandora looked horrified. “He wouldn’t do that, would he?”

“He says he won’t, but I feel as if nothing is certain, especially with Ellis gone.” Min’s life had completely changed in the last week, and she didn’t know when things would settle.

“Perhaps not marrying won’t be the worst thing,” Pandora said. “But I do understand why it would upset you. I was devastated after Bane ruined my chances for marriage.” She pursed her lips briefly. “However, I can’t blame Bane alone. I should have known better than to let my emotions drive my actions. It wasn’t as if Bane forced me to kiss him.”

“Mrs. Lawler is the one who’s really to blame.” Min referred to the extremely officious woman in Weston who had witnessed Bane and Pandora’s embrace and then told everyone about it.

Mrs. Lawler had done the same thing to Tamsin and Droxford. The difference was that Droxford had married Tamsin. Thankfully, their compromising situation had led to a love match. They were lucky. Min worried she would not be.

“Mrs. Lawler is to blame,” Pandora agreed. “But we should not have given her any fuel for her gossip. I will say that being a spinster is not terrible. In fact, there is much to recommend the state.”

Min laughed softly. “That’s easy for you to say. You have your aunt, who has supported you.”

Pandora’s parents, Lord and Lady Radstock, had nurtured high hopes for her marriageability. With her beauty and charm, they’d expected her to marry extremely well, and had written off her older sister. But it was Persey who had married a duke, much to their parents’ shock.

Neither Persey nor Pandora had anything to do with their parents any longer, for they’d never truly cared what happened with their daughters, provided their marriages bolstered their father’s coffers. Lord and Lady Radstock were spendthrifts, and the baron was in debt. Persey’s husband, Wellesbourne, had made them solvent but refused to continue to support them. They’d had to drastically change their lifestyle.

“She’s also loved you and been as much a mother to you these past two years as your actual mother.” Min had no such person.

Pandora smiled softly. “I know I’m fortunate. Just as I know you don’t have an Aunt Lucinda. However, you do have places you can go. Your father has many properties. You could even live at the Grove in Weston.”

Min tried to imagine a life as a spinster in the sleepy village near the sea. While she always looked forward to the time she spent there every summer, she couldn’t imagine not living in London at least part of the year. She loved the bustle of the city and would miss too many things about it.

She also realized that while she was fortunate to be the daughter of a duke, she did not have the luxury of continuing as she had. She would not be invited to house parties like the one at Longleat if she were not a potential bride or married. And she would be completely cut from Society after her father filed suit against Jo’s father. Min still couldn’t believe he would do that to Jo. And to Ellis.

Min smacked her hand on the arm of the chair. “I’m so angry with my father.”

“I know.” Pandora reached over and patted Min’s hand briefly. “If you decide to go to the Grove, I’ll accompany you, if you like.”

“I’m sure Mrs. Ogilvie can come to chaperone.”

Pandora laughed. “You think spinsters need chaperones? Why would we bother? Indeed, we can become companions and chaperones ourselves at some point.” She waggled her brows at Min as if she’d just imparted delightful news.

Min didn’t particularly want to be a companion or a chaperone. She realized she had expected to marry. She’d assumed the right gentleman would cross her path. But now she had to accept that it might not happen. She was well and truly out of time.

“You could stay here with us for a while too,” Pandora offered with an encouraging smile. “Just know that if you choose spinsterhood, you have a fellow spinster awaiting you.”

“I must say, you make spinsterhood look appealing. But don’t you miss—” Min broke off as heat flushed her cheeks.

Pandora’s pale brows drew together. “Don’t I miss what?”

“That you won’t ever experience the passion part of marriage. I think I would miss that.”

Her blue-green eyes gleaming, Pandora leaned slightly toward Min. “I’ll confess something to you. I have been worried about missing that. And I shall also blame Bane for that, because if he’d never kissed me, I wouldn’t know what I was missing. However, it was rather wonderful, damn him, and so I do know. I’ve spent the last two years lamenting that I wouldn’t experience what happens next.” She squared her shoulders and looked Min in the eye. “I am pleased to report that I have resolved that issue.”

Min sucked in a breath. “What did you do?”

“Obviously, you can’t tell anyone, and that includes our Rogue Rules Club. I haven’t even told Persey. I don’t think she would judge me poorly, but it’s not something I want to write to her about in a letter.” Pandora’s lips curled into a small, secret-filled smile. “Recently, I spent the night with a footman from a neighboring household.”

“How? Where?” Min goggled at her. “Tell me everything. Well, maybe not everything, but as much as you’d like to.”

Pandora laughed. “He arranged for us to spend the night in a room over his household’s mews. It wasn’t the most romantic setting, but I can’t say that detracted from the event.”

“It was an event?” Min asked.

“Well, you know what I mean,” Pandora said with a giggle.

“And was it what you’d hoped?”

