Chapter One
“There is nae need for bloodshed, Yer Grace,” Lady Isla MacDougall rasped, her voice pitched an octave lower than its usual high timbre, as she pulled her hood down to hide her face. “I apologize for me rash words. A duel was… a ridiculous notion.”
“A ridiculous notion indeed, Lord Dalrigh,” Benedict Wyncall, the Duke of Ealdwick, replied sharply as he towered over her in the dark, dank London alley.
“Indeed,” she said, too quickly, her palms sweating despite the cool November air. “So…so…”
How can I pull this disguise off?
Her mind and heart both raced with worry, yet her soul couldn’t help but hope this trick would work—that the Duke would really think she was her brother and not a woman masquerading as a man.
“So. Here we are, my lord. How do you propose we proceed? This duel is at your behest, not mine.”
I can do this, Isla willed herself, clutching the rough wool of her brother’s coat tight around her body to obscure her curves.
The fabric smelled of him. She took a deep breath as the scent of the rain mixed with peat provided a familiar comfort.
Unfortunately, the relief was short-lived. She lifted her eyes and met the Duke’s gaze, sending a shiver down her spine.
The man had been only a shadow in the distance moments ago. Now, he was a towering, formidable presence in the thinning twilight. His eyes were as blue and twinkling as the waters of Greece. His broad shoulders seemed to take up the entire width of the alley, only accentuated by his looming height. His beard was neat, complemented by his rich, black hair, which was slicked back perfectly.
Despite the hours she had spent all evening, steeling herself for this very moment, practicing her brother’s movements and intonations, she was impossibly thrown by him—she felt like a rag doll in a tornado with the way he shook her.
She had purposely arrived half an hour early to calm herself before the duel, yet it was of no use. Her heart still hammered against her ribs, relentless as a timpanist’s beat.
I cannae falter now… me duty is to protect me family at all costs. I must play me part in this cursed farce. Aye, even if this Duke is a sight… I must stay focused. I cannae let him unnerve me…
“Your letter was quite clear on the terms of our meeting. I am surprised at this sudden change of heart, my Lord,” he said, breaking Isla from her thoughts.
“I was… misled by the rumors,” she replied, her voice low and even.
“Misled?” The Duke pressed as he took a slow step toward her, his sparkling azure eyes piercing a hole in her, even in the dim light of early dawn.
“Ye must forgive me pride… F—f-family is everything to a Scot,” she said as she took a breath, the air thin and sharp on her throat. “It was a mistake. Me mistake.”
“A most cautious choice of words for a, ahem, man known throughout thetonfor his Highland temper. Do you mean to say that you no longer believe your sister was compromised?”
“She is a lass of great honor?—”
“That notwithstanding, how does that change your charge against me and my integrity? Are you not looking to defend that very honor you speak of?”
“We ken she was nae compromised. Some busybody saw her pass by ye and decided to create a story. We ken she would nae allow such a thing to happen!”
“We? Is there someone else here I am not aware of?” He asked as he looked around the alley mockingly.
“Nay! I mean… Me brother—I mean, me older sister and I had discussed this matter together before this meetin’,” Isla cried as the tone of her voice crept up, forcing her to feign a dramatic, low cough. “This cool air is gettin’ the best of me…”
The Duke’s eyes narrowed on her. She gulped.
“A man of honor would not simply stand by and allow such accusations to fester,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “You are most curious.”
“Fandan,” she muttered under her breath—he was indeedarrogantand so frustrating.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I mean… well,” Isla stammered. “I cannae see how bloodshed would accomplish anything. Let us nae be foolish.”
“I agree with that, but I am most confused at your acquiescence. A man of honor would not allow such gossip to tarnish his family’s name. You are a most singular man,Lord Dalrigh.”
