Chapter 14

"Oh, the duke is coming." Daphne's father smiled.

"You should invite him to play on our team, Daphne," her mother suggested, even though she knew it was most definitely a command. "He looks really smart on his feet so he would be able to help us win."

She tried not to redden, but since the night he had shown her what passion could look like, she had found it hard to be around him and tamp down her desire. She wondered how she was going to be around him without giving them both away.

"He might have other plans, Mother," she tried to dissuade them, "I do not want to be a bother."

"Plans that exclude you? I hope not," her father stated. "In my day when a man was courting a woman, he would not be parted from her. Not for one minute."

They laughed at the thought of that.

"Is that how Papa wooed you, Mother?" Amelia asked, and seeing her mother blush, they all chuckled.

"Quiet, all of you." She scolded. "Do you want the duke to think of us as improper?"

"I already know what he thinks of us," Amelia snorted.

"Amelia!"

"Sorry, Mother."

"This day was supposed to be just for family," Daphne tried again.

"And if he marries you, he will be family," her father stated.

She wondered whose side he was on since he had been a staunch supporter of her marrying Percy since she was old enough to speak.

"And you, Father. I thought you wanted me to marry Percy?" she asked. "Have your loyalties changed so quickly?"

He huffed and looked away from her, muttering under his breath. She swore she heard him say something along the lines of petulant child, but she might have been imagining it.

Could violent sports really be what drew men together? she wondered.

Ever since Victor had taught her father, two days prior, to shoot while riding at high speed, he had begun singing his praises. They had even taken to sharing stories and drinks after dinner, and it had warmed her heart seeing him well integrated with her family.

"Good day everyone," the duke greeted her parents. "You look beautiful, Daphne."

His comment brought proud smiles to her parents' faces and giggling to her sister and cousin. She reddened and thanked him for the compliment.

"Your Grace, we were wondering if you would play a game of bocce on our team," her father said, forgetting her mother had asked her to. Or not even caring.

Since he had saved Lord Pascal and then taught his father to shoot while riding a horse at a speed that had her mother swooning, her father had deemed him perfect.

"I will be a very good partner for you," he had said, grinning with pride.

She shook her head when he met her eyes with an excited twinkle.

"Your Grace, it will interest you to know that our opponents are the Fart-tons," Melanie supplied, mocking Percy's name as he had.

"Is that so?" he asked grinning wolfishly. "Then you can count me in."

Daphne shot Melanie a glare and picked up her mallet.

"What?" the wretched girl asked, feigning innocence. "I need a bit of entertainment."

"At my expense?"

"I love you, but yes." Melanie laughed. "It is not every day I get to see grown men fighting over a lady."

"You are horrible."

"I know, but do not pretend you are not excited to see how this plays out."

It would be a complete lie if she denied it.

Percy and his family arrived, and he bounded toward her with a big smile which died when he spied the duke.

"Your Grace," Percy greeted him politely even though his eyes flashed with anger.

"Fart-ton." Victor accepted his greeting with a nod.

A vein ticked in Percy's forehead.

"Behave," Daphne scolded, squeezing the duke's arm.

"I look forward to beating you today," Percy spat. "Maybe then she will know who the better man is."

"She has always known who the better man is," Victor replied, kissing her hand. "You have just been too stubborn to accept it."

Percy glared and walked away from them to his family's side of the lawn.

"That was not very nice of you," she scolded Victor again.

"He was not being nice either," he pouted, earning a laugh from her. Of all the silly expressions he'd had on his face, that was by far the silliest.

"I know but you baited him."

"I am trying to help him understand that you are mine."

Daphne warmed at his words but remembered that they were not real. He was just really good at playing his role.

The game went as expected with the two men battling it out so forcefully they attracted an even larger crowd who stared and pointed at her.

"They think this rivalry between them is my fault." Daphne complained. "That I flaunt my charms to both men to set the two of them each other."

"It isn't, but the ton believe what they want to believe," Amelia said glaring so hard at the crowd staring at her, they turned away uncomfortably. "You just have to learn to ignore it. Although I must admit it is rather exciting to be fought over."