Pandora smiled. “Oh, yes. You should try it—not necessarily with a footman, though obviously, I take no issue with that—but if you find the opportunity to have a passionate encounter with someone, you should seize it. Just be careful to avoid getting with child. There are ways around that.”

Min’s brain was already spinning with thoughts. “How did you know you wanted to do that with the footman?”

Pandora lifted a shoulder. “I found him very attractive. Starting last spring, when I would go out for a stroll, I ran into him from time to time as he walked the neighbor’s dog. We would walk together sometimes. I found him charming and amusing.”

“You were attracted to him, then. You wanted him to kiss you…and other things.”

“Yes.” Pandora’s brow creased. “Do you find it strange that I would be attracted to a footman?”

Min worried that her friend thought she was judging her. “Not at all,” Min hurried to say. “I think it’s wonderful that you felt that pull toward someone. I have never felt that way toward anyone.” Until recently.

Pandora’s eyes rounded briefly. “No one? You don’t see a man across the ballroom and think, ‘Oh, he’s attractive. I wonder what it might be like to promenade with him or even kiss him’?”

“I suppose I have thought those things,” Min said slowly. “But I never felt an overwhelming urge for physical contact. Until recently.” This time, she said the last part out loud.

Pandora’s brows shot up. “What changed?”

“I spent time with a certain gentleman, and it turns out I am attracted to him. I did actually kiss him, and it was nice.” Min shook her head. “No, nice is a vastly inferior word for what it was.”

Pandora grinned. “Is it Evan Price?”

Min gasped. “How did you know?”

“It was purely a guess, because I haven’t seen you together. But I do know you spent time with him at Longleat, so I assumed it was likely him, especially since he’s here in Bath.” Pandora studied her a moment. “Are you still attracted to him?”

Min nodded.

“And is he attracted to you?”

“I believe so. We kissed at Longleat, and things turned very awkward. Then we kissed again the other day. Things were somewhat awkward again, but that was due, in part, to a young woman at the Upper Rooms the other night who said Evan had kissed her last spring. Evan didn’t remember doing so. He didn’t remember her at all, actually.”

“Well, that is certainly roguish behavior.” Pandora clucked her tongue. “I gather he’s not marriage material, then.”

“He’s trying to change, actually,” Min said, feeling surprisingly defensive of him.

Pandora laughed. “Well, we have a rogue rule about that, don’t we? Never trust a rogue to change.”

Min exhaled. “I can’t stop thinking of that rule. I also can’t ignore the rogues we know who have changed when they married our friends. Beyond reason, my own brother has reformed. If he can do it, anyone can.”

Pandora made a sound in her throat. “I do not agree with that. I don’t think there is any hope for someone as debauched as Bane.”

“You are probably right about that,” Min acknowledged. “Though Evan is not as bad as Bane, at least from what I’ve seen.”

“Has Evan indicated any interest in marriage?” Pandora asked.

“No.”

“So, when he talks of changing, he isn’t doing so for any particular reason.”

Min shrugged. “He just wants to change, I suppose. And doesn’t that make his motivation seem more genuine? He’s not doing it to win me or someone else.”

“I am not one to advise you on such matters.” Pandora shifted in her chair. “I don’t trust any of the opposite sex. What is it you want from Evan, if anything?”

Min sat back and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what I want. Just because I enjoy kissing him doesn’t mean I want to marry him. I have no guarantee we would be happy.”

“Nobody can have that,” Pandora said darkly. “At some point, you have to decide to take the risk or not.”

“Would you ever do it if the opportunity presented itself?” Min asked.

“Absolutely not.” Pandora’s response came fast and vehement. “But I went through a terrible situation and suffered the consequences. I was given the cut direct. I have been mocked.”

“You have survived,” Min said.

“Yes, but I’m a spinster with no hope of marriage, which is what I was raised to expect. It has been a transformation of what I thought my life would be.” Pandora spoke matter-of-factly, but Min’s heart still ached for her friend. “Still, in spite of everything and everyone, I have survived and am almost flourishing. You will too.” Pandora smiled. “Survive your father’s divorce, I mean. You just need to decide how you want to weather it. Will you rush to take a husband, or will you forge ahead on your own? Regardless of what you choose, I will be at your side and support you.”

“Thank you,” Min said. “I don’t know what I want to do, but it helps to talk about it.”

Pandora arched her brow and gave Min a suggestive look. “If nothing else, you might consider another passionate encounter with Evan.”

Min laughed. “I’m not sure I could dare.”

“Kissing him made you feel good, didn’t it? It seems to me you’re going through a terrible time with what’s happened to Ellis and having to live with your mother, and now this business with your father. I don’t think it’s wrong to want to create a wonderful memory that’s entirely for yourself.”

Min hadn’t thought of it like that. “Is that what you did with the footman?”

“Absolutely,” Pandora said without regret. “And I would do it again. Not that I have plans to,” she added with a laugh.

She’d given Min a great deal to think about. But Min didn’t have much time. Her window was closing, and she needed to decide which path to take before the choice was taken from her.