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Sebastian’s brow crimped, and his jaw tightened. “Well, let’s see. He was the last one to see me before I was accosted. He asked permission to court my niece, which I denied. And he is thebiggestscoundrel the world has ever known!”
A vein popped out on Kensington’s forehead as he tried to rein in his temper. Oh, his bastard brother was a sore subject for certain. “I shall deal with him.”
“Oh, no. You dealt with me quite splendidly. Your work here is done. Now the bastard is mine.”
“No, wait a moment,” the duke said before Sebastian could turn away. “We are not quite done yet. You might not be responsible for your predicament, but you did spend four nights alone with Lady Lavinia, did you not?”
“Unfortunately I do not remember half of them. But, yes, we did,” Sebastian said with an indulgent smile.
Lavinia looked at him sternly as her cheeks covered with a blush.
“Then youhaveto marry her.”
“Of course,” Sebastian agreed, and Lavinia threw him a confused gaze.
“What do you mean,of course? Nobody, aside from people in this room, knows that we were together. People think I am back in London!”
“Did he hurt you?” Kensington asked.
“Of course not!” Lavinia spat irritably.
Sebastian squeezed her waist. He didn’t want her to get too upset. Even if he did deserve the contempt from the duke, Lavinia did not.
Kensington’s gaze followed Sebastian’s hand, and his voice turned silky. “Did he do anything inappropriate?”
Lavinia’s cheeks grew even redder as she shook her head.What a poor liar.Sebastian smirked.
“You are marrying her!” Kensington asserted once again.
“I never said I would not.”
“Your Grace, Dane, nothing happened. At least nothing that would require a marriage,” Lavinia assured. “You can’t punish him just because we were both kidnapped—”
Sebastian raised a brow. “Punish me?”
Lavinia shushed him. She was so fierce in trying to get him out of this marriage that he started to feel insulted. “I will go back to London and—”
“No.” Sebastian interrupted firmly.
Kensington looked from Lavinia to Sebastian, then back again. As he moved closer, he peered into her eyes. “If you despise him,” he said quietly, as if imparting a secret, “I shall not make you marry him.”
Oh, please.Sebastian raised his eyes heavenward.
Lavinia reared back. “I do not despise him.”
“You don’t?” The duke was the embodiment of concern. “It just seems to me that you would rather be ruined than marry him.”
“Oh, no, no. On the contrary,” she said emphatically. “He is kind and gentle, clever and witty… And he is the most honorable man I know.”
The duke raised his brows, and Sebastian swallowed a chuckle.The most honorable, indeed.Lavinia continued, not paying either of them any attention, her face getting a dreamy look. “He took care of me while we were away. Made certain I was warm and fed. H-He even carried me in his arms”—she said with a giggle and then cleared her throat as if just realizing that she’d lost the sequence of her thoughts—“Any woman would be so lucky to call him her husband. But—”
“Then the issue is settled,” Kensington announced.
“Good.” Sebastian nodded, gave a gentle squeeze to Lavinia’s waist again, and turned toward the exit. “Because I have a bastard to find.”
* * *
Lavinia rushed after Sebastian, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on her arm.