She watched Victor call out a taunt to Percy which made him lose another point and he laughed when the man launched at him.

"Oh, Percy you must not behave so." Lady Suffork scolded her son.

"You are abominable," Daphne scolded the duke when he strolled up to her, ecstatic about his win both ways.

"I never claimed to be otherwise, darling." He smiled brightly. "We stole the game from you lovely ladies. What can we do to make up for it?"

"A picnic," Melanie suggested.

"Charades," Amelia added.

"You two can play. I need to rest." Daphne told them.

"Come on! You don't want to spend time with us anymore." Melanie complained.

"That is not true," she gasped.

"Go, darling," Victor smiled. "I will see you at dinner."

She nodded but as she passed him, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"You look positively ravishing right now," he whispered. "Who are you trying to impress?"

She sent him a lopsided grin and was on her way to the library, adding extra sway to her hips.

She was starting to quickly get used to this feeling of being desired.

She was passing by the small drawing room, book in hand, when she heard her name. She turned back to see Victor's mother. The Dowager Duchess of Kensington was having tea in the room.

"Lady Daphne," she called. "Or Daphne? Do you mind me calling you by your name?"

"I do not mind at all, Your Grace," she answered with a smile, sliding into one of the sofas. "How are you today?"

"I am as well as can be," the woman answered. "That's an interesting book you are reading. I have read it a number of times myself."

"Really?"

"Indeed," she smiled. "Reading is one of my favorite past times these days."

"It is a good hobby to have," Daphne agreed.

"I must say, I am happy with my son's choice." The woman smiled warmly at her. "You are one of the loveliest girls I have ever met."

Daphne blushed at the praise. It warmed her heart to know that Victor's mother liked her even though they were not exactly a couple.

"I thank you for the compliment." She remembered her manners. "And I must pay you the sane compliment. Victor is a wonderful man. You did a beautiful job raising him."

The woman smiled and turned back to her book. Thinking the conversation over, she opened hers.

"I didn't exactly raise my son," the dowager duchess said suddenly into the silence. "My son was raised majorly by staff who took pity on him because his parents failed to do their part."

"Oh, that's not, I did not mean…" her voice trailed off as the dowager continued.

"I spent most of Victor's childhood caught up in my own sadness because of his father."

"What happened with his father?" Daphne asked.

She felt she was betraying his privacy by asking his mother, but she was getting tired of the mystery surrounding him.

The woman sighed and had a forlorn look on her face.

"Let's just say the late duke wasn't very kind to me. I worry he may have inspired a fear in Victor that makes him worry he will turn out the same."

Oh.

The woman read her expression and smiled.

"You worry for him?" she asked.

"I do. He cannot punish himself like that anymore," she admitted, unsure how the dowager would react to her words.

"Yes. My son is dutiful in that way. I can only guess because that is what I thought until I saw the way he was with you. I can finally say my son looks happy, so I must thank you."

Daphne smiled softly and looked away as guilt consumed her. How could she tell this woman that she and her son would not be marrying?

"I cannot really take all the credit for his happiness, Your Grace," she started. "Victor is…resilient, and brave, and smart, and he is surrounded by friends here. There are many things contributing to his happiness."

The dowager smiled as if she knew a secret, but said nothing.

"I will leave you to get ready for dinner," the woman told her. "You can find me later if you want to know more stories about the duke's childhood. I have some embarrassing ones I am certain you would like to know."

"It was a pleasure talking with you, Your Grace," she told the woman, rising from her seat.

"Likewise." She smiled. "I look forward to you taking me up on my offer."

"I look forward to it too."

She watched the woman walk away before returning to her chambers.

* * *

"So what did the dowager duchess want?" Amelia asked as they tightened the stays on her dress.

Daphne had chosen a dark red gown tonight. She wasn't accustomed to wearing such a bright color, but she hoped Victor would be unable to take his eyes off her. And hopefully his hands too, by the end of the night.

If her family had noticed her bolder choice of wardrobe as she walked down the castle halls, they said nothing. Still, when she caught her mother's eye, she would wink at Daphne.

