Page 28 of The Duke’s Hidden Duchess

He placed one hand briefly upon his sister’s shoulder. The gesture was slightly awkward, as though he had fallen out of practice with offering comfort and knew it. Georgiana covered his hand with hers before he could withdraw it.

The hall clock struck the hour.

Nathaniel looked down at Rowland’s letter, still folded in his other hand.

Rowland had intended it to force a way back to Georgiana. Instead, he had put his threat in writing and delivered the proof into Nathaniel’s hands.

Chapter Eight

The letter lay upon the breakfast table between the coffee and the toast, its creases still visible where Georgiana had crushed it. Selina had been downstairs since six. She had smoothed the sheet flat, drunk one cup of coffee while standing and left her toast untouched.

Nathaniel had slept, which was more than he had managed upon their wedding night, though considerably less than he wished. He entered prepared for a difficult discussion and found Selina already waiting for it.

“Before you decide upon any action, you must see what this letter proves,” Selina said. “Whatever interest Rowland once professed in Georgiana, he is no longer attempting to persuade her.”

Nathaniel remained standing at the end of the table and read the letter again.

“No. He is threatening her now. He means to publish her letters unless she meets him.”

“Yes. But we should not assume that the meeting itself is his final object. He may still want access to Georgiana, or he may intend to use her to obtain something from this family. Money is the most likely possibility, but it is not the only one.”

Nathaniel read the letter once more. Selina’s conclusion was not complete, but its logic held. He placed the sheet upon the cloth and aligned it with the edge of the table.

“How was it delivered?”

“We do not yet know. Bassett is making enquiries among the servants.”

Georgiana appeared in the doorway before either could continue. She had dressed hastily, and one ribbon hung loose at her shoulder.

“Is it about me?”

“Yes,” Selina said. “Come in.”

Georgiana remained beside the door instead, keeping her gaze fixed upon the window rather than the letter.

“What are we to do?”

“I shall call upon him,” Nathaniel said. “This morning.”

“You should not,” Selina replied.

“He has threatened my sister.”

“And he expects the threat to provoke an immediate response. If you arrive at his lodgings angry and demanding, you will confirm that the letters possess precisely the value he hopes they do.”

“I do not intend to arrive angry.”

Selina looked at him.

“I do not intend to appear angry,” he amended.

“That is not the same thing.”

Nathaniel moved towards the window. “Then what do you propose?”

“That Georgiana neither meets him nor answers him today. Before we respond, we learn what remedies are available to us and as much as we can about Rowland’s circumstances.”

“You believe he may be under financial pressure?”