Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Philip had many regrets about his life, but not noticing the fire sooner was not at the top of the list.

In truth, his biggest regret for years had been the way that he had spoken to a young lady at a ball. He could hardly believe it himself, as it was not unheard of for men, especially those of his standing, to assume the worst in a girl and speak to them accordingly, but it was the case. He had been unkind to her at best, and once he had returned home, he realized just what he had done.

She had been trying to help him, he was sure of it. He had never seen her since that night, meaning it was impossible to help the situation beyond making a few inquiries about a young lady with wild black hair and kind eyes. It was no surprise to him that there were, in actuality, many young ladies in London with those two features, not that they would have been anything like her.

“You are pacing, Creighton,” Lucien Landerfield, the Viscount Montague, said in a low voice as Philip caught himself and came to a stop.

“It would appear so, yes.”

“Surely you are not still concerned about this?”

“Which part of this should I not be concerned about? Lady Jacqueline and her family are to arrive quite soon, and I have no idea where to start.”

“One typically starts with preparations, and yourself and your mother had that matter handled days ago. Now comes the easier part.”

“There is nothing at all in this that is easy.”

“Of course there is. You are a duke. Charm them.”

Philip could not be as certain as his friend was, no matter how hard he tried. Lucien had always been the same; confident and bright and daring, and Philip wondered at times if he would ever be able to catch up with him once again.

“I certainly caught Lord Pemberton at the worst time,” he replied instead.

“Or the best, if I may. After all, it has benefitted him greatly that you were there. You need not pity him.”

It was true, in part. Philip had been at White’s one evening, only to be faced with a miserable older gentleman who was almost in tears. It was a sorry sight to see, and Philip had not seen a man in such a state ever since he had looked at his scars for the second time.

The first time, strangely, had not been too terrible. He had thought it temporary, and the marks at least matched the physical pain he was in, but the second time? The pain was gone, yet he was still disfigured. It made no sense, and it was most unfair as far as he was concerned.

Regardless, in a moment of weakness he saw himself in the gentleman and dared to ask him about his condition. He was masked, and had his hair not labeled him as the Duke of Creighton, he might have appeared to be a threat, but the gentleman seemed at ease around him.

His name was Lord Pemberton, and he was in financial straits. He had lost his wife a few years prior, and was at an utter loss in her absence. Incapable of handling matters himself, it had all been left to his eldest to handle, and his youngest daughter had been unable to marry the gentleman she loved more than anything in the world.

One daughter could not marry for he could not afford the dowry, and the other could not because she had the world on her shoulders, even if she was a good woman and would have made the perfect wife otherwise. Philip thought back to when he was set to be a good husband only to be prevented through no fault of his own. He saw one similarity too many between himself and the two young ladies, and it had been his downfall.

“That is what happens when one enters a gambling hall, I suppose,” he mumbled to himself.

“What was that?” Lucien asked.

“Well, only bad things can come from gambling. It is why I never do it myself. I mean, look what happened the one time I did enter one.”

“Yes, you finally found a way to make things right to that girl you were awful to all those years ago.”

Philip glared at him. It was fitting that Lord Pemberton’s eldest daughter just so happened to be the young lady he had been cruel to, and convenient in a way, because he had never been able to find her himself, even knowing her name from giving acquaintances a description of her. It was as though she had vanished from society altogether. He could not, in good faith, seek out her father for fear that a marriage would be arranged before he could finish a sentence.

He chuckled. Such a fate had befallen him regardless.

“Come now, Philip,” Lucien sighed. “You must admit that you have been fortunate here. You have been thinking about marriage for a long time, even after everything that happened with Lady Ophelia. You are a man who needs love at heart, and this is precisely what you needed. A man so desperate to find a match for his daughter that he will not ask questions. An easy affair.”

“I would hardly call it easy,” Philip argued. “After all, I might have been thinking about the prospect of marriage, but I cannot in good faith marry someone who cannot stand the sight of me. Not only that, but I cannot bear the thought of having a wife with whom I have nothing in common.”

“You could well have an heir in common with her soon enough.”

“That is not enough for a good marriage, and you know it. It is a convenient marriage in that I require an heir, to be sure, but I nevertheless want a good relationship with my wife.”

