Chapter 16

Reasons To Leave

“Miss Jennings, I didn’t know you were here,” Beatrice said.

“I saw you going off toward the edge of the estate, and I thought you might be running from your husband,” Agnes said with a smirk.

Beatrice was riled up and ready for a fight with Agnes, but it was not the time or place. “No, I was only checking on my mother-in-law.”

“Mother-in-law,” Agnes repeated. “Yes, I suppose you will have that, now that you are married. I never did get to congratulate you on your marriage to His Grace. I am sure you are very happy.”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Beatrice said. “I didn’t steal him from you, Miss Jennings. This was his decision.”

“Yes, continue to tell yourself that. Do you know that I have been considering your nickname? The Runaway Bride is very fitting, of course, for you have run from two marriages, haven’t you? You left your sister to marry one of your suitors, and you ditched Lord Mutton when you saw how handsome my man was. You never did like me, did you?”

“You don’t know what you speak,” Beatrice snapped. “I never disliked you, but you made yourself very dislikable after you debuted. You were the one who hated me, and I will admit you might have reason now with the tangles that have been woven, but I did not steal His Grace from you. In a way, I have helped you. He has a nickname too, doesn’t he? The Cruel Duke. You are a beautiful woman from a good family, and you will find a good man.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Agnes spat. “Who cares about his character? I deserved to marry him, and you stole him from me. You can’t help it, can you? What is it you are jealous of most, Runaway Bride? My beauty or my impeccable reputation? You fall short on both counts. You seduced him, didn’t you? Is that it? Did you get him into bed, and now you are with child? He was forced into it. Does he know about your secret child? The one you had when you ran away?”

“What are you talking about?” Beatrice asked, her voice rising. “I don’t have any children, and I am not with child.”

“How do you know? You got married a week ago.”

“Yes, but—” I cannot give her any more fuel for the fire she has started. “You are right. I might be,” Beatrice stated. “Still, it is not any business of yours. If you wish to marry only for status, I am sure you will find someone.”

She knew she would not convince Agnes of anything. The woman was bitter at not marrying the Duke, and she was likely the one who had been spreading the rumors. Agnes came from a good and wealthy family, and she had entertained the idea that she was owed everything she wanted from the moment she debuted.

Agnes did not respond to the previous comment and looked deep in thought. “The Runaway Bride or the Thieving Bride. I can’t decide which one is better, at this point. Perhaps I will ask the ton what they think. They found it very entertaining when I told them your first nickname, and they will be overjoyed to discover the second one.”

“Is this how you enjoy yourself, Agnes? You are a beautiful woman from a good family, and you can find a good man if you put as much effort into that as you do into coming up with silly nicknames.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Agnes said. “I will find a far better man than the Duke. Until then, your silly nicknames are only the appetizers. You tried to ruin me, and I will ruin you, Beatrice. Everyone knows your marriage is a sham, and I will ensure it is proven. The Duke will leave you, and when he comes crawling back to me, I will refuse him for someone else.”

“You need to leave us alone,” Beatrice told her. “I apologize for how all of this happened, but it is in the past, and it should remain there.”

“You do know why he married you, don’t you?” Agnes asked.

Beatrice knew Agnes was baiting her, and she didn’t rise to it.

Agnes continued anyway. “It was for your money. That was the reason he was marrying me—for my large dowry. His businesses are in trouble because of his decisions, and he needed the money fast. You can tell yourself whatever you want, Beatrice, but the truth will always be that your marriage is a transaction. The only reason you were able to steal him from me is that your father was willing to pay for it.”

“I don’t care,” Beatrice insisted.

“I don’t care either,” Agnes shot back. “Now, off you go back to your party. We both know what you did was wrong, and you will regret it. This is only the beginning, Your Grace.”

* * *

Edwin was distracted. He had watched as Beatrice and Elizabeth left the main event and disappeared. From the look on his sister’s face, he was sure it had something to do with their mother. If it were serious, she would have come to him. Asking Beatrice for help meant it was something that would irk him, and he tried not to think about what it could be.

He had much more important matters to consider, especially when there were so many wealthy noblemen at the garden party. Robert had organized the party to give Edwin and Beatrice a chance to be seen in public, but he was also well-connected, which presented opportunities.

“Your Grace, I admire you as a businessman, of course,” Lord Chambers stated. “And I am sure we can do very good things together, but I have some concerns.”

“You don’t believe such silly rumors, do you?” Edwin asked, sensing where the hesitation came from.

“No, of course not. Yet, where there is smoke, there is often fire. I don’t believe you are a man who traps women into marriage or that you would choose a wife who has previously had a child out of wedlock, but if people are saying such things, they must dislike you for some reason.”

Edwin felt his anger resurface, but he couldn’t lose a deal over something he had no control over. Besides, Lord Chambers was right to be wary, even if the rumors were only partially true.

“I understand your concern,” Edwin relented. “And I know how jealous tongues can wag. If you want to know the truth, I have found a wonderful woman I am deeply in love with, and we will soon start a family. If my happiness makes others unhappy, that says much more about them than it does about me. Ask me anything you want, for I have nothing to hide.”

He had some things he might want to hide, but he had no problems twisting the truth to protect his family and his wife’s reputation.

