Perhaps she never would be.
The duke stared at her for a long moment, then made a small sound of frustration and shook his head. “I’ve spoken to Sherbourne. The bloody fool won’t have you.”
The duke’s obvious anger and astonishment might have been amusing, under any other circumstances. She doubted anyone had ever opposed him before. As it was, Natalia didn’t know what to feel. Relief, but she also battled with chagrin and uncertainty. Apparently, even her dowry wasn’t enough to make a man want her now.
She cleared her throat and tried to remain calm. “We should have realized Sherbourne would balk at this. He has far too much pride to marry someone whose reputation isn’t above reproach.” Appearances were very important to Michael—as they were to her father.
The duke tapped the end of a quill pen on his desk. “It’s of no consequence. I told you I would take care of you, and I meant it.”
“What do you want me to do?” Natalia asked, overcome with dread. She hadn’t been happy about the match with Sherbourne. But at least she’d come to accept it.
The duke shook his head. “Things have become even more complicated. After leaving Sherbourne, I stopped by my club. While I was there, at least four people asked me if I was going to force Captain Blake to marry you. Apparently, someone else witnessed your tryst in the garden.”
Nausea twisted in the pit of Natalia’s stomach. Dear God. Everyone knew. It had been bad enough when she thought only Michael and her father had been privy to last night’s calamity. How could she ever hold up her head again?
“Who do you think told? Was it Dylan?” Perhaps this was yet another of his underhanded attempts to gain control of her dowry.
“It couldn’t have been Captain Blake,” the duke admitted. “I sent someone to watch him last night. He went straight home and hasn’t left his rooms since.”
“Thank God.” For the first time today, Natalia felt a glimmer of relief. How humiliating to know someone else had seen her in Dylan’s arms, but she couldn’t have borne it if Dylan had done this terrible thing on top of everything else.
She didn’t want to believe everything about him had been a calculated lie. “Well, regardless of who told, the secret is out, and your life is no longer your own. You have to think about your reputation, do whatever needs to be done to salvage it.” The duke tried to smile. “There’s still Prince Nikolai Ivanovich. If we act quickly, we can whisk you away to Russia and have you married before even a hint of the scandal reaches his ears.”
Prince Nikolai. The very thought filled her with dread. “Father, isn’t there someone else? Someone English? Prince Nikolai frightens me.”
“There’s no reason to be afraid. Ivanovich is an honorable man. He is your mother’s cousin. I’m certain he would never dream of mistreating you in any way.”
Dear lord. How could her father be so blind? Couldn’t he see the cruelty just behind Prince Nikolai’s urbane charm?
She decided to try another tactic. “Please, Father. I don’t want to leave England. In Russia, I’ll be so alone. I don’t know anyone. I don’t know their ways.”
“I expect you’ll learn.” The duke sighed and tossed his pen across the desk in frustration. “I know this isn’t precisely what you want, but I can’t think of any other solution. I’ve already gone begging to Sherbourne, and I’ll be damned if I’ll do it again. How would it look if word got around that I’d tried to bribe someone to marry my daughter?” His voice had risen, and he made an effort to control it. “You should have taken all this into account before you arranged to meet Captain Blake.”
Natalia felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She bowed her head. He was right. She’d brought all this upon herself.
The duke rose, encircled the desk, and patted her awkwardly on the head. “Don’t worry. You’ll have the best of everything. You’ll be a princess.”
A princess. How little he knew her if he thought wealth and position would make her happy.
Seeming to read her mind, he sighed and crouched down so he could meet her gaze. “There is one other option, though I hate to even mention it.”
“Is there? At this point, I’m willing to consider anything.” New hope filled her. She wanted another choice, any other choice.
“If you’d like to stay here in England, you could marry Captain Blake. He is not what I’d planned for you, but he does come from a good family, and he’s a decorated war veteran. It would quiet the gossip, and there does seem to be a certain… affection between the two of you.”
Natalia closed her eyes, overwhelmed with a sense of inevitability.Marriage to Dylan.Despite everything, her heart leaped at the thought. She’d been so sure she loved him, and perhaps she had, because the emotion didn’t seem to want to go away.
Her father, however, seemed to take her silence for dismay. “Forget I mentioned it. I was right to send that opportunist away. You will marry Prince Nikolai. The sooner, the better.”
“No.” Natalia shook her head. “I’ll consider Captain Blake. I just need a few days to think everything through.”
The duke pursed his lips. “I’ll give you until tomorrow evening.”
“Tomorrow?” Natalia was aghast. Perhaps, given time, she might be able to forgive Dylan for what he’d done. But how could she marry him now, when so much anger and betrayal seared her heart?
“Tomorrow,” her father repeated. “I want this situation resolved as quickly as possible. There has been far too much speculation already.”
* * *
