Chapter 24

On the back steps of Gregory's house, Andrew drew in another deep, icy breath of the crisp evening air and tried to calm himself.

Seeing Marian with Andrew had been almost more than he had been able to stand — and watching her walk away with the man had been even harder.

"The way he spoke to her, Gregory," he said angrily, turning to his friend. "To see her be treated like that! Why, it made me want to?—"

"Yes, yes, I could see what it made you want to do, Rottdwell," observed Gregory in a calm voice. "That's why I brought you out here. You know he will just have you thrown out if you try anything of the sort, and what use will you be to Marian then?"

Gregory was right, of course, Andrew knew that.

"I must be calm," he said thoughtfully. "I must be everything he is not and let her understand that she must make this decision for herself — whether it is to be him or me or neither of us. Whatever she decides, she must not feel she is being forced into it by a man."

"Oh, there you are," said a female voice before Gregory could reply. "I have been looking for you everywhere."

It was Charlotte, looking most annoyed to be forced out into the cold to find them.

"You must go back inside at once, Your Grace," she said firmly. "Why you did not just put an end to this charade when you had the chance, I will never know."

"Because Marian did not seem to want me to," explained Andrew, his tone anguished. "She allowed that… that man… to take her away from me. I could have stopped him, but I will not intervene if she does not want me to."

"But of course, she wants you to," said Charlotte, exasperated. "The only reason she did not say so is because she is fearful of what will happen to her father if Andrew thinks she will not marry him."

"Her father?" Andrew frowned, confused. "What has her father to do with this? Other than in that he made the monumental mistake of allowing the betrothal to go ahead in the first place."

"Why, because Robert will kill him if Marian does not obey him," explained Charlotte, her eyes wide. "I thought you knew this? He has directly threatened him. I saw it with my own eyes."

"No," said Andrew, his mind reeling from this unexpected piece of information. "No, I did not know. But this… why, this changes everything."

When she said she had no choice in the matter, she did not simply mean that her father and Sinclair had arranged it all between themselves; she meant that she was being threatened. Or rather, her father was.

Now it all made sense — from Marian's odd behavior in the ballroom, to the proprietorial way in which Robert had steered her away.

He had threatened to kill her father. And now he would live to regret it.

"I must go to her," he said abruptly, turning to go back into the house.

Back inside, Marian was being steered around the dance floor by a smug looking Robert. A small crowd had assembled to watch the new couple, and Andrew spotted what he assumed must be Marian's father standing among them with an anxious expression on his face.

Wasting no time at all, he strode out onto the floor, walking right up to Robert and Marian, who whirled around in surprise. Andrew was sure he saw a look of relief briefly flit across her face, and it gave him all the encouragement he needed to turn to Robert.

"I'd like to cut in if I may," Andrew said confidently, reaching for Marian's hand.

There was a rustle of surprise and interest from the onlookers as Robert glared back at the Duke, an icy expression on his face.

"Why, certainly not," he said sharply. "I am dancing with my fiancé in case you haven't noticed."

"Oh, believe me, I've noticed," replied Andrew dangerously. "And I think you should allow the lady to decide for herself who she wishes to dance with."

Robert opened his mouth to protest, just as Marian spoke up.

"Please, let us not make a scene in front of your guests, Robert," she said calmly. "I am quite happy to dance with the Duke."

Robert glared at them both, his eyes flitting from Marian and Andrew to the people around them, who seemed to be waiting with bated breath to see what would happen next. Despite the bravado with which he had declared his intention to throw the Duke out of the house, Andrew had judged him to be the kind of man who cared deeply about the impression he made upon his guests — and as Robert reluctantly stepped away, he realized he had judged correctly.

"I'm relieved he stepped aside," he admitted to Marian as he took her in his arms and continued the dance. "I must confess, I do not know what I'd have done had he refused."

"You had no plan?" Marian asked, looking up at him, wide-eyed.

Andrew's arms tightened around her, enjoying the closeness.

She is so beautiful. No matter what happens, I will not leave this house tonight knowing I have not done everything in my power to make her mine.

"None whatsoever," he said, grinning. "I thought only of you and getting you out of the clutches of that dolt of a man."

Now that he was dancing with her, Andrew found he no longer cared that everyone was watching them curiously, the ladies gossiping behind their fans. Even if all they did was dance together, Andrew knew perfectly well that this moment would be the talk of the Ton, probably for many weeks to come.

Well, let them talk. And, if all goes well, they may soon have far more to gossip about than a simple dance.

"I am absolutely serious, Marian," said Andrew. "I cannot stand seeing you with him. It is like a form of torture for me. And I cannot believe it is not so for you. Not after everything that has happened between us since we met. You cannot love him."

