Page 21 of The Misfortune of Lady Lucianna

Lucianna, no matter her hellion ways, was still a woman born and bred into the highest society in England. She knew her role as the daughter of a marquis and played it well.

Would continue to play it well until she was no longer in a position for playacting. It was that time that should concern Roderick.

If she were anything like him, her memory was long, and her need for vengeance patient.

Finally, she nodded. “Yes, Father.”

With arms crossed and one last lingering, scathing glare for Roderick, she turned on her heels and marched toward the closed door. She paused for the span of a single breath, as if expecting someone to jump forward and open it for her. When it did not happen, she reached forward and pulled the door wide, stepped out of the room, and slammed the door in her wake.

She was not happy. From Camden’s slight cringe, he knew it as well as Roderick.

The marquis masked his irritation with his daughter by taking the seat before Roderick’s desk. “Now, Montrose—“

“Do call me Roderick,” he said. “If you are here, I assume my proposal is agreeable to you. We might one day be family.”

Camden chuckled. Outright laughed in Roderick’s face.

Roderick’s brow rose. “Should I assume you are not here to speak about a betrothal between me and Lady Lucianna?” The hair lifted on the back of his neck, and his confidence lessened for the first time since sending the letter to Camden that morning.

The marquis sobered, eyeing Roderick. “Do you think you are the only duke sniffing around my daughter?”

Roderick sat heavily in his chair, taken aback. He hadn’t even considered another offer for Lucianna’s hand. “Well—I—I am certain it does not surprise me, my lord. Your daughter is charming and very beautiful, with quite possibly dozens of suitors clamoring for her attention.”

“But she has the attitude of a dour matron, I assure you.” Camden crossed his legs and reclined in his seat. “However, she is well-connected, schooled in the fine art of managing a household, and comes with a sizeable dowry. So, I should have expected the men to come calling, despite her less than agreeable nature.”

Did the man not note the regal, graceful, perfection that was Lady Lucianna? Roderick supposed wealth did not lend itself to a keen eye for value and quality.

And make no mistake, no matter how angry he was at Lady Lucianna, how betrayed he felt by a woman who did not know him from the King of France, she was a woman of worth. It only took one look—and a few seconds in her presence—to know she was something special. Something worth having…and keeping.

“I must warn you, this auction may very well see a betting war the likes of Tattersall’s best.” The man chuckled again. “But before we speak of such important matters. Let us toast our new association with a drink.”

Roderick leapt to his feet and moved to the sideboard, not because the marquis had commanded it, but for the sole purpose of hiding his flabbergasted expression—and growing anger—from the man.

The Marquis of Camden had just sat in his study and compared his daughter’s betrothal negotiation to that of a horse at auction.

Devil take it, she was worth more than any horse!

Turning two tumblers right side up, Roderick filled each with a healthy portion of amber spirits. If the marquis’ entrance was any indication, Roderick’s afternoon would not be proceeding as expected.

Camden took his tumbler gratefully and sniffed at the liquor, as if the quality and age of the stuff would lend a good air on the man who’d served it. The brandy they held was aged longer than Camden himself.

How could Roderick have thought making a game of taking Lucianna as wife would be a simple, uncomplicated matter between two men?

Lady Lucianna was complicated at her core; a woman who fenced as well as any accomplished man, a lady who did not shy away from exposing her own father’s misdeeds, and a hoyden who dared invite a gentleman to deepen a kiss only to bite down on his tongue.

“Now, I must admit, your offer to take the girl off my hands is much appreciated,” Camden began, swirling the brandy in his glass. “I fear she has become a handful since her coming out—gallivanting about London, speaking out of turn, and Lord knows what else she does when I—or my staff—are not keeping watch over her.”

Roderick only nodded in agreement. The woman was certainly entangled in far more than her father knew.

“And most recently, Lucianna has seen fit to turn my entire household against me. My younger children, always so obedient and well-mannered, have begun to challenge my authority and even look to Lucianna before adhering to my command. Honestly, I cannot have such mutiny in my home.”

“My lord, I—“

Camden brought his narrowed stare to Roderick’s, cutting off anything he’d thought to say in Lady Lucianna’s defense.

“So, Montrose, in other words, I am very interested in your marriage offer. Unfortunately, I have gained another offer for Lucianna’s hand, though I am not entirely hard-pressed to pick the better lord. She is like any wild filly. She will need a firm hand; possibly need to see the end of a whip every once in a while to keep her in line.”

Roderick’s skin crawled as if a thousand ants marched along every inch of his body.