“I don’t believe I need to do that. It is only—” Lord Chambers started.

“Apologies for the interruption, but here is my beautiful wife now,” Edwin said.

He spotted Beatrice return alone from wherever she had gone, and she had a sad look on her face. He caught her eye and saw there were questions to be answered, but he didn’t have time for that. Not when there was a potential deal to be done with Lord Chambers.

Edwin held her gaze and tried to communicate his needs.

“My dear,” Beatrice said with a large smile when she reached him. “What a wonderful event, don’t you think?”

“It certainly is, my darling,” Edwin replied, ecstatic she had picked up on the look he had given her. “I would like to introduce you to Lord Chambers.”

“A pleasure, My Lord.” Beatrice nodded her head.

“It is entirely my pleasure,” Lord Chambers returned.

“I hope my husband has not been boring you with tales of our courtship or talk of how many children he would like to have. I know of your reputation by name, Lord Chambers, and I understand you are an astute businessman. You might have done some business with my father.”

Lord Chambers thought about it.

“It matters not,” Beatrice continued. “You must want to speak with my husband about business, and if you can stop him from speaking about marriage for one moment, you will get that chance.” She leaned closer to him conspiratorially. “I must warn you, My Lord. His Grace is ruthless when it comes to business. As long as you negotiate a fair deal, you will have a great ally.”

Lord Chambers was discombobulated but quickly regained his wits. “Yes, I don’t doubt it. A fair deal, you say?” He turned to the Duke and smiled. “I shall take your wife’s advice and be careful when we next meet. I shall have my people contact your people, and we will arrange something for next week?”

“I will check my calendar, but I don’t see that being a problem. If I am busy, I can always make time for a gentleman of your reputation,” Edwin replied.

Beatrice took Edwin’s arm.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Lord Chambers said. “Now, if you will excuse me, I don’t wish to deny you time with your wife.”

Edwin chuckled.

Beatrice curtseyed, and then Lord Chambers took his leave.

Edwin kept a smile on his face as the man walked off, then turned to Beatrice. “That was… You are a bewildering woman, Beatrice. That was impressive. I was unsure if Lord Chambers would do business with me, and you have single-handedly convinced him.”

“That is why we came here, isn’t it?” Beatrice pointed out proudly. “To show solidarity and ensure you do not lose any business. I told you I would help however I can, and I intend to do that.”

Edwin could not help but stare at his wife. She had spoken about their marriage and courtship, and for a moment, he allowed himself to imagine what their courtship would have been like. If he were to talk at length about anything, it would be how beautiful she was. Beautiful, intelligent, and beguiling.

He had spent years studying business, but he still had things to learn.

“Thank you,” Edwin said. “I know how you feel about everything, and you did promise to make an effort, but this is more than I expected. Thank you.”

Beatrice smiled—a slight smile that showed her glee but also coy enough to stir something inside him. Theirs was a marriage of convenience, but his life had become immeasurably more convenient since marrying the gorgeous woman before him.

“My mother,” Edwin said, remembering what he had seen earlier. “Was she in trouble?”

“I think she will be fine, and the less you know about it, the better.” Beatrice smiled again, wider this time.

Edwin wanted to know what Modesty was up to, but he trusted his wife’s instincts. “Whatever it is, I am sure you dealt with it.”

“I think I did,” Beatrice agreed. “I, um, bumped into someone on the way back.”

“Who?”

“Miss Jennings,” Beatrice said.

“I haven’t seen her here yet, but I assume I will bump into her, too. How was she?”

“I believe she is the one behind all the rumors about us,” Beatrice said. “I can’t prove it, but how she spoke to me told me everything I needed to know. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” The Duke nodded.

“Miss Jennings told me that you were going to marry her for her dowry and that you married me for mine. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Edwin said plainly. “I am trying to reclaim my family business, and it was a business decision. I would have received a dowry no matter who I married. Does it bother you?”

“No,” Beatrice admitted. “I only wanted to know if she was speaking the truth. I believe it bothers her, and she thought it might bother me. I have a feeling she will do worse than what she has done so far.”

“I will be ready for her. If she tries to hurt us, I will not fail to take her down. Once I have my business in order, no one will pay her any attention. Lords and ladies of the ton like to gossip, but they like money and status much more. Soon, I will have both again. If today is anything to go by, you will get me there quicker than I anticipated.”

“I am at your service,” Beatrice declared with a curtsy.

The way she said it re-ignited his desires. She was at his service, which meant definitive things as a married couple. One of those things was the pleasure he had promised her, which would come later that night. However, he found out he could not wait that long anymore. The business prospect and his wife’s actions had stirred his emotions.

“I have an idea,” Edwin said.

“Hmm.”

“We have shown our faces, and I have a meeting next week. We are newlyweds, and if we were to sneak out publicly, it would get people talking about us needing to be alone. And I would not have to see Miss Jennings. I don’t care a jot about her, but I fear I will be unable to hold my tongue, and she would enjoy a public confrontation with me.”

“So, we sneak out together?” Beatrice asked.

“Yes.” Edwin nodded. “We don’t tell anyone why we must leave, but they will all believe they know why we are going back home alone.”

“And this time, it will not only be rumors,” Beatrice whispered.