Marian looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"I hate him," she said fiercely. "Oh, how I hate him, Andrew — I cannot even tell you how much. But he… he…"

"You do not need to say it, my love," Andrew assured gently. "I know that he has threatened your father. Your friend, Charlotte, told me."

"Then you know the position I find myself in," Marian said sadly. "What am I to do, Andrew? I cannot bear the thought of having to spend even one more moment in his company, let alone marry him. But I cannot bear the thought of anything happening to Papa, either. Tell me what I must do, Andrew? How am I to escape him without my father having to pay the price?"

"You need not worry about that," declared Andrew firmly. "I will not allow anything to happen to your father — or to you. I will do everything in my power to help you."

He felt her relax slightly in his arms at this.

"But Marian," he went on, "you must understand that I do not make this promise out of mere friendship or a desire to simply do the right thing. I do it because I love you."

Marian stopped dancing, her dark eyelashes fluttering as she looked up at him.

"Do you?" she asked softly. "Do you really?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Andrew replied, resuming their dance before the onlookers could start to question why they had stopped so suddenly. "Why else would I have come here tonight?"

He looked down at her, fighting the impulse to cup her face in his hands and kiss her.

"Marian," he said seriously, "I want you to understand that I will help you and your father regardless of what you say next. My help is guaranteed. But I must know: do you… could you ever feel the same?"

She stopped again, her eyes blazing.

"Of course, I feel the same, Andrew," she said passionately. "Of course, I love you. And I always will, no matter what happens. Why, I could find myself betrothed to a thousand men, but it would be you I would think of, and you I would love. It has been you almost since we met, and it is you I wish I was celebrating my engagement with tonight, rather than him."

"Then that settles it," said Andrew, swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat at her words. Releasing her from his grip, he took a step back then dropped suddenly to one knee, a small velvet box held in one hand.

"Marian," he said, loudly enough for everyone in the ballroom to hear. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Marian was certain that the music must still be playing, but it seemed to her not only that it had stopped but that the entire room had frozen, everyone waiting for her response. Before she could give it, however, there was a roar of fury, and suddenly, Robert was striding towards them, his face red with anger and he gripped Andrew by the collar of his suit as if to throw him bodily from the room.

"How dare you?" he shouted. "How dare you approach my fiancé such? Why, I knew I should have had you removed as soon as you dared show your face here. I knew your presence could only mean trouble."

"Trouble for you, perhaps," said Andrew, swatting him away as easily as if he were a fly. "But not so for Marian — whose answer I am still eager to hear."

Robert roared again and rushed at the Duke, but as the crowd around them gasped in surprise and excitement, eager to witness the strange turn the evening had now taken, there was a surprising interruption in the shape of Marian's father, who stepped between the two men, forcing Robert to stop in his tracks.

"I must confess, I would rather like to know Marian's answer myself," said Edward, turning to his daughter on rather unsteady legs. "Forgive me, Marian," he said, ignoring everyone around them, "I have not been fair to you. I've been so wrapped up in my own troubles that I fear I have not been thinking clearly. Not for a long time. I saw your marriage to Robert as a way out for us both, but the more I see of you together, the more I start to feel like I have simply laid a trap for you — or been complicit in it at the very least. And I will not do that anymore."

"Papa," Marian cried, her eyes filling with tears as she started towards him. Edward held up a hand to stop her.

"You must marry the man you love, Marian," he said simply. "I will not have my beloved daughter suffer for my foolishness. Your mother would never forgive me for it. So, you will marry who you wish to marry, and if I end up in the workhouse, then so be it."

"Foolish man," snarled Robert before Marian could respond. "You will end up somewhere far worse than the workhouse, unless you take back everything you have just said."

"Is that so?"

Andrew stepped forward, squaring up to Robert. A small gasp of horrified excitement rippled through the room at the sight of him. Marian's hands trembled as she watched him, fear for her father mixing with relief and pride that he had finally stood up for her.

And now, Andrew will stand up for him.

Andrew did not speak; he did not have to. His stature was enough to make Robert shrink back a little. After a moment, however, he gathered his courage and looked around at the crowd, his eyes wild.

"Do you see this man?" Robert cried, pointing to Andrew. "This is the Duke of Rottdwell, and we all know what he is, do we not? A murderer! A man without morals! And now he has the nerve to stand her and ask my betrothed to desert me and marry him instead!"

There was another murmur of excitement from the crowd as all eyes turned to the Duke, waiting for his response.

"If that is what you believe, then you would do well to stay out of my way, Lord Sinclair," he said calmly, his expression inscrutable. "I would not wish to have to do you the same harm you have threatened Lady Marian's father with."

Robert turned pale as Andrew went on.