“And she is a good woman, so I am sure you will find a way to make that happen. She certainly made an impression on you all that time ago, and based on what her father has said of her she is a lot like you. It would appear that the two of you shall be a good match.”

“In any case,” Philip said quickly. “I am not going to discuss marrying the poor girl. When I wrote to Lord Pemberton, I requested to court her. Nothing more.”

“Courting her with the intention to marry her,” Lucien corrected. “And any young lady that hears those words knows the meaning behind them. She is more than likely excited by the prospect. From the daughter of a poor and miserable gambling earl to a duchess. Why, she is likely dragging her family here as we speak!”

“I doubt that she is dragging her family here to stay for a few months with the prospect of marrying a man that was unkind to her in their one interaction.”

“My God, Philip, can you see things for how they are for a moment rather than how you believe them to be? You are a duke, she is from a family in need of money. It is convenient for both of you, so act like it is.”

“If it is any use to you,” Philip’s mother said suddenly, entering the room. “I made a few inquiries of my own, and I can indeed confirm that Lady Jacqueline is wonderful. Not much is known about her, given that she became something of a recluse after the death of her mother.

What is known is that she gave up her place in society so that her younger sister can continue her role in society. It is an honorable thing to do, especially given the success she was having during her time out.”

“See?” Lucien said pointedly. “She is lovely. All will be well, and I will be here with you throughout this to ensure that all goes according to plan.”

“The plan being that I marry her?”

“Precisely!”

Philip sighed. There was no escaping Lucien’s confidence at times, especially when he was in tandem with his mother. They seemed to make a most formidable team when necessary, and Philip had to admit that if there were ever a time where they had to pounce on him to make him do what was needed, this was it. He was unsure of how to be around the young lady, even though he knew exactly how he would act.

He knew what would happen, too. It would be the same as it always was; he would wear a mask around her, she would find him mysterious and interesting and assure him time and again that he could take the mask off around her, only for her to shriek and then abandon him when he finally did so.

He had been there before, and in spite of the good he had heard about her there was no doubt in his mind that she would not be too different from the other girls of London Society.

“Will you be all right entertaining them at first?” He asked his mother, who nodded gently.

“Of course, but you know that you must show yourself eventually.”

“I plan to, do not worry about that, but I first want to ensure that they are comfortable here. There is no need to alarm them as they settle in.”

“You know, Son, it is not as bad as you believe it to be.”

“You have to say that. You are my mother.”

“I do not say it out of obligation,” she promised. “But if it will make you happier to avoid the festivities for a while, then I shall allow you to do so.”

“I do not know if it will make me happier, necessarily, but it is what I must do. I will keep an eye on the young lady and see her countenance for myself, and then when—if—I am ready, I shall come and join you all.

“Very well,” his mother nodded. “If that is what you want. I will not, however, have Lucien masquerade as you in order to find out more about her. There shall be no schemes.”

Philip could not help but laugh, as the thought had crossed his mind once or twice, though he never considered taking it any further. After all, she had seen him before, masked or not, and she was undoubtedly expecting a man that hid himself thanks to his scars. It was no secret in the ton , and that came with good and bad things for him.

“What if she hates me, Mother?” He asked when Lucien had left the room.

“She will not. One cannot hate a good man like yourself. It is not something that happens.”

“Lady Ophelia certainly does.”

“I do not think that she hates you. I simply think that she… well, she has always had a dream to fulfill, and when you no longer fit into that you had to go. I shall never forgive her for what she did, but you cannot deny that it is a good thing that that it happened when it did, rather than years into your marriage.”

Philip agreed with her, but it did not make him feel any more confident about meeting Lady Jacqueline. What if history repeated itself, after all?

“If Lady Jacqueline hated you,” his mother continued. “She would not be coming here to enter into a courtship with you, would she? We ladies may be told to follow our father’s instruction, but if we are pushed to do something we truly do not wish to do, then we have ways of escaping.”

Philip sighed, seating himself on a sofa. There had to be some truth in his mother’s words, and so he tried to believe in them.

After all, Lady Jacqueline knew precisely why she was coming.