Chapter 3

CHAPTER3

Jane had never felt more uneasy than at that moment, under the scrutinizing eyes of the Duke. Once, she would have relished being the object of his gaze. Once, but that was such a long time ago that it felt as if it belonged to a completely different life. Now, all she felt for him was disdain. Well… disdain and something else. But those emotions would emerge solely in the privacy of her own bedroom, during those sleepless nights when all she could do was stare at the ceiling and think of him and what could have been.

“Please, follow me to the dining room,” the Duke exclaimed cordially, spreading his arms wide in the direction where they were all supposed to go.

Jane sought her mother’s gaze for support. The countess returned her gaze lovingly and reassuringly. We are in control here, Jane tried to remind herself. We came because we chose to come not because he forced us to. Thinking in such a manner made her feel as if she managed to regain at least some semblance of control over the situation although it was her father who should be in charge of it all.

Yet, he wasn’t. That much was clear. From the moment he squeezed her father’s hand and kissed both hers and her mother’s, the Duke had asserted himself as the alpha animal in this make-shift pack. He did everything according to the rules of the ton. He complimented the ladies, inquired about the gentleman’s health, and welcomed them cordially into his home. Jane could not fault him regarding his hospitality.

What she could fault him for was the fact that he kept his eyes mostly on her, and she distractingly noticed that he was as handsome as that first time she laid eyes on him. He walked first alongside his mother, a lady whose beauty was only matched by her mistrustful stare, leading them towards the dining room where everyone was seated at a table, already lavishly set up. The lady of the house followed the old adage that a fine table should be covered but not crowded, and that was exactly how it was.

All the dishes for all the courses were already laid out with the first of them being artichoke soup—not one of Jane’s favorites, but the sight of Mackerel with fennel and mint made her heart leap with joy. The second course was roasted meat alongside sweet and savory pies and tarts. There were several different kinds of vegetables, dipped richly in butter sauce. Jane could not remember the last time they had butter. She frowned at the thought that the Duke brought all this out solely for the purpose of showing off his wealth. Finally, she noticed the dessert, beautifully exhibited in a stylish pyramid shape, made entirely of fruits and marzipan. By the side of each plate, there was an already full glass, containing a drink lathered with spiced, sweet ginger which Jane absolutely adored.

Once everyone else was seated, the Duke was the only one who remained standing with his glass in his hand. He was smiling. Jane tried not to focus on how even his teeth were or how those small dimples made his face even more handsome. It was hard to focus on how much she loathed him with all this splendor about and him looking so breathtaking.

“First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming,” he started.

Jane did her best to resist frowning at this self-important speech which surely served no other purpose than to accentuate the financial difference between the two families. She already regretted coming here, but now that she did, she had to endure the entirety of the evening… unless her father decided otherwise.

Hope rekindled in her mind. Perhaps the Duke would say something wrong, and knowing her father’s hot temper, he would surely raise the whole house to its feet before storming out. She would gladly follow in that case.

“Secondly…” he started then paused for a moment, taking his time to look at every single one of his guests straight in the eyes. Only then did he continue. “I know that the relations between our family and yours have been somewhat… strained.”

Strained? That’s an understatement of the century.

Jane rolled her eyes, but the moment she did so, she felt her mother’s elbow on her lower arm urging her to behave. Jane cleared her throat, straightened her back and continued listening to something she was not the least bit interested in hearing.

“My father passed away last year, and I feel that it is a time for a new start. A fresh start,” he announced, much to everyone’s confusion. “My Lord,” he continued addressing Jane’s father, “you have the only brewery whose success at one point matched the success of my father’s own brewery.”

At this point, Jane was certain that her father would say something, but there was not a sound from him. All he did was listen cautiously as if anticipating that the point of this entire evening would soon be revealed. And… it was.

“I consider myself quite good at business dealings,” the Duke said, to which Jane almost rolled her eyes again, but she managed to resist the urge to do so, fearing another elbowing at the side of her mother. Quite deserved, she had to admit. “All of this brings me to my next point which is this—I would be willing to pay off your brewery’s entire debt, provided we merge our businesses and become partners.”

Partners? The notion was ludicrous. An absolute dissolution of reason.

At this point, Jane was certain that her father’s would laugh in the Duke’s face at least. Or simply storm out angrily, insulted that the Duke had the nerve to make such an offer. Then, much to her surprise, she noticed that her father was silent. His cheeks were no redder than usual which meant that he was not particularly outraged at this proposal.

Jane swallowed heavily. Suddenly, a frightening thought hatched inside her mind. He could not be considering the offer, could he? She quickly shook her head to herself. No. Absolutely not. Her father would never accept charity from the son of the worst enemy he had ever known and also, from his own daughter’s enemy. But the more seconds passed, the more she was certain that he indeed was considering it. Then, he spoke, dashing her hopes against the treacherous shores of reality.

“How am I to know that this is not some sort of a trick to gain access to my brewery and make it all your own?” the Earl demanded.

Jane turned pale at the question. She knew that they had absolutely no means of paying off their debt. They were so deep in it that it would take years and selling everything they owned just so they could pay off two thirds of it. The final third would have been left outstanding, remaining to be paid for… somehow, someway, someday.