"I am correct, am I not?" he asked, raising one eyebrow lazily. "You did threaten to kill Baron Sullivan if his daughter refused to allow this sham of an engagement to go ahead, did you not?"

"This is preposterous," spluttered Robert. "I would never do such a thing — and you cannot prove that I did. If you do not leave immediately, I will send for the constables. I will —"

"But the Duke can prove that you said it," came a clear voice from the crowd. Everyone turned as Charlotte pushed her way to the front, her chin raised defiantly as she came to stand in front of Robert. "I was there," she said bravely. "I heard you say it with my own ears. Do you wish to call me a liar?"

The mood of the onlookers had started to turn. Shock at the appearance of the Duke of Rottdwell had started to give way to suspicion of their host.

"Is this true, Robert?" asked the Earl of St. Clair, stepping forward. "Does this lady speak the truth? Have you really threatened my friend?"

Robert flushed angrily.

"Of course not, Father," he replied. "How can you even ask such a thing?"

"If you don't mind," interjected Andrew, sounding bored. "I have asked Marian a question. I would rather like to hear her answer."

The room stilled at once as everyone in it looked towards Marian, who was standing on the edge of the group, clutching her father's hand as if her life depended on it.

"What do you say, Marian?" asked Andrew, dropping to his knee once more. "Can you bear to have me, do you think? Or would you rather honor your engagement to this man?"

The people standing around them seemed to hold their breath, but Marian did not hesitate.

"I choose you, Andrew," she said immediately, dropping her father's hand and going to him. "I would choose you above anyone. And yes, I will marry you. Of course I will marry you."

As she reached him, Andrew closed the space between them and leaned down to kiss her. There was a small sigh from the ladies in the crowd, and then, all of a sudden, the room was in uproar.

Suddenly, with a furious roar, Robert darted forward, his fist raised as if to strike Marian. Before anyone knew what had happened, however, Andrew spun around, his own fist making swift contact with the other man's face and sending him flying across the room to the land in a heap in the corner.

Ladies screamed, and gentlemen yelled as the crowd sprung into motion, everyone struggling to see what was going on. In the midst of all of this, however, Andrew and Marian stood facing each other as if they were the only two people in the room — or perhaps the world.

"This ring belonged to my mother," Andrew murmured, producing the ring box once more and opening it for her. "I had never thought I would have cause to use it, but I can think of no one in the world I would rather see wear it."

Marian's heart leapt with joy, even in the midst of such turmoil, as she looked down at the diamond ring, sparkling on its bed of black velvet.

"It's beautiful, Andrew," she said, tears running down her face as he lifted it from the box. "Truly, it is."

"Will you really wear it, my love?" he asked tenderly, sliding it on to her finger. "Will you really be my wife? And not because you wish to escape Sinclair but because you want to?"

"There is absolutely nothing I want more," Marian assured him, hardly able to believe what was happening as she looked at the ring, shining on her finger. "But… my father…?"

She looked across the room to where her father was standing at the edge of the crowd that had gathered around Robert, looking rather pale.

"Your father will be safe, I promise you," Andrew told her. "He can come to live with us. There is more than enough room. And Robert will not dare to go near him now that everyone knows his true character. I have had my turn at being ostracized by society; now, he can have his."

"The difference is that Robert actually deserves it," muttered Marian, looking through the crowd of people to where Robert lay groaning dramatically on the floor.

"Congratulations, my dear," her father said, coming over to the couple when he saw them watching him. "I may not know the Duke, but from what I have seen of him so far, I must say I believe you have made the right choice."

"My apologies, Sir," said Andrew, shaking the Baron's hand. "I would have preferred to have at least been introduced to you before asking your daughter for her hand. As you can see, however, matters were taken quite out of my hands."

"It matters not," said Edward. "Marian has always made up her own mind; I should have trusted her to do so in this, too. I should not have listened to Robert, my dear," he added, turning to his daughter. "When he came to see me, I was… I fear I was not quite myself."

"I understand, Papa," reassured Marian gently, knowing exactly what he meant. "I understand."

"I will do my best to change," Edward said, his eyes damp once more. "I mean to try my hardest to be the father you deserve."

"And we will both be there to support you every step of the way," declared Andrew, smiling down at Marian, who beamed up at him, feeling as if she might burst with happiness.

To think that just a few hours ago I was sitting in my room at home feeling as if my life were over, and now… I feel as if it is just about to begin!

"I did not know it was possible to feel so happy," she said, stepping between her father and fiancé and linking arms with them both.

"Me neither," replied Andrew. "But I think there's just one more thing we must do to make our happiness complete."

"What's that?" asked Marian, confused.

"We must leave this infernal place," said Andrew, "And we must never come back."

And that was exactly what they did.