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“Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together. “It is certain to be a grand wedding.”
“We are not planning to have a grand wedding, my lord,” Diana said with a small smile.
“Oh?” He tilted his head. “Why not? A duke's wedding should be one of the grandest events of the year.”
“Every day is a celebration for us, Crawford,” Matthew said, “and we do not have to show it through extravagance.” He finished with a smile but Diana could see that his character had slipped a little. She understood how difficult it was because every one of them detested Crawford.
Dinner was torture as they listened to him talk about his recent visit to London that never occurred. He had been demanding to meet Diana to collect his pay at the time. Matthew would periodically find her hand beneath the table and hold it, and such moments made the time more tolerable.
After a dessert of lemon cake with cream of ice, Diana and Emma excused the gentlemen, and so their plan was put into motion.
Chapter 33
“Emma, I am nervous,” Diana admitted when they returned to the drawing room, reaching into the reticule around her wrist to retrieve a short note she had written earlier.
Emma laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Matthew, Albert, and I will be outside. No harm will come to you.”
“I know.” Diana nodded. “It is the prospect of speaking with him that makes me worry. He is a horrible man.”
“I still cannot believe I thought him charming, and even wanted to be courted by him,” Emma said regretfully.
“He will face his crimes now.” Diana unfolded the note to read it one final time to ensure it looked right.
May I speak with you alone? There is a matter I must discuss with you…well, it is more of a request, but I promise it will be worth your while. Meet me in the conservatory. It is toward the rear of the castle. — D.
Satisfied with the lure contained in her words, Diana folded the note and gave it to Emma. “I will go to the conservatory and wait now.”
“And I will see that he receives this.” Emma hugged her. “Do not worry, Diana.”
“Thank you,” Diana whispered before pulling away and leaving the room. She made her way down a dimly lit hallway with tall Corinthian columns lining the walls, and every step she took filled her with both hope and dread.
The conservatory was at the end of the hallway, and the sound of water running in a fountain was the first thing to reach her, and it was immediately calming. Luminous fireflies fluttering above blooming peonies in pots made her smile, and she found a marble bench on which to sit.
She had been here when Matthew showed them the castle but she never got the chance to sit here and truly enjoy the serene atmosphere until now. She quietly promised to make it one of her favorite places in the castle when she married Matthew.
The thought of him further calmed her, although she grew excited, too. Unfortunately, her quietude did not last very long because she heard footsteps approaching the conservatory. Diana rose, thinking she would have more advantage by standing while she spoke to him even though her foot had begun to ache a little more.
The place seemed to darken when he walked in, and the wide grin on his treacherous face pinched her patience. “I knew you would look for me,” he said, coming to stand in front of her and folding his arms. “What do you want?”
“The duke does not know about the event that occurred years ago, and—"
“You want me to keep it that way,” he interrupted her to say.
She wanted to spit out what she truly thought of him, but she instead clutched her cane and nodded, looking as doleful as she could. “Yes. I hope you will cooperate with me.”
He laughed. “What will you give me in return?”
“What do you want?” She took a step to the side when he began to lean forward.
“You know what I want. Money. You are going to be a duchess, and I know you seduced the duke. I want what you’re giving him.”
Her body tensed, and she glared up at him. “How dare you make such a suggestion?” Matthew was listening, she was sure, but that did not lessen her apprehension.
“You have denied me for so long, and I will not rest till I have you,” he snarled. “Marry the duke, and we can have his fortune. You can even make him settle a large sum upon you, and I assure you, darling, I have ways to eliminate him.”
Her heart fell to the pit of her stomach, and she took another step away from him. Her part here was to get a confession from him, but he was threatening to kill Matthew for heaven’s sake! “There is a better way,” she said, remaining where she was when he came toward her again. She could not let him know how afraid she was.
“What do you suggest?”
