Chapter 3

"This has turned out to be quite a lovely evening after all." Rose turned to him and grinned.

She was surprised at how comfortable she was, just sitting in silence with the Duke of Dorrison after he confided in her.

I knew the monstrous stories were exaggerated, she thought, a little smugly.

She swayed a bit, realizing that she was a little foxed. Whatever Lady Wakely had given her had been strong, and she'd taken quite a few gulps before seeing Winston heading for her, a determined look on his face. Without thinking, she'd tottered away, stumbling out of the room, and heading straight for the garden. She'd thought to hide out in the dark for a while, just until Winston was tired of looking for her.

Finding the duke had been an unexpected, though not unwelcome, surprise. He was very different from what she expected but in a very pleasant way. She felt sad for him. The ton had deeply misunderstood him.

He turned to face her, his face serious. "I suppose it has. It's been a long time since I spoke with a lady." His eyes raked her frame from head to toe. "I suspect you are not a run-of-the-mill debutante."

She sat a bit straighter as he looked at her, sucking in her belly for reasons she didn't want to think about. "Oh, I am no debutante. I am one and twenty and have been at this for quite some time."

His eyes creased as he gave her a skeptical smile, his blue eyes shining in the dark. "I find it difficult to believe you've never caught anyone's eye."

She shrugged elaborately, giving him a sidelong glance. "Truth be told, I did not want to leave my father, and he was in no hurry to let me go either."

"And you did not find anyone who piqued your interest?" His voice was low and amused.

She blushed, looking away. "Perhaps."

"But what of starting a family?" he asked curiously.

She turned to meet his gaze, her cheeks still heated. "I can do that any time."

His eyebrow rose incredulously, "You are not many years away from being on the shelf." His gaze flicked down to her cleavage and up again. "As lovely as you are…"

That made her giggle, her feet shuffling shyly. "Am I? Well then, I suppose I might have to settle for being a spinster."

He leaned towards her. "You don't seem too cut up about it. In my opinion that would be a sad waste of…" his eyes flicked down again "…your womanhood."

Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire. "I am not…cut up about it. I shall be all right I think, and in a happy twist, Winston will have kittens." She felt a surge of vindictive pleasure at the thought of thwarting her cousin.

"You say he is the new Marquess which means he has the power to have you out on the street. Are you ready for that?" The intensity of his gaze made her feel as if he could see into her soul.

"M-my father made sure I had my own income, and my dowry is substantial. It includes a large property over in Brighton by the sea. If all else fails, I suppose I can retreat there and live out my days," she explained a bit breathlessly.

The duke blinked at her as if he could hardly believe her words. Rose couldn't blame him. She knew how rare it was for a young woman to hold property. If it were not for the fact that Winston did not know of it, Rose was quite sure he would have tried to sell it by now.

"You are very brave for such a willowy thing. Have you no fear of living alone?" His tone was solemn, but there was a thread of amusement beneath.

Rose pouted. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No, no," he said while chuckling. "I wish you well in your endeavors."

"You are laughing at me!" Rose accused loudly, getting up from her seat, so she could reach his rock-hard chest and slap it.

He caught onto her wrist, holding her hand away from him. As his fingers closed around her wrist, a jolt surged through her, making her gasp. The unexpected thrill of his touch sent a warm shiver down her spine, and despite herself, she couldn't help but be drawn to the intoxicating sensation.

He chortled, snapping her out of the haze his touch had put her in. "No, no, forgive me," he said amid chuckles. "It's just…I have never been so…entertained in my life."

"Well then your life must be very bor—" she began to say.

"Rose!" a voice said from the shadows, and then Winston came into view.

Oh no. Not him.

The duke abruptly let go of her wrist and moved a step back. Rose's skin tingled where his fingers had been, craving the warmth of his touch. She felt a pang of disappointment at the sudden loss, as if a connection had been abruptly severed.

"What are you doing…cavorting with this…gentleman?" Winston demanded loudly and with disgust. "Have you no shame?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "I am sure I don't know what you mean by that, but you better be very careful with what you say."

"I am saying, why are you sitting here alone in the dark, unsupervised, with this rakehell of a gentleman? Do you not know any better, or are you looking to be disgraced?"

She leapt to her feet. "How dare you!"

"How dare I?" he spat back, "I am not the one, sitting in the dark, indulging in indiscretions with a disreputable duke!" He wheeled around to face an already standing John, "I demand that you offer for my cousin right away!"

The duke sneered, "Or what?"

"Or I shall ruin your already soiled reputation so no one will want to marry your sister!"

The duke growled. "Don't you dare bring my sister into this."

Rose jumped back in surprise, suddenly understanding why people were afraid of him.

"Is something the matter?" Two more people came around the corner, holding up the lamp they had in order to see better. Rose stared at them in horror while Winston exclaimed in triumph.

"This man!" he shouted, pointing at the duke, "has compromised my cousin, and now, he refuses to marry her. He is dishonorable."

Suddenly there was a crowd of people, all peering curiously at the three of them. The duke made an angry sound, and Rose shuffled further away from him. He really was quite terrifying when enraged.

She took a breath to say something, but her cousin shushed her. "You do not get to speak now. How could you let this man defile you in public?"

