Lydia shook her head and held out her hands.
“I don’t need to be told what to do. I am not a child. I have known for many years what I wish the shape of my life to be, and while it will never be like that, I do not want to be condemned to following a path that is abhorrent. If I cannot be married to a man I love, then I shall become married to God. I’m sure I can derive a great deal of meaning from that life.”
The family discussed the situation loudly, so loudly in fact that they almost didn’t hear the butler enter the room. He cleared his throat once, then twice, and the third time it sounded as though he were choking. One by one, attention turned towards him.
Lydia was glad for the respite as she no longer wished to speak about this subject. She had made up her mind, and that was that. She would become a nun, and nothing was going to stop her.
“His Grace, the Duke of Nightford has arrived,” the butler said and gestured with his hand to the hallway. The Duke strode forward, pulling gloves off his fingers. He wore a cloak that billowed around him, and there was something strangely captivating about him.
Lydia stared at him even though she would’ve preferred to keep her gaze as far away from him as possible. Heat rose to her cheeks as she remembered how close they had been standing in his chambers, how their arms had touched as they both tried to calm the baby. In that moment, she had been too focused on the child to think about her own feelings, but now that she saw the Duke of Nightford again, she was flooded with wild emotions that confused her.
“Your Grace, it’s wonderful to see you again. Please, come in and sit down,” Agatha said, pulling out a chair graciously. Edmund rose and shook Victor’s hand. Charlotte and Rose watched carefully and expectantly.
Lydia was so shocked that her feet were rooted to the floor, and even though she was aware of the exit, she could not move towards it.
“That will not be necessary. I prefer to stand, even if we have much to discuss. I hope it will not take too much time,” he said, his voice deep and rumbling like thunder. It made Lydia’s stomach shiver, and her knees went weak. She could not understand if she was frightened by him or if there was something else occupying her mind, something that was far more troubling.
“Of course. I’m glad you are here. I was planning to arrange a meeting. This is a most difficult situation as I’m sure you agree,” Edmund said.
“Indeed it is. I have been thinking about it through the night, and I feel that there is only one thing to do. I have come to offer for Lady Lydia Hartley.”
Lydia’s heart dropped.
Chapter Seven
Victor stood in front of Lady Lydia and her family, holding his nerve. He breathed steadily and tried to quell the uneasy feeling in his stomach. When he made the proposal, he watched Lady Lydia closely. Her face paled, and she looked as though she had been asked to march into hell.
“That’s wonderful news,” Agatha said although Victor did not place much credence into the annoying woman’s opinion.
“I’m glad you are doing the honorable thing,” Edmund said, although there was tension in his voice. The other two women present said nothing, and the boy clung to his mother. Victor curled his lip. He had had enough of children for the time being.
“No,” Lydia whispered.
Victor arched his eyebrow, for that was not the answer he had been expecting.
“Lydia,” Agatha snapped and then turned to Victor with a placating smile. “I apologize for her, Your Grace. As you can imagine, it has been a difficult night, and she is not well-rested. I’m sure she just needs a little time to consider the matter, and you will get the answer you desire.”
Victor pressed his lips together. He had no desire to hear the answer at all. Frankly, he would have chosen to be anywhere else, but as Harry had reminded him last night, he did have a duty to the baby and to his family. He could not allow a scandal to stain his family’s name, and the only way to avoid that was to lean into the rumors and make this ‘affair’ legitimate. Thetondemanded nothing else.
It was humbling to be reminded that, in the end, he was powerless against the whims of theton.
“You do not need to apologize on my behalf, Grandmother,” Lydia said. Her eyes were ringed with sadness, but she held herself with a rigid posture and a defiant look rested upon her features. Victor found it hard not to appreciate her beauty, even if he was not usually concerned with such things. She looked delicate, but there was clearly an inner strength that was admirable.
“Why would I wish to marry a man who accused me of having a child out of wedlock? Especially when it is more likely that the child is his,” she continued.
“I told you the child is not mine. The accusation is nonsense,” he snapped, color rising to his cheeks.
Lydia folded her arms across her chest. “You have still not explained to me why someone would leave a baby inyourchamber wrapped inyourfamily’s blanket. It seems to me that someone was leaving you a message.”
“If so, then the message is entirely lost on me,” he said, breathing deeply because he could feel the emotions rising within him again. The last thing he wanted was to lose control in front of these people. They might start believing Lydia’s claims. “I can assure you that I have never ruined a lady, and I do not intend to begin now. I have seen the morning papers. I know what they are saying about us. It isn’t right.” He looked at Lady Lydia, wanting her to know that this was not an entirely selfish act. “This marriage is a way for us to… manage the situation. I know how the situation looks, and I am attempting to discover the truth, but in the meantime, we must do something, Otherwise, the story will run away with itself.”
“I already have a plan. I will become a nun,” Lady Lydia said.
“And have people believe that you are paying penance for your sins? The story will hound you all your life. You will forever be tainted,” he said, mystified that anyone would welcome this.
“That would be the case anyway,” Lydia replied.
Victor shook his head. “Not if we prove the truth. Let me tell you my plan. I have obtained a special license that will allow us to wed but offer the option of an annulment. It is an… unusual situation, but it will afford us time to find the child’s mother and present the truth to theton. In the meantime, we shall bemarried, and so the whisper of scandal shall die down as people will see us as legitimate.”
