Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

“ I suppose the Duke needs no introduction at this point,” Kathrin breathed, her crystal eyes wide and trained on the now-empty spot where the explosion had just occurred. “Remarkable. I’ve had my fill of drama, now, and can retire to my bed.”

Marina smiled, amused by her friend but too distracted to formulate a response. The party resumed around them though the dancing now seemed less lively an activity than the chatter surrounding it. It struck Marina that the young duke was not only pleasing to the eye, but that he had a certain quality of passion to him which she found attractive. Could someone so deeply caring truly be all that the scandal sheets had made him out to be? After all, they were often wrong about her and her family. Who was this man, the Duke of Peterborough, anyway?

All of the rakes she had ever met were careless with their affection and laughter, and yet Phillip Hayward appeared to have never heard of a smile. She watched him accept a drink but not put it to his lips and engage in conversation but not utter a single chortle nor adopt even the smallest of smiles.

“Marina, a word.” The gruff voice came from her father, Richard Linfield, who had abruptly appeared before them. He turned to Kathrin and nodded his head in a manner of greeting. “Miss Harrington.”

Kathrin curtsy silently, but her eyes remained trained on her friend. They exchanged a look, confirming that neither of them was particularly thrilled by the Earl of Carlisle’s sudden appearance or tone of voice.

“Of course,” Marina answered politely. Turning to Kathrin, “I’ll find you later?” The other girl nodded, and Marina followed her father to a quieter place where they could speak.

“What is it, Father? Has something happened to Olivia? I’ve watched her all night, and she’s not missed a single dance. It appears her dance card has been filled. I believe I saw her turning down a gentleman earlier who asked her, and twice now, she has?—”

“It’s not about Olivia,” he interjected. “She is indeed having a wonderful night, and if your hunch were not correct and her dance card were not full, we would be leaving now to get a full night’s rest. I have come to tell you that I have arranged an important meeting for tomorrow.”

Marina’s jaw clenched, and her stomach tightened. The determination in her father’s face could only mean one thing, and she hoped very much that she was wrong about what it was. “What sort of meeting?”

Richard Linfield’s face did not change, worrying his eldest daughter further. “There is a decent man who has agreed to a union.”

The color drained from Marina’s face, and as her eyes glazed over, her father continued, pressingly, hoping to convince her that she would be happy until at last she had enough.

“Is the gentleman not four and twenty years my elder?” she asked, keeping her voice measured and her face pleasant. “Perhaps he would prefer a match more suitable. I thought we agreed, considering my age, that I am most beneficial at home tending to my siblings.”

“This will be beneficial for your sisters. It has become increasingly apparent that Olivia will have a much better chance at finding a suitor this season if you are also seen as a desirable match, and I have made that happen.” He smiled, now, proud of his good doing, but he did not seem to see the heartache written all over Marina’s features. It was only when she had been silent for too long that he dropped the smile.

“It comes as no surprise that you have wanted to protect us all since dear Mama departed, but I must admit this comes as a great shock,” Marina breathed. “I…I must go. I need some air.”

Marina tore away from her father before he had a chance to form a rebuttal and made her way past the dancers, the crowds, and into the empty gardens. They had been lit up for the occasion, but the night was no longer young, and the guests were all inside. The tepid summer air hit her like a cool blast, a marked difference from the balmy temperatures indoors where guests were stacked together and moving about with joy. At last, safe in her solitude, Marina allowed herself to close her eyes. The tears came regardless of her will, and she began to take deep breaths in an effort to stay calm.

How could her father have done this to her? They had engaged in this conversation time and time again—Marina felt it was her duty to stay with the Linfield household and ensure her siblings’ proper upbringing. They would need a female chaperone if they were to find decent marriages, and someone with a motherly touch to help guide them through the darker moments of life.

She was startled from her reverie by a sound to the right of her. She moved to investigate but became terrified when, from out of a bush, a grasshopper flew directly toward her. Before she could think to control herself, she let out a horrified scream, a chill running down her spine. Ever since she was a babe, Marina had not been fond of insects, but she was especially averse to grasshoppers.