"I haven't been defiled. Don't be st-stupid," she stammered in anger.

Winston's eyes widened in triumph. "Oh, look! She's ape drunk, and he took advantage of that."

Rose wanted to hit him. He was making things worse with every word, and she could hear the duke breathing like the bellows behind her. Clearly, his rage was growing.

"Get out!" he shouted. "All of you! This ball is over. Leave!"

More and more people were approaching, wanting to know what the kerfuffle was all about. The more people arrived, the angrier the duke got. He picked up a cane that Rose had not previously noticed and began to herd everyone out. He even smacked Winston on his heel in his urge to get him out.

"You've not heard the last of me!" Winston shouted, shaking his fist.

Rose ran to the carriage, just wanting to be as far away from them all as possible. Those who had no idea what had happened were rapidly being brought up to date by those who did. Rose was certain that by morning, the story would have grown into its own beast.

She laughed quietly to herself. How ironic, speaking of beasts at this time.

It was her curiosity as to why Dorrison was called the Beastly Duke that got her into this quagmire. Winston jumped into the carriage with a huff, crossing his arms and legs in anger.

He scoffed, his face red. "Could you have selected a worse candidate for marriage?" he asked.

"Selected? Me?" she asked incredulously. "You're the one who?—"

"I don't think so," he interrupted her then answering himself, "but the duke will marry you. He is said to be very wealthy, and you certainly have no competition."

"Oh, hoorah." Sarcasm dripped from her words as she crossed her arms sulkily, giving him a contemptuous look.

He smirked, paying her no attention. "Maybe you didn't make such a terrible choice. He will have no option but to marry you. I shall make sure of it."

Portia came over from across the room, where she'd been getting rid of the help, to sit next to him. "What happened, John?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I was extremely stupid, Portia. I was reckless."

"Mm. I find it difficult to believe that you defiled that woman."

"I didn't!" He glared balefully at her.

"Of course, you didn't," she replied calmly. "So, what happened?"

"She found me there, just sitting and minding my own business. I don't think she was completely sober. She sat next to me and started to talk to me. I thought she was entertaining. I should have brought her straight back to the ballroom, but I didn't want to speak with anyone."

She sighed. "So now you've bought yourself a wife."

He flicked a sharp glance towards her. "I have not!" he snapped. "She told me that her cousin was trying to marry her off. I won't be his pawn."

She blinked a few times. "Have you thought that perhaps they were in league with each other?"

John tensed, his jaw clenching with immediate denial. "I do not think she would."

"Why not?"

"Because she seemed to hate him quite a bit."

"And so, she built a rapport with you over it. Very clever."

"And you are very cynical."

She smiled. "I have followed you around the world, just watching you and others as you interact. I might have learned a thing or two."

"The wrong things apparently. Don't go speaking to your future husband like that."

Laughter trilled from her like melodic bells. John had to smile the way he did every time his sister laughed. It was not often.

"What future husband, John? After the furor that you created, who will come near me?"

John winced, feeling quite pained. "I am sorry. I did not mean for that to happen."

"I know you didn't. But fate, once again, has conspired against you," she said dramatically.

John rolled his eyes.

"But jokes aside, John, you need to consider marrying this woman, both for her sake and yours. If she truly did not manipulate things — and thinking it over, I doubt she'd set herself up to be labeled as a loose woman — then she will be ostracized, and you know how awful that can be."

John sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want a wife."

"Yes, I know you don't. I even understand why you don't. But as I said…"

"Fate has conspired against me," John finished for her woefully.

"Indeed."

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together with a sigh.

"Besides, I am quite sure the cousin will not let it go," Portia said.

He shook his head slowly. "I suppose I must call upon them in the morning and make an offer." He leaned back. "Do you know, I do not even know her name…I do know her cousin is called Winston and only because she cursed his name. Repeatedly."

Portia chortled. "You spoke with her for how long? And you did not introduce yourselves?"

John shrugged. "It never came up…wait." He sat up. "Her cousin, he said her name when he came upon us. What was it he said?" His brow furrowed as he tried to remember.

"Well, I expect it shall be in all the morning papers, one way or another. Don't worry about it too much."

He groaned loudly.

She got up, "In any case, it's time for us to leave. We may have outstayed our welcome at Anmer Hall."

"I am sure the duke will be very understanding, especially since he is in the West Indies."

"It's not him I am worried about, but the dowager. I am sure she'll not be amused that her beloved former residence has been dragged into the latest ton scandal."

John laughed as he rose to his feet. "I have a feeling she'll be thrilled. If Barnaby's mother is fond of anything, it is keeping up with the on dits. I am sure she'll be able to dine out on this for the next year."

Portia came up to him, slipping her arm into his. "Are you all right, John?" she asked in a more serious tone.

He nodded as they made their way to the carriage. "I am. I expect we'll find our way through this." Suddenly, he stopped with a gasp. "Rose! Her name was Rose."

Portia gave him a bemused look. "Well, good for you for remembering. Now if only you had a second name, we might actually know how to find her."

"Rose and Winston, those are two names. And her father recently died, conferring his title on Winston. That's enough information. I am sure Nasonby can find them through the servant network by tomorrow."

"Let's hope so," Portia said.