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Edward looked around hastily. There was no one there, but he could not be certain that they were completely alone. This conversation was not to be had out in the open, but rather between four walls.
He sighed heavily, pressing the bridge of his nose. "Regardless of what you or anyone else may think, I do not have to kidnap ladies in order to bring them to my chamber," he said through clenched teeth.
The truth was that he could not remember the last time he spent the night with any lady, not that it was any of her concern. What hedidwant her to know was that he would never do such a heinous thing. He was not the monster thetonconsidered him to be, but he had no desire proving that to anyone, especially not her.
"Your mere presence in my chamber, however it happened, has trapped me in this situation. I have to marry you. There is no other way out."
"I just offered you a way out," she reminded him. "I will leave London."
"Yes, but I won't," he corrected her. "I have no plans of going anywhere, and if I don't go anywhere, neither will you. Our wedding remains as planned. The special license shall be procured as soon as possible. I suggest you go and purchase a wedding gown."
With those words, he turned around and climbed into his carriage, closing the door behind him. He did not need to look out the window to know that she was staring at him with such hatred that he could feel it piercing through the very walls of the carriage, aiming for every part of his body.
He also knew that she was watching as the carriage disappeared in the distance.His future wifewas watching him. The knowledge felt like a heavy burden upon his heart. Nothing in his life was developing the way he wanted it to, the way he had planned it. He felt as if he had done something terrible in another life, and now, it was time for payback.
CHAPTER5
"Idid not willingly come to that dreadful man's chamber, Alicia," Leah told her best friend and cousin, Alicia Finch, the Baroness of Lifton.
"Of course, I believe you," Alicia said softly, putting down the dainty teacup back onto a small table that separated the two young ladies.
Alicia had always been the more timid of the two, with the outlook that a lady should be shy and obedient, as those two qualities led to a happy, married life. She always hoped to obtain exactly that, but sometimes, finding the right man wo would provide that seemed to be an impossible feat. At the same time, Leah did not want to offend her friend, but quiet and pleasant was the last thing she ever wanted for herself. She needed much more to be truly happy, and she deserved to be happy. Everyone did.
"Father doesn't," Leah sighed. "And he is forcing me to marry the duke." The very thought of marrying that man made her feel uneasy. "As if he wasn't aware of this man's reputation."
"You mean his parents' death?" Alicia wondered.
"Yes, what else?" Leah frowned. "As if that in itself wasn't enough."
"But those are mere speculations," Alicia pointed out. "Why on Earth would he murder his own parents?"
Leah shrugged. "I don't know. I am not inside his mind. Perhaps he had a terrible row with his father. Perhaps he had done something we know nothing about, something so despicable that his parents threatened to cut him off and leave him penniless. Perhaps, he accidentally pushed his mother down the stairs, and his father did not want to cover it up, so he was forced to murder his father as well, so he made it look like an accident, that they died in the fire. See? There are many options here."
Alicia's forehead furrowed, creating several deep lines which were not there a moment ago. "You should not let your imagination run wild, Leah."
"Well, now you sound just like Father," Leah was slightly offended, although she was certain that her friend only meant the best.
"I am merely saying that you always look at things from a certain extreme," Alicia pointed out gently, without any sign of scolding or judgment. "You know nothing about this young man. Have you ever given him the benefit of the doubt? Perhaps he is a decent man, who has had many misfortunes in his life. Not only has he lost his parents both at the same time, which is an additional tragedy, but there are also speculations that he had something to do with that. Imagine how he must feel because of that."
Leah pouted. She hated it when Alicia made so much sense. Of course, such a thing was possible. It was farfetched, but possible. Then again, her theories were also farfetched from a certain point of view. However, there were many unknowns still, and that made the duke a stranger, a dangerous one at that.
"Decent or not, I cannot help but wonder whether he had something to do with how I ended up in his chamber," Leah said pensively.
"Well, what is the last thing you remember?" Alicia leaned closer.
Leah thought about it for a moment, then replied. "I had dinner with Father. I remember having a slight headache, so I retired to my chamber immediately after dinner, whereas usually I read in the library a little. I got ready for bed and fell asleep at some point."
"Just that?" Alicia sounded disappointed. "Nothing else?"
"Nothing else," Leah shrugged. "That is why this whole thing is so preposterous. I did not walk over there on my own. I must have been taken there, but... how? By whom? And what about the fire?" She paused, then continued. "I think it might have something to do with my mother."
"With your mother?" Alicia was surprised. "Why?"
"I have been asking around, to see if perhaps Father and I missed some important clues regarding her death. You know I don't think it was an accident."
"Leah–" Alicia started, but her voice trailed off. Leah knew what she would say. "You should let your mother rest in peace. What happened to her was... tragic. But life goes on. We cannot dwell on the past, because then we forget to live in the present."
"I know all that, Alicia," Leah replied.
