Chapter 8

"Harriet."

William's scathing voice greeted her the minute she stepped into the manor and Harriet sighed deeply.

"What?"

His eyes darkened at her petulant tone and he looked at her with pursed lips. "I need you to follow me. To my study," he intoned coolly and Harriet glanced up at the heavens for a second before duly following him.

Once sat there, he looked at her sternly.

"You need to understand," William said, his voice cold. "That we are running out of options. We.... I spoke to our Aunt Mildred."

Harriet frowned at him and William continued quickly, his gaze fixed on his desk as he spoke. "She is in agreement with me. Either you will marry the Duke of Frighton, or you will be sent to the country to live with her."

"Live..." Harriet spoke quietly. "With Aunt Mildred?"

She stared at her brother in mute horror, scarcely able to comprehend the ultimatum he had just leveled at her. A sense of betrayal so profound it stole her breath constricted her chest as she struggled to formulate a response.

Aunt Mildred was the antithesis of their father. Not only was she cold and joyless, but she was the one family member they tended to avoid - due to her extreme religious views and Puritan ways. Because of her worldview, Aunt Mildred had never made a secret of her utter disdain for their mother.

"You... you cannot be serious," she finally managed to rasp out, her fingers curling into defensive fists at her sides. "You... you will really threaten me with banishment to Aunt Mildred's, simply for refusing to be forced into a marriage? Have you lost all control of your senses entirely, William?"

Her brother"s expression was a grim mask of resignation, though the tightness around his eyes hinted at a war of emotions raging beneath the surface. When he spoke, his voice was low and controlled yet resonant with a core of steel.

"I am utterly serious, Harriet. And much as it grieves me, do not think for one instant that I will hesitate to make good on that threat if you insist on this path of reckless disregard for consequence."

Harriet stared at him defiantly. "You are not certain..." she started, but William shook his head.

"The whispers have begun already, dearest sister," he exclaimed scathingly. Harriet looked at him with wide eyes.

"I have already received letters from several investors, making it quite clear that they will refrain from doing business with me should I fail to rectify the matter. If this continues unchecked, it will destroy everything I"ve worked for...everything our father strove to build for our family legacy."

Raking a hand through his disheveled hair, William turned away, his broad shoulders slumping ever-so-slightly beneath the weight of his burdens. For the first time, Harriet caught a glimpse of the heavy toll all this turmoil had exacted upon her stalwart brother. Deep lines of strain etched his face, rendering him somehow decades older than his true age at that moment.

"I did not want it to come to this," he said, the fight draining from his voice until it was little more than a weary murmur. "But you"ve left me no choice. So you tell me, Harriet—what would you have me do?"

She faltered at his words, the vehement anger that had buoyed her deflating as swiftly as a pricked bladder. Sagging back against the desk, she worried her lower lip between her teeth, mind racing as she searched for an alternative...any solution that did not involve surrendering to the dire path he outlined.

But try as she might, no such reprieve presented itself. Already, the insidious whispers William described had begun weaving their poisonous influence through the ton. And if their family was indeed on the precipice of financial ruin as a result...

Harriet exhaled a shuddering breath, lifting her chin with no small effort as she met her brother"s expectant gaze. "I am trying, William," she said, the words feeling like shards of glass in her throat. "If you insist this path is unavoidable, then I will... consider the Duke"s proposal anew."

William"s brows hiked upward in a momentary burst of surprise before his expression smoothed into solemn contemplation. "You have no choice, I am afraid," he pressed, holding her gaze with piercing intensity. "And you must understand... Once this path is chosen, there can be no turning back. Frighton will require your full commitment to repairing the damage... he will expect complete propriety and fidelity from his bride. You know this, do you not, Harriet?"

Harriet swallowed nervously. The thought of binding herself irrevocably to a virtual stranger, a man whose mere presence ignited her temper in such volatile fashion, caused a frisson of visceral resistance to shudder through her. Yet even as dread pooled in the pit of her stomach, she could not ignore the naked desperation simmering in her brother"s eyes. The unyielding reality, despite how maddeningly unjust it might seem, was that refusing this path would devastate him...their entire family legacy.

Could she live with that guilt? The heavy burden of knowing she"d chosen self-interest over the welfare of those she loved most? Harriet clenched her jaw, giving a single, resolute nod.

"I will do as I must," she vowed, mustering every ounce of courage burning in her breast. "If marrying the Duke is the only recourse, then so be it. Just... know that I agree to this under gravest protest, William. I will wed him, yes, but do not think for one instant that I shall be some domesticated, simpering little wife content to sit idle while my husband carouses about. There will be boundaries. Lines he must never cross lest he wishes to incur my ire."

William had the audacity to smile thinly at her bold proclamation, his demeanor lightening ever-so-slightly. "I would expect nothing less from my sister," he said with a hint of wry fondness belying his words. "I know this is not easy for you, Harriet - but it could have been worse. You know this."

Despite herself, the faintest curl of a smile played at the corners of Harriet"s lips. Trust her brother to find a silver lining even in the direst circumstances. She opened her mouth to respond, but William held up a forestalling hand.

"However, I must impress upon you that this alliance hangs by the barest thread," he said, his levity bleeding away in an instant. "If this is to proceed at all, it will require the utmost discretion, prudence and circumspection on both your parts going forward. Frighten is not a man who has the patience for a poor reputation - he has worked hard to secure respect and he will not tolerate anything threatening it."

His features seemed to sharpen, his gaze boring into hers with piercing intensity.

"You must think carefully about this and be prepared, Harriet," he insisted. "Can you accept the necessity of restraint, of submitting to propriety no matter how it chafes against your nature, to achieve this end? Because if you cannot, then it"s best we abandon this course altogether before we"re plunged into even deeper waters. Then it will be better for you to leave... to live your life in Aunt Mildred's estate until..."

Harriet stiffened at her brother"s impassioned speech, a renewed surge of defiance bubbling up instinctively at the implication she could not meet the requirements of probity expected. Hadn"t she already acquiesced to consider wedding the blasted Scot against every inclination? Sacrificed her own desires and principles for the sake of duty and honor? And now William dared insist she prove her resolve further?

But even as indignant fire licked through her veins, she recognized the stark truth underlying his demand. He was right - any lapse of propriety at this juncture would unravel any threads of credibility the match was meant to weave. A single misstep could spell utter ruination for the Lourne family legacy.

And so, with a monumental effort, she wrestled her simmering temper into submission, meeting her brother"s sober scrutiny with a resolute stare. "You need not question my loyalty, William," she said tiredly. "I will do whatever I must do... for the family."

"Good. Good." William looked almost excited at the prospect and he flashed her a stiff smile. "I shall arrange for a promenade first thing in the morning. Mother already agreed to chaperone you. Once everyone sees that he is courting you... all will be well."