Magnus’s expression hardened for a moment. “You know he will.”
She opened her mouth to argue further, but he cut her off, voice lowering with unwavering certainty. “I’ll secure a special license. That should be easy. The marriage will happen in three days.”
Dorothy’s breath caught. “You’re serious?”
“Entirely,” he said. “You caused this yourself, Miss Lockhart. I’ll see you soon.”
Without another word, Magnus turned on his heel and strode out the door, leaving Dorothy standing alone in the vestry, her mind reeling, heart pounding, and a thousand thoughts crashing like waves.
As she stared at the space he just exited, something undeniable stirred in her chest. Magnus was everything Lord Hensley was not. Where Hensley was distant and cold, Magnus’s sharp gaze, though piercing, held a flicker of warmth that made her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t sure she entirely knew. She pressed a hand to her bodice, steadying her breath, furious with herself for feeling anything at all. This was not the time, nor the man, to unravel her carefully gathered composure.
Moments later, the door burst open, and Lucy appeared, eyes wide with concern and curiosity. “Dorothy! Sorry, there was absolutely nothing I could do. What did he say? What happened in there? Tell me everything!”
Dorothy blinked, still trying to gather her scattered thoughts. “Lucy...” she breathed.
“Yes, Dorothy?” she answered, holding her by the shoulders. “Tell me.”
Dorothy lowered her gaze. “I might actually be ruined now.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“What? Lucy gave you the idea?”
Emma’s voice was sharp, disbelief coloring every word as she folded her arms tightly across her chest. Cecilia stood beside her, equally stunned, her eyes wide with a mixture of concern and barely contained frustration.
Dorothy sank into the worn velvet of the drawing room settee, feeling as if she had been summoned before the Queen herself or perhaps a particularly stern judge ready to deliver her verdict. Normally, Emma and Cecilia were her confidants, two people with whom she could share every ridiculous thought and secret without fear of judgment.
But today was different. Motherhood and marriage had draped over them like invisible cloaks of responsibility, and their once carefree spirits now carried the weight of prudence and propriety. Dorothy knew exactly what was coming. The gentle but unyielding chastisement of two mothers who were utterlydetermined to school their youngest sister on the peril of scandal.
She braced herself, preparing to take every rebuke with as much grace as she could muster.
“Why would you cast me aside so?” Lucy demanded, her voice trembling in disbelief. Dorothy could see the dread shimmering in Lucy’s eyes. For some reason, Lucy always tried not to offend Emma and Cecilia, so it was obvious why she looked so terrified.
“Lucy!” Cecilia called her. “Come and sit. You too.”
Dropping her shoulders, Lucy strolled over to the settee and sat by Dorothy’s side, awaiting their shared chastisement.
The sisters had arrived only a day after the wedding that was supposed to unite Dorothy and Lord Hensley. But now, standing in the drawing room of their family estate, they were faced with news that made their hearts sink. The wedding had not only been called off, but the Duke of Walford had crashed the ceremony.
“Perhaps, Papa is right,” Cecilia said to Emma. “Maybe we do have a thing for scandal in our family.”
“I agree,” Emma said and shook her head. “But this?”
“It’s absurd,” Cecilia added sharply, folding her hands with an air of stern disapproval. “Lucy, what on earth were you thinking, suggesting such a reckless notion to Dorothy?”
Emma’s gaze narrowed as she nodded in agreement. “Encouraging a scandal to avoid a marriage? It’s not just imprudent, it’s folly.”
“Madness it may be, but it has worked before,” Lucy argued. “I mean, it was this very madness that united Cecilia with her husband. It worked for Cecilia, so I thought... I could do something for Dorothy as well. I know a thing or two about causing a stir that puts people on notice. I did it for Dorothy’s sake. I wanted to help my cousin escape an unhappy fate.”
Cecilia shook her head. “I thought that you had learnt from what you did that year, Lucy.”
“I did change!” Lucy argued. “That was years ago, and it ended quite well, so I don’t regret doing it as much now. I’m sorry. I really... really wanted to help Dorothy.”
“Why?” Cecilia asked her. “Why were you both so desperate?”
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not certain. All I know is that Dorothy did not want the marriage, so I did what I did to help her be happy.”
Emma sighed, her voice softening slightly. “But Dorothy must bear her share of the blame,” she said to Cecilia. “You know howLucy is. If Dorothy tells her to jump, she jumps. They are like two peas in a pod. Dorothy, you allowed yourself to be led astray, dear sister. It was folly to do that, no matter how desperate you felt.”
