Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

S he would never again sneak out of the house with Coco. Never again steal into a man's garden at midnight. Never again. Never again.

All morning Victoria had repeatedly made that promise to herself, but every time she thought the vow had stuck, the memory of the Duke of Spice and what he'd done to her in his kitchen slipped back into her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about him.

By the early afternoon, she had retreated to a small sitting room which overlooked the garden at the rear of Mowbray House, seeking refuge in a cookbook. Food had always been her safe place, but even the mere mention of spices had her body whispering wicked desires.

"Ah, there you are."

Startled, Victoria lifted her gaze from the book, and took in the sight of her mother standing in the doorway. Her fear turned to outright suspicion as she noted the expression on the duchess's face. Lady Anne was positively beaming.

This doesn't look good. Please tell me she hasn't found some other odd noble whom she thinks will make me a good husband.

"Your father wishes to see you," said her mother.

Closing the cookbook, Victoria rose from her chair. When she reached her mother's side, the duchess took the book from her hands, saying, "You won't be needing this, my clever girl."

With growing trepidation, she followed Lady Anne out of the sitting room and downstairs to the Duke of Mowbray's study. When they reached the door of her father's private room, Victoria caught the sound of male voices. The tone of the conversation was light and friendly. Her father had a guest; that was nothing unusual.

The door opened and Victoria stepped back, making way for her father's visitor whom she expected must be about to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the male figure exiting her father's study.

It was Robert Tolley, the Duke of Saffron Walden. Heart racing, she immediately lowered her gaze.

Oh, god why is he here?

"Your Grace."

"Your Grace."

Victoria's afternoon tea churned in her stomach as she was forced to endure listening to her mother and the Duke of Saffron Walden greet one another. It was all so polite, so formal.

If Mama had the foggiest about what he and I got up to last night, she'd have her hands at his throat. Then she'd come for me.

"You remember my daughter Lady Victoria, Your Grace. The two of you met at the dinner party the other night."

Teeth gritted, Victoria raised her head and looked once more into those eyes. The glint of something dark and dangerous stared back at her.

Robert bowed. "Lady Victoria. What a delight to see you again. And I trust I shall see you again very soon."

She bobbed a brief curtsey, fearing that if she dropped into a full dip, she would faint. "Your Grace," whispered Victoria.

From out of his study, the Duke of Mowbray appeared. He nodded to his wife. "Dearest, would you please see His Grace to the front door. I need a private moment alone with Victoria. Then you and I shall talk. We have many plans to discuss."

Robert gave Victoria a low bow, then taking Lady Anne by the arm, the two of them headed for the stairs.

She turned her gaze from them to her father, who held out a hand and ushered her into his study. "Victoria."

The Duke of Mowbray's study was a small, warm space with dark oak bookshelves lining all the walls, right to the ceiling. It was rare for any of the Kembal offspring to enter this place willingly. If one was summoned to Clifford's study, a paternal lecture was usually in the offing. The only other time Victoria made it her business to be in this room was when she was busy stealing one of her father's bottles of whisky.

Hands clasped gently in front of her, Victoria stood just inside the doorway. It was a fool's notion to think she could flee, but if Robert had been here to see her father, she didn't want to make herself too comfortable.

"Make yourself comfortable." Her father motioned for her to take a seat in one of the overstuffed black leather couches which sat in the middle of the room. She'd always found it odd that every man's study she'd ever been in was set out exactly like this one, a desk and a pair of low sofas in the center.

Hands fisted tightly into nervous balls, Victoria sat perched on the edge of the couch cushion. Her father crossed the floor and went to his liquor tray. "Whisky?" he asked.

She was about to make mention that she didn't drink strong liquor, but the look the duke gave her was enough to tell her that he knew full well who the whisky thief was in their household.

"Just a sniff, please Papa."

He handed her a drink, before taking up a seat on the couch opposite to hers. He raised his glass. "Congratulations. The Duchess of Saffron Walden. That's a solid title. Well done, Victoria. Your Mama is thrilled beyond words."

She set the glass on the nearest low table, fearing that her trembling hands might not be able to hold it. "What did he say?"

The duke sighed. "He offered for your hand, and after he had explained a few of the things which took place between the two of you last night, I felt it only right to accept on your behalf."

Heat burned on her cheeks. Just what exactly had Robert told her father? She'd die if it was everything. Victoria swallowed deep, quietly praying that a large chasm would open up in the floor and take her.

Her father sat forward on the couch. "I know that he found you in his garden in the middle of the night. That you and he spent time alone together in his house. He vaguely alluded to something else having happened but didn't say what. But you having been alone with him is more than enough reason for His Grace to come here today and offer for your hand in marriage."

Robert had succumbed to an attack of noble urges and decided to offer for her. The man who had tied her to a chair last night was now about to become her fiancé.

This wasn't the first time in their extended family that a marriage had occurred after such an incident. Her cousin Lucy, the daughter of the Duke of Strathmore, had faced a similar situation only a year ago. She and her now husband had been caught red-handed, in flagrante, in the garden at a party. And they had only been kissing. But Lucy and Avery had been in love, they just hadn't realized it.

She and Robert. Well they were barely past the point of being strangers. Barely knew one another. Last night had been a mistake, but a marriage between them would be an utter disaster.

Victoria had just reached for her whisky with the intent of swigging it down when the door of the study opened again, and the duchess returned. She stepped into the room and stood for a moment at the end of the two couches, her gaze shifting from her husband to her daughter. Lady Anne came and sat beside her husband.

"I am surprised and delighted that you managed to smooth things over with the duke. When you and he had that disagreement the other evening, I was worried that you had blown any chance you might have had with him, but I see I was mistaken. My wonderful girl is about to become a duchess."

The smile on her mother's face had Victoria on the verge of tears. The duchess was so happy, so relieved that her daughter had secured the hand of one of London's most eligible bachelors.

"I promised you I would do my best to ensure that our family was welcomed back into the haut ton . Marrying a duke seemed the best way to do it," replied Victoria.

Her mother rose from her seat and embraced Victoria. She hugged her daughter tight, whispering over and over, "Well done, my clever, clever girl."

There was nothing else she could do. Victoria wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her back. Her father was smiling. Both her parents were thrilled that their middle daughter was about to become a duchess.

Victoria closed her eyes and held on tight. Like it or not, she was going to have to marry Robert Tolley. Her feeble jest now came back to bite her firmly on the ass.

She was soon to become the Duchess of Spice.