"She wanted to talk about her son," she whispered to Amelia. "She has promised childhood stories. I am quite excited."

"I wonder if the duke ran around naked as a baby."

"Wouldn't that have been a funny sight?"

They laughed and separated, each going their way having pre-dinner plans.

She was in a light mood as she strolled down the corridor when a hand suddenly shot out of a room and pulled her in.

She wanted to scream but a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Relax, Daphne. It's me."

She calmed a little when she saw it was Percy.

"Percy? What are you doing?" she asked, trying to step out of the room but he blocked her path. "We cannot be here."

"If I were the duke, you wouldn't mind so much," he spat.

"What do you mean by that?" She glared at him. "Do not insult me, Percy."

"I am calling it as I see it."

As Daphne took a good look at him, she noticed his eyes were red-rimmed. He swayed where he stood. His cravat was skewed and his shirt rumpled. She wondered what had possessed him to behave so uncouthly. He was a far cry from the man she had known him to be before the proposal.

"What do you want?" she asked.

The faster she answered him, the sooner she could get away from him.

"I want you to admit that you are not really courting him."

Daphne folded her arms across her chest.

"What good would that do you?" she asked as anger brimmed inside her.

"I would just know that the girl I have called my friend for the past twenty years isn't a fool!"

She flinched back at his tone.

"What has gotten into you, Percy?" she asked, surprised at this dark side to him. "You have become this bitter creature. Are you drunk? I hope you have not taken to drinking."

"You are what is wrong with me, Daphne."

"Me?" she asked, taken aback. "What did I do to you?"

"You turned down my offer of marriage and threw yourself into the arms of that reprobate, not even a day after! Is it because he is a duke? Is that it? Is my station not high enough for you?"

"Do not insult me, Percy," she spat. "I will bear many a thing for the sake of our friendship but do not insult my integrity."

"What am I to think when I see him all over you, not merely a day after you turn me down?"

"I have found a man I like who…"

"Do not even say it."

"Who wants to marry me."

"He is a rake, Daphne. A whoremonger. Do you know what he does to girls like you?"

"Before you judge him for having a past, you should look at yourself in the mirror. Or have you forgotten the position I found you in some time ago?"

"Why must you always bring that up?" he asked angrily.

"I bring it up because you are the pot calling the kettle black." She spat. "Both of you have the same love for women, but while he is honest about it, you see yourself as a saint and judge him."

He frowned darkly at her.

"You are defending him now?"

"Yes, I am."

"You have known me your whole life. And you pick the side of a man you barely know?"

"Why are we having this conversation?"

"Do not worry, Daphne," he spat. "After he has used and discarded you, I will be here."

"You are being horribly unkind."

He stalked closer to her grabbing her by the waist. She tried to struggle out of his hold.

"Let me go, Percy," she cried out.

"Do you think he intends to marry you?" he spat. "He will treat you as he treats all other women. He will take, and take, and take all he wants from you. And when he is done, he will leave you like a toy he does not want to play with anymore."

"You do not know him."

"And you do?" he asked with a mocking laugh.

"I know him well enough."

"Then I guess you know he has sworn off marriage, right?"

"I know that."

"But do you know why?"

She tried to school her expression, but it was too late. He had already seen it.

"He has not told you, has he?" He laughed. "He has not told you what happened with his father."

"I… I don't need him to."

"You barely know anything about him, except what is common knowledge." Percy went on. Do you even know where he spent the last four years?"

Daphne frowned as she realized she did not know any of these things. Then again, there was no need for her to, considering they were not truly courting. That didn't mean his pointing them out didn't sting.

"You are probably only interesting to him for now, because, unlike the other girls, you will not throw yourself at him. Be careful Daphne, because once he has a taste of you, he will end whatever it is you think you two have."

"Why are you being so spiteful?" she cried, feeling a tear run down her cheeks.

"Because I am your friend, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"But you have hurt me even more than he ever could."

Percy's expression darkened.

"If you really believe that, then there's no hope for you."

He leaned forward till his face was so close to hers she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"You are mine, Daphne," he growled. "You were mine first and you will be mine forever."

He stormed out of the room, leaving her alone and in tears.