It was then that she heard footsteps rapidly approaching. Instinctively, she followed the sound to safety and found herself cowering behind the tall form of a perfect stranger.

A stranger who smelled of high-quality tobacco and clove. The warmth of his presence and scent enveloped her, helping to bring stillness to her nerves almost immediately though if she’d been truly in her right mind she would have realized the indecency of her own behavior.

“What’s happened? Has someone hurt you? Where did he run to?” Marina opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by the man’s sudden chuckle. She felt him reach around and turned to look just in time to see him usher the grasshopper back into its hiding place and out of her sight. “I see. No need to worry. I can assure you that I have everything under control. The grasshoppers will not be swarming you tonight.”

Marina looked up, and her gaze met the round, kind green eyes she had seen what felt like just minutes ago, aflame with a complex mixture of compassion and offense. They stared back at her, and for several seconds, the pair of them were unable to move, each mesmerized by the other.

It was she who recovered first.

“Your Grace,” she breathed, stepping back abruptly and bowing her head, “I cannot utter an apology profusely enough for this indecency. I was scared by the grasshopper, and I was not clear of mind. Please forgive me.”

“There has hardly been any impropriety,” Phillip said gently, bending his own head until she caught his eyes again and looked up. “No one is here to see us. It is late. Everyone is dancing or drunk.”

Marina paused though Phillip could tell from the look in her eye that she was still concerned. She felt compelled to stay and speak with him though she was not sure from where her intrigue originated. Was she not just this morning speaking of his dastardly past? He looked at her with gentle eyes and a soft expression very much unlike the one she saw when he’d addressed his uncle.

Just who was this man of many temperaments?

“I will admit that I heard you crying before your scream and was coming to investigate. Is all well with you, My Lady?”

“There is nothing of concern, Your Grace. I was merely overwhelmed by the grandeur of the ball and stepped outside to get some air.”

Marina had opened her mouth to say something else when the sound of footsteps and lively chatter hit her ears. Someone was approaching, and it sparked in her a panic not unlike the one the grasshopper had caused.

“I must take my leave now. Enjoy the rest of your night!” Her sentences came out in a rush, and she took off in a running gait with skirts hiked up in her hands before she was done speaking. Phillip had never before seen a lady act as such, but he thought perhaps he found it endearing.

He wanted to be able to find her again, and called after her, “But what is your name?”

Alas, his inquiry came too late, and she had gone before she could hear him. One corner of his mouth lifted in a pleasant smile. Who was this mystery girl, and how could he see her again?

The morning after the ball, Marina Linfield was feeling restless.

Her night was all but sleepless, tossing and turning in her bed. Not only had she received the horrible news of her impending engagement, but she’d nearly brought herself to her own ruination in her carelessness outside in the garden. It had occurred to her that she was fortunate that the Duke had not asked her name. If he had, she was sure that he would have thought she was a poor reflection of her entire family. A negative remark from him would have soiled both of her sisters’ chances at marriage. She shuddered to think of it.

Worse, she was glued to her seat in the drawing room next to her dear father awaiting her ill fate. Her dreams had been of a miserable, lonely existence away from her family and in the home of a man who could not possibly know her. She had thought better of protesting this morning though she deeply wished to convince her father that she was better off alone. After all, who would care for him when he grew old and frail? But even in her own mind, the argument seemed weak.

Tensions were high when, at last, a doorman brought in a tray with a guest’s card. Her father received it, glanced at it, then glanced at it again, his back straightening suddenly. His eyes flickered toward Marina then to the doorman.

“Well, let him in,” he insisted, shooing the servant away.

Marina searched her father’s face, further chagrined by his behavior. Was the man she was to marry so powerful that it warranted such haste and fuss, or was he truly so desperate to see her wed that he felt the need to act as a man below his station?

The Earl rose from his seat to stand closer to the entrance of the room. Marina heard heavy footsteps, bracing herself for the conversation that was about to come. Her heart raced, but she reminded herself that there was nothing left to do but to accept the decision which had been made on her behalf.

A crop of inky black hair and a flash of green eyes appeared in the doorway. She concealed her gasp with her gloved hand.