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“I know. If only we can reach them in time. I’m so frightened for Belinda. If Laxton has shown her his true colors she must be feeling so scared and alone.”
“Why would he do this? Why prey upon Belinda in such a heartless manner?”
“It’s all my fault. Laxton’s doing this because I thrashed him. He’s after revenge. And he’s found the best way to hurt me by hurting those I love. I should have listened to Rafe and to you. I shouldn’t have taken matters into my fists.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Belinda went willingly. He must have filled her head with trickery and lies. She’s only eighteen and a complete innocent who lives for attention and admiration. Oh! I just remembered something that I noticed when we were walking in Hyde Park. She and her friends were giggling about something and when I approached, it looked as though Belinda was stuffing a letter into her reticule. West... I should have demanded to see the letter but I was distracted by Ravenwood and Indy’s arrival.”
“There’s no sense blaming yourself, either. This is all my doing. I brought you with me because I want someone Belinda trusts and admires to be there to comfort her, no matter what has happened.”
“West,” she said gently. “Belinda trusts and admiresyou.”
“I’ll be dealing with Laxton.” His jaw clenched in rigid lines. “This will mean a duel. There’s no other option. I’ll have to call him out this time. Unless he’s already done the deed, in which case, as loathsome as it may sound, I’ll have to attempt to force them to marry.”
“Belinda can’t marry Laxton! She would be miserable. Blanche would be miserable. This is such a hideous tangle. We should have been withthe girls last night instead of . . . I don’t know what came over me.”
“Please don’t, Viola. There were two of us there. I never should have taken you to Rafe’s house with me.”
“I seduced you, remember?”
“You seduced me the very moment I laid eyes on you. I’ve been resisting my desire ever since. Last night I lost all control. This entire debacle is on my shoulders.”
“I’m not going to be ashamed of what we did last night. It wasn’t wicked, it was wondrous.”
“I’m not ashamed. It’s only this business with Laxton and Belinda. I might have to force him to marry her.” He flicked the reins. “Viola. You and I must marry.”
Her heart stopped beating for a brief, stunned second. “West, this isn’t the time to make hasty decisions.”
“It’s what has to happen. I just hope that you don’t... that you don’t mind marrying a scoundrel like me. Or perhaps you won’t have to. I may fight a duel and die by Laxton’s bullet.”
She stared at the passing scenery as they left London behind, the trees and houses only a blur now, glimpsed through tears. How had the glowing tenderness of last night become this dreadful mess?
“I should think I have something to say about whether I marry you or not, Your Grace,” she said finally, when she trusted her voice not to wobble.
“I’ll be a good husband to you, Viola. I swear it. If I live to see tomorrow.”
He swore he’d be a good husband, but he couldn’t tell her that he loved her. And he was only proposing out of a sense of obligation. Because his sister had been abducted and he was drawing some twisted parallel between the two circumstances.
“We both know that I’m not the right choice for your duchess. If your sisters are ruined, they’ll require someone polished and unassailable to champion them in society.”
“If my sisters are ruined, Lady Winifred may not wish to marry me. Anyway,” he said with an impatient twitch of the reins, “that’s all beside the point now. We’re marrying by special license and that’s final. For better or for worse.”
Viola’s chest tightened. She knew he was worried about Belinda, knew that fear was making his tone curt and words harsh, but that knowledge didn’t make this hurt any less.
“I refuse your proposal, Your Grace,” she said primly, in her schoolmarm voice.
“You can’t refuse.”
“I most certainly can! I won’t accept the perfunctory and unromantic proposal of a man who is only seeking my hand in marriage out of a sense of obligation.”
He turned his head for a moment, searching her face, before staring ahead again. “You said that you loved me.”
“And sometimes love isn’t enough. You were right all along, Your Grace. There’s more to marriage than love. And love doesn’t conquer all difficulties. I do have moonbeams in my eyes and fairy tales in my head. I’ve never been a part of your privileged world. I’m not a suitable duchess.”
“And I’m not suited to the role of duke. But I’m learning. I’m making up for past mistakes. We’ll learn together. We’ll support each other.”
“You were born to the role. It’s in your blood. You turned away from it and now you’ve returned and society welcomed you back with open arms.”
“Society might welcome you, as well, Viola. I’ve seen the way you make everyone around you want to please you, to be better for you.”
