Page 45 of Snowed In with the Jilted Duke

The silence between them stretched out, but Pippa could not bring herself to look her father in the eye.

“Whatever possessed you to do such a thing, Pippa? I always thought you to be the sensible one.”

Unexpectedly, her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away. “It seemed like the right thing to do. To protect Penny.”

“May I speak to Pippa alone, please, sir?”

She could still feel her father’s eyes on her, but at last he shrugged. “I need to dress for supper. I shall speak to both of you again later.”

“Yes, Papa,” Pippa murmured, and heard the door close behind him.

Oliver knelt in front of her and took her unresisting hands in his. “It’s all right now, Pippa.”

“Is it?” Of course he would think so.

“I’ve spoken to your father, and we worked it all out. I’ve signed a property in Hampshire over to Penelope and he has accepted that in exchange for canceling the loan. I’m free.”

“I’m glad for you,” Pippa said. Her unseeing eyes stared at her skirts, shying away from the sight of her hands in his.

“Pippa… pigeon.” He lightly squeezed her hands, and she shuddered. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said dully.

He frowned at her. “I’ve already sent a message to the vicar to begin calling the banns this week. We can be married in three weeks.”

“Just like with Penny.”

“What? No.” She pulled her hands from his as he shook his head. “It’s the proper way to do things.”

Despite her mother’s words, she only realized now that she had still hoped for something more, especially after last night. More than a simple substitution of brides, one for the other, one just as good as the other. His life would continue on its course while hers was forever changed by the whispers that would follow her for the rest of their lives.

“Pippa, what’s wrong? Don’t you… don’t you wish to marry me?”

She stood up, and he rose as well, frowning at her.

“Mother told me. She told me you knew all along you would be able to use me as a substitute.”

Even now, she had hoped it was all a lie, but his expression told her everything. He tried to stammer out an explanation, but she was done listening to him.

He had deliberately trapped her into marriage, taking her virginity whilst knowing she was in love with him. Now she had no other choice. She was thoroughly, humiliatingly ruined.

“I accept your proposal of marriage,” she said, and walked away.

13

The house was wrapped in whispers that made Oliver feel he would go mad. Pippa froze him out, scarcely speaking more than a few syllables to him at a time, and only when strictly necessary. Every time one of them entered a room, everyone would go quiet, staring at them until the whispers began again.

The scandal would be immense, just as he had feared, but he saw no way to avert it. They would simply need to ride it out as best they could and hope it died down.

He was achingly aware there was no excuse for what he had done in not telling Pippa immediately that a substitution was possible. He had allowed his own fears to take hold of him, and now he had hurt her even more than he had thought he would.

She had returned to her ugly gowns and severe hairstyles and never looking at him when he entered the room, for all they were supposed to be betrothed now. To him, it was clear Pippa was once again trapped in her guilt and shame for envying her sister, and he did not know how to help her break free of that. Not when he had already hurt her so deeply.

It was almost a relief when his grandmother’s grim-faced lady’s maid came to tell him his presence was required in the dowager’s suite.

She pointed him to a chair as the door closed behind her maid.

“Sit there. And tell me everything.”