Chapter 10

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Reginald appeared the very moment the duke left, and Catherine was still under the impression of everything that had happened. She barely heard his voice as it found its way to her through the heavy mist of her own shock and suspicions.

Her mind raced with the implications of her upcoming marriage that was to take place in only a single month, but the kiss was her true source of concern. She couldn't believe that she had given into him so easily. Ugh, that smug man made her so furious! But she was even more furious with herself. Had she no shame? Had she no dignity? Kissing hat scoundrel like that, goodness!

"The duke knows everything, Reginald," she said quietly, her voice down to a whisper as she closed the drawing-room door. They trusted their loyal staff completely, but she felt safer with the doors closed, although the idea seemed preposterous at that moment. The one secret they had to keep hidden from the rest of the world had found its way out and no amount of closed doors would change that.

"Everything?" Reginald echoed, with tiny bits of hope still hanging by a thread.

"Your relationship with Annabel, your daughter Rose, the fact that you are seeing a married woman—"

"Who has been trying to find that scoundrel of a husband so she can divorce him!" he interrupted and instantly, she could hear rage inside of his voice erupt. She knew how sensitive this topic was for him, that he had done everything in his power to find Annabel's husband and sort everything out, but to no avail.

"That wretch knows that I will break every bone in his body for leaving her destitute and without a penny to her name, while he ran off with that other woman he found!"

"I know, I know," she assured him, trying to calm him down. "I'm just letting you know what transpired. And he… he told me that he would keep your secret."

"He would?" Reginald didn't sound convinced, and she knew why. She purposely allowed him a moment to come to his senses as she delivered the final blow.

"Yes, under one condition… if I married him."

"That scoundrel said what?" Reginald exclaimed angrily, his fingers curling into fists. Catherine realized that it was fortunate that the duke had left, because Reginald was ready to fight him right then and there, even challenge him to a duel. The very thought frightened her to death. It was one thing to lose her reputation, even her freedom, but it was something completely different to lose her brother. It was a blow she believed she would never get over.

"Calm down, Reggie," she said, but her brother barely heard her. He was lost in his own world, swimming in the sea of troubles he himself had created. However, she knew better than to tell him that.

"I can't calm down! This is intolerable! I won't stand by and let that duke manipulate us like pawns in his game! I should challenge him to a duel to defend our honor!"

"No, no, absolutely not!" she exclaimed back, pressing her hand on his shoulder. With that simple, tender gesture, she became a beacon of calm in the midst of her brother's storm. He was already in enough trouble as it was. The last thing they needed was a duel that could end tragically. She shuddered at the thought. "I understand your anger, Reginald, but escalating the situation won't help. A duel won't solve anything. It might only make things even worse."

"I must defend your honor, our family's honor!"

"And then what?" she shouted back at him fervently. "What if you die? Do you want to risk leaving Annabel without her love, Rosie without a father, me without a brother? Is our honor truly worth all that?"

His eyes were ablaze with frustration as he replied. "But Cate… we're at his mercy… and it's all my fault." He shook his head, turning away from her. "I'm so sorry, I never wanted this to happen…"

"I know you didn't," she assured him, forcing him to turn around again and look at her. "And I won't let anything happen to you, Annabel or Rosie, if I can help it. The duke is… I don't have any words for him. We may not have control over his actions, but we can control our own."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She smiled reassuringly. "I will marry him to protect us all, our family name, but mostly, to protect your family and keep you all together until you can figure it all out."

"But then we're doing exactly what he wants us to do. I mean, what he wants you to do," he said helplessly.

She could only imagine how he must have been feeling at that moment, a man unable to protect his family. Her heart was breaking for him, for both of them. However, she knew that if she could do something about it, she could not sit down and cry over her fate. She had to act bravely, even if it was at the expense of her own happiness. At least, she would ensure her brother's. She would take care of him, just like he had taken care of her all their lives.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we're powerless," she reminded him. "I still don't know how, but we'll find a way to weather this storm and emerge with our dignity intact. I promise you that."

She knew him well enough to know that he was still seething with indignation, but she could also see the calming influence she had on him. He was beginning to see things from her point of view and eventually, he would agree. After all, that was the only way out of this predicament.

"I can't stand the thought of you being forced into this, Cate. If I only I could find that wretch of a man and set things right. It's not right for you to suffer because of my mistakes."

"No, Annabel and Rosie are not mistakes," she shook her head.

"You know what I meant," he smiled, grateful for her comment.

"I know," she nodded, returning the smile. "I also know what it would mean for you, for Annabel, and for Rosie to have this secret leak into the very center of the ton. No, we have to protect them from the brunt of the public scorn."

"You are so selfless, Cate," Reginald spoke with his voice on the verge of breaking. She knew that he was fighting his own self by accepting the state of affairs as it was.

"We'll face this together, Reggie. You and I have weathered storms before, and we will endure this one as well. But we must be strategic in our battles, not driven by anger."

"You're right," he nodded with a powerless sigh. "I just feel like you are sacrificing your happiness for my sake. I don't deserve that."

"This is my decision, Reggie. You have always been the one to keep us both safe and protected. Now, it is my turn." She spoke those words, and she meant every single one of them. Although she could immediately feel their weight. She knew exactly what they meant. She feared those consequences, but she knew that the alternative was even worse.

