Page 40 of The Duke’s Wager

Lucy froze. How did he know? How on earth was it possible that he knew?

As though he’d heard her unspoken question, he explained through gritted teeth. “I pay the servants, Lucy. Surely you must have known that the footman would tell me that Lord Edward Lockhart called upon my daughter!”

He was right. She should have expected that none of the servants – other than Maria and Nicolas, of course – would keep their mouths shut about her life. But they were not to blame. They had their jobs, and she had hers.

Lucy grimaced angrily, but her father didn’t notice her feelings. He was far too focused on his own anger.

“What did Lockhart want?”

Lucy hesitated. If she told him now that Edward had been here to apologize, he would want to know what he wanted to apologize for. This would open up a conversation about her reputation – one she was not ready for, one that she quite possibly never intended on having.

“I’m waiting, Lucy!”

“He just…” Lucy sneezed again, hiding her face behind her hands. “He returned one of my gloves. I’d… forgotten it the other night and he was kind enough to return it to me.”

Another sneeze escaped, and her father looked at her irritably – as though it was something she could control.

“What did I tell you about Lockhart?” He did not give her time to answer, instead continuing his tirade at a frantic pace. “I told you to avoid him! I told you that a Beaumont is above associating with a Lockhart, despite their station, and the very next day you entertain him in my own home!”

This was rather unreasonable. It was not as though she had invited Edward to visit her – and she couldn’t exactly turn him away, that would be rude.

“Did you hear me, Lucy?”

Though he was being unreasonable, Lucy knew full well that she could not say that to him. There was only one answer he’d be satisfied with – only one answer he expected.

Yes, father.

She wanted to say it, she truly did. She opened her mouth to do so, but another sneeze came out instead, this time louder than the ones before.

“Oh, for God’s sake!”

Her sneeze only seemed to irk him even more.

“Maria! Maria!”

He called her urgently, and Lucy watched quietly as Maria rushed in. “Yes, my lord?”

Her father gestured towards Lucy as though she were an irritating fly or something. “I have a headache and her incessant sneezing is making it worse. Get her out of here. Now.”

“Come with me, Lucy.”

Maria took her away from the ire of her father. Another sneeze overwhelmed her, and her entire body contracted with this one, tears forming in her eyes.

Those cursed roses! Had Edward any idea how difficult he was making life for her?

Of course not. The poor man had tried to do her a kindness, she knew that. Unfortunately, he had caused nothing but trouble.

Lucy had to carefully remind herself that Edward could not possibly have known the trouble his visit – and those damned flowers – would cause. It was far too easy to be irritated with him, far too easy to blame him for how horribly the day had turned out.

The truth, Lucy realized, was that it was not Edward’s fault. In fact, she had been in quite a cheerful mood after he had left. No, there was only one person to blame for how awful the day had become – and it was the man who stood in front of her, with his arms crossed over his chest.

One of his arms shot out just as she was about to pass, grabbing onto her wrist and twisting it painfully before yanking her forward.

Lucy looked up at her father fearfully, his mouth curled in a sneer. “You listen to me now, little girl. I will not have you prancing around with men like that behind my back. I will not allow you to have any visitors… especially men… when I am not here. I will no longer allow you to behave like a little harlot in my own home! Is that understood?”

Tears formed in Lucy’s eyes at the unfairness of this accusation. She never received any visitors, male or female. She always kept to herself and ignored those who attempted to befriend her.

She knew what she had to say. The words were on the tip of her tongue. She knew what he wanted to hear.