Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

“ F ather?” Hanna began, forcing a smile. “You asked for me?”

She stepped into the Earl’s study, feeling utterly disoriented. Her father rarely summoned her. In fact, he usually avoided interacting with her.

But why now, so soon after the Duke of Ashford had left? She had thought of the mysterious man several times over the past few days, but never had she expected to encounter him again. That he had appeared so suddenly, only moments before she was summoned by her father, left her feeling uneasy.

Her father didn’t respond immediately. He turned from the window, his face half-hidden in the shadows, and studied her as if searching for the right words. His hesitation was unnerving.

“Sit down, Hanna.”

She obeyed, though every fiber of her being urged her to flee. “What is it?”

“An arrangement has been made,” he began, his voice flat, as though he had rehearsed these words countless times. “You are to marry the Duke of Ashford.”

The words struck her like a physical blow, leaving her breathless. For a moment, the room seemed to tilt, and she had to grip the edge of the chair to steady herself.

“What?” she whispered, barely able to form the word. “No, Father, you can’t be serious.”

“I am,” he said, his eyes cold, unyielding. “This marriage will happen. There is no other way.”

“No other way?” Hanna repeated, her voice trembling. “Father, he’s dangerous. Everyone knows it! The rumors, the things they say about him… you can’t possibly?—”

“Enough!” His voice sliced through her protests like a blade. He leaned forward, his eyes flashing with an emotion that lay somewhere between anger and desperation. “You will marry him, Hanna, because it’s the only way to protect this family. Our entire future depends on it.”

“I don’t understand!” she cried, desperation creeping into her voice. “How could marriage to him possibly?—”

“His influence stretches far beyond what you can comprehend,” her father interrupted, rubbing his temples as though the weight of the decision had worn him down. “I have suffered at the hands of his brother, you know this. Our entire fortune—gone! He is offering a lifeline, and I cannot push him away because of some silly rumor.”

“Silly rumor? You warned me about him!” Hanna argued, incredulous now.

“Ah, I was foolish. I spoke to him, and he is perfectly within his rights to be upset about the rumors. Besides, I was wrong to ever believe them. I knew him before he became Duke, and he never had any interest in the title. He wanted to study law and become a barrister or a judge or some such thing,” the Earl said and waved a hand. “And of course, he was also an avid businessman. He is giving me—our family—a chance. There are forces who work against us, Hanna. We must unite with him.”

The realization dawned on Hanna like a stone plunging into dark water. “You’re… you’re selling me?” Her voice broke. “I’m to be nothing more than a broodmare?”

“No!” her father thundered, slamming his fist on the desk. “This isn’t about selling you. It’s about survival! Do you think this is easy for me? Harry, though he is a duke, will not stand for me and help me with a loan. My own son-in-law. And if he won’t, I have to find someone who will.”

“Then don’t do it!” Hanna sobbed, her vision blurred by tears. “Please, Father, don’t make me do this. There has to be another way. Anything but this!”

“There isn’t,” the Earl said, his voice quieter now, though his resolve did not waver. “He offered to help us, but this is his price. It is the right thing to do. And you will be a duchess! It was your mother’s dream to have her daughters married to dukes.”

Hanna’s heart shattered at the mention of her late mother. “Do you honestly believe she would have wanted this?” she demanded, her voice rising with an intensity she hadn’t known she possessed. “Do you think she’d have wanted you to sacrifice your daughter’s happiness for wealth?”

“She would have wanted to protect this family,” her father snapped, his own pain evident in his eyes. “Just as I do now. This is not about happiness, Hanna. This is about survival!”

Hanna’s sobs filled the room, echoing off the walls, but her father didn’t move to comfort her. He watched her with regret in his eyes, yet he did not falter.

“I’m sorry,” he finally whispered, his voice so soft it was nearly lost in the silence. “But this is the way it must be.”

“But why him?” she asked, her voice raw and broken. “Why, of all people, must it be him?”

Her father hesitated, looking away, unable to meet her eyes. “Because he’s the only one who can save us.”

“This isn’t fair,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

“Life rarely is,” he muttered, his voice little more than a ghost of its former strength. “You will marry the Duke, Hanna. For our family’s sake. For our future.”

With legs that felt like lead, Hanna rose from the chair, struggling to find her footing. She looked at her father one last time—all she saw was the steely resolve of a man who had made his choice. A choice that would cost her everything.

“I will never forgive you for this,” she said, her voice trembling with the weight of her heartbreak.

“I know, and I would like to say that I care, but it is what it is,” he replied. For a moment, she saw something break in his eyes, a flicker of pain. “One day, you’ll understand. I will arrange for a special license, and you will be married this weekend.”

“This weekend? But Bella and Harry?—”

“They can give their congratulations when they return. That is all. Go now. I have work to do,” the Earl said and reached under his desk for what Hanna knew was a bottle.

A special license—he is doing this precisely because Arabella and Harry are out of the country right now. He knows if they were here, they’d never permit this!

Hanna turned on her heel and fled the room, her vision blurred by tears. Each step felt heavier than the last, and the walls seemed to close in on her, mocking her with their silence. Her father’s words echoed in her mind, mingling with the dreadful knowledge of what awaited her.

His Grace. Her future. Her fate.

As she reached the end of the corridor, she paused, clutching her chest as if trying to hold herself together. It felt as if the very ground had been swept from beneath her feet, leaving her dangling over a chasm of uncertainty and despair.

She glanced back at the door to her father’s study, now shut tight, and for a brief moment, a part of her longed to turn back, rush in, and demand that he reconsider. But she knew it would be useless.

Her father had made his decision, and now her destiny was sealed.