How could he do it? How did he learn about Patrick and Mary? How far was he prepared to go for revenge?
There were so many questions, each of them more terrifying than the last.
“Your uncle?” Mrs. Barnes questioned, although she was surprised only briefly. “Well, His Grace has the measure of that man. Don’t you worry. He will sort all of this out, I’m sure. He’ll not have anyone slandering you like this.”
Tears sprang to Cecily’s eyes, and she took the brandy blindly from the housekeeper without thinking to drink it. Suddenly, she was not as confident as Mrs. Barnes was about Nathaniel’s reaction to the pamphlet, especially given the threat in the closing paragraph.
Dear friends, watch this space for more news of the scheming sisters who have trapped a duke and now plan to dupe him into raising his brother’s bastard. While we are not yet in a position to identify the poisonous pair behind this unscrupulous whoring, we hear that their names may soon be released to the London newspapers.
If their names were indeed published, and with such a story attached to them, Mary would be utterly ruined.
While Nathaniel himself might not care about reputation or society’s disapproval, Cecily supposed that he did care for his principles and sense of honor. He also disliked inconvenience and anything that was tiresome or constrained his life. Mary’s ruin and Cecily’s besmirchment could be nothing but a tiresome inconvenience.
Her mind raced frantically. What if Nathaniel kicked them both out? As a duchess, and a notorious one at that, Cecily could not even look for work as a governess or companion now. She and Mary would both be social outcasts with no way to support themselves. Where could they possibly go in such a situation?
Did her uncle mean to force Mary back to his house, or even to the altar with Lord Ashworth, to avoid such a fate?
Cecily tried to tell herself that Nathaniel would not let this happen. He would not give up on her so easily, not after last night.
Last night!
An even more powerful thunderbolt hit her. What if she had conceived Nathaniel’s child? There was no escaping that risk now, for better or worse. He could not throw her out if she were with child, could he? But then, what of poor Mary?
Her gasps of horror caused Mrs. Barnes to take the brandy from her hand and raise it to her lips. “There, Your Grace. You’ve had a nasty shock, even more than I did. Take a good mouthful of this brandy, and you’ll feel steadier in a minute.”
Cecily swallowed a mouthful of the fiery liquid, although she did not imagine that anything could make her feel better in this awful moment.
A knock sounded at the door, and both women jumped. The maid who entered with a letter on a tray looked at their stricken faces curiously.
“A letter for Her Grace, Mrs. Barnes,” she said, evidently trying not to stare.
“Thank you, I’ll take that,” Mrs. Barnes responded, recovering more quickly than Cecily. “Her Grace had a bit of a turn in the heat and will be better after some brandy.”
The maid nodded and vanished again, hopefully believing the small lie.
Cecily stared at the letter that the housekeeper now held as though it would bite her.
“It’s in the same hand,” Mrs. Barnes warned her. “Do you want to open it? Or should we wait for His Grace to return?”
“Nathaniel might be in London all day,” Cecily rasped, swallowing her distress and holding out her hand. “I must read it now.”
With trembling hands, she broke the seal and read a letter that only confirmed her fears. After a polite opening, her uncle’s message was brief but pointed, clearly showing his desire for revenge and his determination to be compensated for his supposed losses.
If Mary returns home by noon tomorrow, no further discussion is necessary. The scandal sheet writers will forget their incomplete story, and your sister will be properly married to the Earl of Ashworth as previously arranged.
It was outright blackmail! The next paragraph made it even clearer.
Of course, if the Duke of Greyhaven would prefer to compensate me directly for my losses and keep Mary under his roof, this door is also still open to him. You may be able to persuade your husband to this sensible course of action, where I have failed. In this case, the cost of my cooperation would be…
The figure named seemed astronomical, and she was not surprised by the implication that Nathaniel had already declined to pay it at least once.
If you foolishly choose to ignore me or defy me, your reputation and Mary’s will be ruined, and your Duke will be made a laughing stock for having been your dupe.
“He is vile!” Cecily cried out, crumpling the letter into a ball in her fist. “He wishes to destroy us. I have always despised my uncle, but he is even worse than I thought. Whatever happens, I will not let him harm Mary!”
“You must send word to His Grace,” Mrs. Barnes urged again as Cecily hurried for the door. “Please, Your Grace. He would not want you to face this alone. It is so very dangerous.”
Cecily hesitated. If Nathaniel had been there, she likely would have thrown herself into his arms and confessed everything. But he was not, and she had to cope alone, as she had always done before. If only he had not been called away to London so suddenly…
