Her father glared up at the Duke, seemingly undaunted by the dark, furious look on his face. “I thought that the word of the Duke of Dredford meant something,” he snarled. “But I see I was mistaken.”
This argument, it seemed, had the intended effect on the Duke. His jaw flexed, and a strange look passed over his face, as if he were steeling himself for something.
“Please, do not worry, Lord Hillsborough,” the Duke said in his deep, authoritative voice that made goosebumps prickle up Emery’s spine. “I will fix this.”
“How?” her father demanded. “Are you going to force your brother to return and marry her?”
“I don’t know where Henry has gone,” the Duke said calmly. “And by the time I find him, word of this scandal will have spread throughout London. It is better she marry quickly--now, if possible.”
“That will never happen,” her father snorted. “She is practically a spinster! Add to which she has been left at the altar, well… What man would possibly want to marry her now?”
The Duke turned to look at Emery, and their eyes met. His were pale green, she realized, as she gazed up into them, and filled with a calm, cool determination that once again made her spine prickle. His eyes were resigned, but not devoid of fire. One that promised this would not be the end. “No…” she whispered, but it was too late.
Without looking away from her, without so much as blinking, he murmured, “I am going to marry her instead.”
Emery thought she was going to faint.Surely, I didn’t hear him right! He can’t have just said that.
But it took only one look at the shocked-and-rapidly-becoming-eager expressions on her parents' faces to know that he did. And of course he would. There was nothing else he could say, was there? Nothing else he could do that would appease her parents.
Emery stumbled, and Georgina caught her. Her mind was moving too slowly, unable to catch up with what was happening. Sounds reached her in a dull hum as even her vision felt blurred. All she could do was stare, wordlessly, soundlessly, asher father’s face split into a smile and he stepped forward, saying something, and shook the duke’s hand. Her mother was near tears as she too took his hand and curtsied in thanks.
And why wouldn’t they? She was to be married to a Duke!
“No,” she heard herself whisper again. “No!”
But no one heard her. Her parents were now hurrying away into the chapel to tell the pastor about the change of plans, and the Duke was turning toward her, a grim expression on his face.
She stepped forward, still feeling faint, but knowing that this was her last chance to say something; to stop this.
“Please, Your Grace, don’t do this,” she said, staring up at him with wild desperation. “You don’t even know me! You cannot want this wedding!”
“Neither of us want this wedding,” he said gruffly. “But what we want is immaterial. I cannot allow my brother to ruin your reputation. It is my duty to ensure he does not renege on his obligations and promises and ruin you in the process. I also have my family name and my sisters’ reputations to think about. Their chances of marrying well fall significantly if we are plunged into scandal. Not to mention…” he looked around and lowered his voice. “After what happened last night, it is my duty to marry you.”
“But--”
“It is decided, Lady Emery. Accept it.”
“I will not--” but she wasn’t able to say anything else before the pastor arrived, looking irate.
“What is this I hear about a change of bridegroom?” the pastor demanded, looking around at them all, thunderstruck. “I have never heard of anything so scandalous and depraved! A bridegroom is not interchangeable. I am shocked, Your Grace, that you would treat marriage so lightly, as if it were a game or a theatrical play, and not the most serious bond into which two people can enter!”
“On the contrary, I take marriage very seriously,” the Duke said, looking down at the pastor with cool disinterest. “Which is why I must marry Lady Emery in my brother’s place. He is not capable of performing his duty, so I must.”
“Even if it were not a violation of propriety, it is not possible!” the pastor said, puffing himself up. “The banns have been read. You cannot marry Lady Emery until new banns have been read and the waiting period has been complied with.”
“Yes, exactly,” Emery said, thinking quickly.The waiting period will give me time to formulate a plan and run away. Buy me some time.
But the Duke was not having it. He drew himself up to his full and considerable height and glared down at the pastor with such ferocity that Emery wasn’t surprised the cleric seemed to wilt down in front of him.
“There is nothing that anyone could object to about my marriage to Lady Emery, therefore it is not necessary to read the banns. Not to mention that my good friend, the Archbishop himself, would have no problem granting me a special license, were there time for me to apply to him for one.”
The pastor made a gurgling sound, then spoke in a more obsequious tone. “But Your Grace, I could lose--”
“My patronage? Indeed you could.” The threat was so explicit that Emery felt herself wince. The pastor’s eyes grew wide. “My patience is wearing thin,” the Duke continued. “And believe me, you do not want to see what happens when my patience runs out. So let us into the chapel and have ourselves a wedding.”
His tone was so final that no one dared to brook any opposition.
After that, things happened as if in a dream. Emery saw herself doing things, but she didn’t quite believe they were happening. She was no longer in control of her body. Somehow, she was ushered into the chapel. The guests were standing, looking confused, shocked, baffled, as her father led her down the aisle and the Duke of Dredford met her at the end of it. The organ was playing, she thought, but it felt more like a funeral hymn than the wedding march.