She soothed herself with the fact that she would not be the first, nor the last lady who would enter into a marriage of convenience. Well, convenience or blackmail, sometimes the difference was blurry. She would set the rules early on. They would live their lives separately, connected only by their family name and nothing else.

But do you really want to live away from him? She hated how that little voice always knew which questions to ask. Her mind flooded with the heat of the moment when they kissed and shamefully, she knew that she would not mind if it were to be repeated. She hastily banished the thought, focusing on what a horrible man the duke was, not how handsome or how charming he could sometimes be. Those thoughts were dangerous.

Silently, Reginald wrapped his arms around his sister, pulling her into an embrace. Cate smiled, closing her eyes. That was a rare, precious moment that allowed her to forget the predicament they were in. They remained like that for a long time, with neither of them willing to let go. The weight of their decisions still hung in the air around them as they grappled with the complexities of duty, sacrifice, and the bonds that held their family together.

The impending union with the Duke of Fairhaven loomed as a choice that went beyond personal desires. Catherine knew that she would never marry that man under any circumstances.

But perhaps it wouldn't all be that dark. She could lead a life separate from him. It was not the married life she had envisioned for herself, but at least her brother would be happy with his own family in a life they had created for themselves. Actually, a life they were allowed to create for themselves, because it was society who deemed an actress a woman not fit to wed.

When Reginald finally relinquished her from his embrace, she could see two stray tears rolling down his cheek.

"It will be alright," she said, wiping them away gently with trembling fingers. She loved her brother dearly, more than anyone in the entire world, and seeing him so vulnerable assured her that she would sacrifice herself for him as many times as it was necessary. "I know why I am doing this."

"For me," he said, his voice on the verge of breaking.

"I love you so much," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"I love you, too, Cate," he whispered back, and that was all he could say, before he slumped down onto the ground, burying his face in his hands.

Catherine came down onto her knees, wrapping her arms once again around her brother. They didn't speak. They didn't move. His sobbing stopped shortly after, but not even then did they speak. Life as they knew was ending, and they were mourning the loss of everything they had known.

***

Dominic began the preparations as soon as the following day. A meticulous attention to every detail underscored his every command. The whole atmosphere in his estate hummed with the anticipation of an event that would reshape his destiny. All would be well. The conditions of the will would be met, and he would be stripped off of nothing.

He thought about the will for a moment. When his father died, Dominic was only ten. When he found out about that clause as an adult, it came as a surprise. However, there was also a clause that explained it. His father wanted to assure that Dominic would not make the same mistake he did.

Namely, his father was an old man when he had him, when he finally decided to settle down and marry a woman much younger than him. That meant that death came for him swiftly, leaving Dominic without a father at a tender age. So, in a way, that restrictive clause was done out of love. A strange expression of love, but love, nonetheless.

Still, it confined Dominic, determining his life and finally, the deadline had caught up to him. The truth was that he probably wouldn't have married even now, unless the will had forced him to. Perhaps his father was right… in a way.

As for the heir, which was the second part of the will, he still had time for that. Namely, the first three years of his marriage had to be fruitful and result with at least a single heir. Fortunately, his father did not have a preference for any gender. Dominic grinned, thinking how fun it would be to work on that part of the will with Catherine. But all good things to those who wait…

He focused on the present moment. Although there was still enough time, he wanted Catherine's chamber to be the first one ready for her arrival. He summoned the maids with a sense of purpose and a plan set in his mind. He lined them up all next to one another, starting with his monologue.

"I want this room to be spotless," he instructed them, gesturing about. "Prepared with the utmost care. I want it to be a sanctuary of beauty and comfort. Curtains, flowers, vanity table, carpets, everything a woman might desire."

The maids were already attuned to his expectations, and they nodded, immediately setting about their tasks with diligence. He returned to the chamber several hours later, expecting the rich fabrics which now cascaded from the windows, casting the room in a soft, ethereal glow. Vases were placed on small tables, ready for bouquets of fresh flowers to be placed when the time came. He nodded in a satisfied manner.

"I want new gowns in the wardrobes," he continued, pointing at the furniture. "Perfumes, anything she might wish for. I want her to feel cherished and attended to. Leave no detail overlooked."

The maids nodded all at the same time. Within days, there would be gowns of exquisite fabrics and curated selection of rare perfumes. Each choice would reflect the elegance and sophistication befitting the bride of a duke. And if she herself wanted to bring anything of her own, she would be more than welcome to. After all, this was to become her new home. He wanted her to feel comfortable and welcome.

A part of him didn't understand why he was going to such lengths, when there were certainly other ladies of the ton who would be more than happy to accept his proposal of marriage and who would not need to be blackmailed into it.

They also wouldn't need any of these preparations. They would simply be ecstatic to be there, to be asked to be his wife. But none of them were Catherine. There was something about her that wouldn't let him be. He couldn't remember the last time a lady had mesmerized him so, if ever. And he knew that if he were to marry, then it had to be her and no one else.

Still, he wanted to make her transition into this new chapter of life as seamless as possible, seeing it already wasn't going according to the generally accepted plan. No matter, he would tell himself. There would be plenty of time to win her over.

It might have been a wedding born out of necessity, but she would want for nothing. He wanted her to step into their union with a sense of grace and beauty, a feeling that although she might not be where she wanted to be, she would still be taken care of. That much he could provide for her. As for the rest, she would need to allow him to do that first.