“Ah, yes,” the Duke suddenly smiled, and that smile made Jane’s blood turn cold. “I had a feeling you would ask that, and I have the solution to this predicament.” He turned his gaze to Jane with that slick smile and devilishly handsome dimples which she was still endeavoring to banish both from her mind and her memory. “To prove that I am utterly serious about this and completely transparent, I shall marry your daughter.”

At first, Jane believed she did not hear him right. Marry her? That couldn’t be. Her father would never allow such travesty to happen. His daughter could not marry the son of his worst enemy, and whether the man was dead or alive was irrelevant. Yet, she could see that he was not refusing it straightforward. He was thinking. He was considering it!

Then, as if to fortify this offer, the Duke added nonchalantly as if it did not matter one bit, “Without a dowry. That way, I will prove to you that my intention is to unite our two families again and forget all about the feud that separated you and my father.”

Jane was horrified. She felt the entire room spinning about, and if she were not seated, she was certain that she would fall down unconscious right onto the floor. She gasped silently as if gasping for air, but that talon of fear and horror kept gripping at her throat, making it increasingly more difficult to breathe.

“Marry you?” the Earl finally responded, much to Jane’s relief. “I would never give my daughter to the son of my worst enemy,” he growled angrily, having regained his senses which Jane thanked him silently for.

“You make it sound as if I am some sort of a barbarian who would treat your daughter like an animal,” the Duke replied, and Jane wanted to express her displeasure with this right then and there, but she held her composure, sending glaring stares in his direction. Only, he did not see them. He was focused on her father this time. “I assure you that is not the case. Your daughter shall be well provided for. You have my promise.”

“The promise of people like your father, and therefore, you, means nothing to me,” the Earl returned unwaveringly. He stood up, and immediately, his family followed suit. “The answer is no.”

Jane felt relief wash over like rain in the dessert, but unfortunately, that relief would last a very short time.

“My Lord, if you will permit me to be blunt with you,” the Duke continued, his voice calm and composed while the Earl’s became more uneven and stronger. “I do believe your financial situation leaves much to be desired. I wonder if you will be able to find a suitor who will take your daughter without a dowry. She is a beauty, that much is undeniably true, but these days are more uncertain than ever. Dowries are a necessity.”

Jane felt like she could strangle him with her bare hands. He knew exactly what he was doing, that vile, despicable man. He knew that he could convince her father that his hands were tied, and that the only way to escape the clutches of debt was to give away his daughter. She could already see the ultimatum: it was either agree with this or go into poverty.

She noticed tiny beads of sweat on her father’s forehead. She knew that he had already pictured that same ultimatum inside his mind, and he was considering it. If there was anything to consider… Poverty was something none of them was prepared for. It was merely a distant fear, distant enough for them to be remotely aware of it but not fearful of it.

The Duke’s words made it seem much closer than they initially believed. One thing was painstakingly obvious. They had to find a way out of this debt, and as it would appear, this was their only option. The thought felt like a stone deep inside of Jane’s gut, pulling so deep down that she felt she would never come up for air again.

“If we agree to this,” her father started, taking a slow, defeated seat. Jane refused to follow suit although her mother did immediately, signaling that she would always side with her husband, no matter what. “Jane will own half of the merged brewery. I want her to have her own income.”

The Duke grimaced with a nod. Jane couldn’t tell if he liked the idea or not. Probably the latter. “That seems fair. Anything else?” he told them.

Jane felt her ears were hotter than lava, and her cheeks were blazing red. She wouldn’t dare look at herself in the mirror at this point. However, all she could do was listen to these two men decide her fate for her.

“She will have her own London house,” the Earl continued listing his conditions, “in case she decides that this wedding will be in paper only.”

This was where Jane could not hold her peace any longer. They were discussing her future without taking her will into account. She would not stand for it a moment longer.

“Don’t I get any say in this!?” she demanded. Her fiery temper was something she inherited from her father, and although she did not like it all that much, she had to admit that sometimes, it came in mighty handy. “I won’t do it!”

“Darling,” her mother’s soft voice brought the sound of reason. “It is our only option as the Duke has already explained.” Her mother placed her hand softly on her daughter’s, but Jane pulled it away as if her mother’s touch scorched her.

“You cannot make me!” Jane exclaimed louder than last time. What was worse, it seemed that her outburst of emotion only amused the Duke even more. He was not smiling, fortunately, but she could not help but feel that he was enjoying this.

“No one will make you do anything,” the Duke answered mild-manneredly, fully aware that the entire situation was under his control. That enraged her even more. “I am merely offering a proposition that benefits us all. If you find it unfair to you, feel free to refuse me.”

Jane’s lower lip quivered with indignation. Her eyes sought her father, but the moment their eyes locked, she knew that he had already made up his mind. It was the same with her mother. Like she realized, this was their only option.

Seconds felt like hours. All eyes were on her, waiting, anticipating. Finally, she sat down, feeling more defeated than ever. She felt like her entire life was out of her hands, now, and she was being punished for someone else’s transgressions.

She would acquiesce… for now.