Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

EVERYONE HAS SECRETS

" S he's leaving," Charlotte murmured to Dominic indicating Lady Andrea's retreating figure.

"Then we should follow her," Dominic answered, his lips barely moving.

Charlotte's heart thundered so loudly, she was surprised that no one else could hear it. She did her best to keep her face neutral — she did not think she could manage to appear cheerful or excited in that moment.

How does she know? And why did she not reveal our secret to anyone? She found herself frowning as she and Dominic carefully picked their way through the crowd, towards the door. She was aware of a few people looking curiously at her and tried to smile as she pointed to her head and mouthed ‘headache'.

Dominic held the door open for her, and she slipped through. Lady Andrea was waiting in the hall for them, a mixture of satisfaction and grim determination on her face. Charlotte felt a stab of fury run through her chest, mingling with the panic.

"Shall we find somewhere a little more private?" Lady Andrea asked.

"That would be prudent," Charlotte replied, grateful for the steadiness of her voice. "Did you have somewhere in mind?"

"I believe my rooms would be sufficient for such a discussion," Dominic said, gesturing to the stair way. "If you would follow me."

As they walked, Charlotte tried to think of something to say, of some way they might turn the situation around, but the more she thought on it, the bleaker the whole thing seemed.

"It's just here." Dominic indicated the door to his rooms and held it open for the two women. "After you."

Charlotte moved into the room, taking in the relatively sparse decoration. She noticed only one suitcase in the room, and there was no sign of a maid.

Dominic joined her, and she saw his eyes narrow as Lady Andrea shut the door behind her. There was a beat of silence in which the three of them surveyed each other.

"What exactly do you want with us?" Charlotte asked into the deafening silence. "And what did you mean by that charade?"

"I think you both know," Lady Andrea replied silkily.

"I should like to hear you say it aloud for any avoidance of doubt," Charlotte said, careful not to admit anything as she tried to keep her voice neutral. There may be a chance we can salvage this yet.

Even as she thought the words, she held little hope of doing so.

"You are not who you claim to be," Lady Andrea said, breaking the silence. "You are not a happily betrothed couple; you have been lying to everyone. You are not engaged."

"You are mistake —" Dominic began but Lady Andrea cut him off and said, "Do not think to lie to me, Duke. I know the truth, and I know that you are not engaged. That you have never been engaged."

"That is a bold claim to make, especially without any proof." Charlotte said coolly even as her heart skipped several beats. I feel like I am going to be sick.

"I have proof, Lady Charlotte." Lady Andrea went to her bedside cabinet and pulled out several sheets of paper.

Charlotte's eyes narrowed as she saw what the other woman was holding in her hands: several sheets of paper. With a start, she realised that some of them had her own writing on them though most were covered in Dominic's untidy scrawl.

"Are those?" Charlotte began, taking a step towards Lady Andrea but Dominic cut her off.

"How did you come by those?" Dominic demanded, his voice full of anger. "I threw them out! What kind of woman goes through the rubbish?"

"You should have burned them, dear Duke." Lady Andrea shrugged. "It is hardly like they were particularly deep in the rubbish."

A look of understanding and anger flashed across Dominic's face. "That day when you told me Charlotte was looking for me. You lied to me. You just wanted to get me out of the room and ensure that I was distracted."

"I did," Lady Andrea admitted. Charlotte saw that there was no embarrassment on her face.

"You were the one who let my letter ‘slip'.." Dominic clenched his fists. "Why?"

Now Lady Andrea did look embarrassed. "That was an accident. I was reading it when one of you cousins came across me, and they took it before I could do anything about it. Be thankful that I had already hidden the others."

"You could have asked for it back," Dominic insisted though Charlotte thought it was a mulish statement.

"Hardly, it was not my letter. It would have raised far too many questions." Lady Andrea gave him a scathing look. "Besides, I did not want them to find the drafts. You really should have been more careful with destroying them."

"I would have been if you had not sent me on some wild goose chase," Dominic replied hotly. "Why would I have expected someone to read through those drafts?"

It took Charlotte a moment to understand to what letter they were referring, and then it hit her. The events had driven the entire thing almost completely from her mind. Absently she touched where she had stowed it, taking in the anger on Dominic's face. How many drafts did he write? Why did he write it?

"None at all, but you should have expected people to poke around in your affairs. I mean, it is clear you did, given the other letters you left to be found," Lady Andrea pointed out. "Surely you should be grateful! After all, sharing that letter only furthered the lie you have been telling."

"You had no right to do that." Dominic took a step towards Lady Andrea, his face thunderous.

To her credit, Lady Andrea did not back down. "I hardly think you are in any position to tell me what I can and cannot do. You do not hold the moral high ground."

"But why were you rootling through the rubbish in the first place?" Charlotte asked, sensing that they were in dangerous waters and having no desire to add to the situation.

"I had my suspicions about the two of you and the story you were telling. I wanted to see if I was correct," Lady Andrea said looking from Dominic to Charlotte.

"What suspicions?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow. I thought we had been careful — even my stepmother believed us.

"Well, something about some of the things you have said did not make sense. Of course, a courtship conducted by letters explained some of it but not everything." Lady Andrea began to tick things off on her fingers. "Everyone knows the Duke is a notorious rake, and to turn up at this event with a hitherto unknown fiancée was somewhat outlandish to begin with.

