18. A Strategic

A STRATEGIC UNION

THE LONDON ENQUIRER: MAYFAIR WHISPERS AND WICKED TRUTHS

G ood people of London, brace yourselves for a match as scandalous as it is sudden! The engagement of Lady Melanie Rutherford to the notorious Duke of Malum has set tongues wagging across Mayfair. On the surface, it may seem like a strategic union, but closer inspection suggests a very different story.

Sources reveal that the engagement was hastily arranged after Lady Melanie was discovered in a compromising position with the duke in the Earl and Countess of Fallbridge’s library. Hardly the romantic tale one might expect! But it seems the Rutherfords will go to great lengths to salvage their daughter’s reputation—even if it means marrying her to a man whose reputation is even murkier than her own.

A reputable nursemaid, Mrs. Flora Green, claiming to have been contracted by the Wellington Household Placement Agency, has come forth to reveal that the duke recently welcomed a child into his home—born to one of his courtesans, no doubt. Is it any wonder that someone as uninspired as Lady Melanie is the perfect choice for such a peculiar arrangement? After all, the duke doesn’t appear to need a wife so much as a mother figure for his illegitimate son.

And what of the Rutherford family? By accepting such a match, one must wonder how far they are willing to go to secure their place in Society. After all, if they are willing to wed their daughter to the owner of a brothel, of all things, one might suspect they could be capable of more sinister deeds. Was the fire that paved the way for Lord Standish’s title merely a twist of fate? Or is there something darker lurking in the ashes?

This engagement is far from a fairy tale—it is a spectacle, a desperate move on both sides that raises more questions than answers. Is Lady Melanie going to become England’s next duchess, or is she merely a pawn in a game of scandal and power?

Stay tuned, dear readers. To be certain, there is more to come!