"Then of course, we have the fact that you had apparently not danced much if at all. Rather unusual, even with your long-distance courtship. Additionally, one has to wonder why you would keep such a courtship a secret, even if it was long distance. Especially if it was long distance, surely you would want people to know you were promised to one another." Lady Andrea shook her head. "Your story did not make sense to me, and though you two seem rather more comfortable in each other's company now, you did not when we first arrived."

"So you went rifling through our rubbish? A rather desperate act, do you not think?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow at her, hoping that she sounded disdainful rather than fearful. I should have dealt with them myself; if you want something done properly, do it yourself.

"Perhaps. But I would say it has paid off. After all, the letters helped me convince your maid that I was in on the entire plot, and she told me everything." Lady Andrea grinned. "For what it is worth, she refused until I showed her them — so I would not punish her for her indiscretion."

Dominic swore under his breath, and Charlotte clenched her fist. Her chest constricted, and she felt as though all air had been sucked from the room.

"If you know everything, then why have you not told everyone already? Why the charade?" Dominic's voice sounded far away, and Charlotte forced herself to focus on it.

"Yes, why have you stayed your hand? You have made it quite clear you wish to win these games. Surely, revealing our secret would be in your best interest." Charlotte frowned at Lady Andrea.

"I may be ruthless, but I am not heartless, despite what some people claim." Lady Andrea's face contorted, and Charlotte caught a glimmer of pain across her face. "You have both been nothing but kind and decent to me, and while I may not always understand your actions, I have no wish to cause either of you harm. But I cannot allow you to continue in this competition."

"Why not?" Charlotte asked, feeling genuine curiosity as she surveyed the woman. What is she hiding?

"Because I need to win. And you two have been my closest competitors." Another flash of pain and determination crossed Lady Andrea's face.

Charlotte shook her head, unable to see what would force someone to such extreme actions. "But why, why do you need to win so badly?"

"It is the only choice I have if I wish to remain unwed and free." Lady Andrea scowled.

Charlotte's chest constricted as Lady Andrea's eyes met her own. She could see the same powerlessness and frustration that she herself had felt many times.

"Come now, surely marriage would not be the worst fate to befall you?" Dominic frowned.

Charlotte sighed and turned to face him at the same time as Lady Andrea did. She gave him the frank look that she reserved for her sisters whenever they said something utterly ridiculous or na?ve.

He coloured slightly and took a step back, raising his hands in the air in a sign of surrender. "What? I was only saying that marriage is hardly the worst thing in the world."

"It is easy enough for a man to have such sentiments. After all, you have far more choice in the matter, and your freedom remains largely intact after you are wed." Lady Andrea waived a dismissive hand.

"Not entirely," Dominic pointed out. "An unhappy wife can ruin a man's life. Why, I know several men who have had their wives make their lives a living hell!"

"That is as may be, but it does not mean that men lose their freedom in the same way that women do. Men do not become their wife's property, not in law anyway." Charlotte clenched her jaw. "You are free to act as you will, and you are far less at the mercy of your wife's whims than she is at the mercy of her husbands."

"But surely, if you have a decent husband that is of no concern?" Dominic insisted.

"If you have a decent husband, yes. But what guarantee does anyone have of such a thing?" Lady Andrea chewed on her bottom lip.

"Well, one would hope you would find a good match while courting." Dominic rubbed his arms, looking self-conscious.

"That is assuming you want a match at all. And even if you do want a match, that is assuming that you have seen the truth of the man in your courtship. It is far too easy to be caught up in pretty words and prettier lies." Charlotte gave Dominic a look, hoping it would remind him of her own tale of betrayal by a rake.

He winced and nodded, and Charlotte knew he had understood her unspoken words. "I take your point."

Lady Andrea looked between them and continued, "Even if I did want to be married — which I do not — it would be an entirely different matter if I had found my own match rather than be forced to marry someone of my father's choosing."

"Your father has found you a match then?" Charlotte's head whipped towards the other woman. "Do you know who?"

"He wishes to marry me to Viscount Periwinkle." Lady Andrea's nose wrinkled in distaste. "A man old enough to be my father, who seems to think that a woman's eyes are located in her chest."

Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. She knew of the man's reputation, and she could not imagine anything worse than being married to him.

Dominic's eyes were wide as he exclaimed, "Surely not! The man is utterly dishonourable and has a violent temper. I would not give him a dog, let alone a daughter."

"That is the man my father has chosen. He does not particularly care for the temperament, more the business opportunity our marriage would present." Lady Andrea sighed. "Our estate is not what it once was, and he feels I am nothing but a financial burden to him."

"That is why you need to win. The fortune would give you the freedom to live as you choose." Charlotte put the pieces together in her head.

She thought of her sisters, of her own future and her chance at freedom. She understood Lady Andrea's desperation, understood it to her bones. She glanced at Dominic, who looked as wretched as she felt.

"Indeed. My father agreed that he would not force me to marry if I could win the games." Lady Andrea shrugged. "I would give him a portion of the winnings, and then we would go our separate ways."

There was a beat of silence, and Lady Andrea added, "This is not personal, you must understand that. I bear neither of you any ill will. I am simply trying to do what I must to keep myself safe. You have my offer: withdraw from the competition, and I will keep your secret. Remain, and I will ruin you both."

Lady Andrea inclined her head towards Dominic and Charlotte and swept from the room without another word. Charlotte looked after the woman, an odd numbness spreading through her.

"What do we do now?" Charlotte asked Dominic.

"I do not know." Dominic replied, and Charlotte felt as though the world around her had shattered.