“I will escort Lady Leticia back.” The duchess stepped in between them. “Why don’t you two return to the ball? No one will suspect anything if you enter together.”
Finally, the duke nodded his agreement before walking out of the room with Mac following behind him.
Letty waited for an impending lecture on propriety, but when the duchess finally faced her, there was nothing but kindness shining in her eyes.
“Now, shall we straighten you out before we return to the ball?” the duchess asked waving a hand at Letty.
Letty gazed down at her slightly disheveled gown, her hair falling into her eyes. She reached up, patting her wayward hair, trying to put strands in place.
“May I?” she asked gesturing toward Letty’s hair.
“Yes, please.” Letty sat down on the sofa. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Winnie, please call me Winnie. After all, we know intimate details about each other now.” She laughed as she placed the few strands of hair back in place.
“Is it true …” Letty began, feeling like she was talking to her sister or a close friend. “That you and the duke met at Pleasure House?”
Winnie giggled, sitting down beside Letty. “Met is a strong word. I went to Pleasure House to have a liaison with a stranger so that I could become with child?—”
“You didn’t!” Letty asked in shock.
She stared at the woman in disbelief, her blonde hair and blue eyes made her appear younger than Letty.
Winnie nodded, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. “I would say I didn’t, but the proof is upstairs sleeping in the nursery.” Winnie stood, and Letty followed her.
“I am pleased everything turned out well for you and the duke,” Letty said, finding she liked the Duchess of Richmore very much.
“They can work out for you as well,” she said, walking toward the door with Letty. “Scandal has a way of turning into love when you least expect it.”
Winnie opened the door, leaving Letty frozen in place at her words.
Love? She couldn’t dare to hope for such a thing.
Could she?
CHAPTER 5
The following day, Mac stood in the small printing office cluttered with pamphlets, papers, and boxes. A pile of correspondence from various contacts around the world, including his brother, Gilbert, were piled high behind him. His old Stanhope press sat in the corner of the room, barely held together. He was in dire need of a new printing press, but he could neither afford one nor find it in himself to part with the old girl.
Needing to fill a large order for an upcoming abolitionist, Mac tried to focus, but the only thing he could do was think about kissing the most captivating woman he’d ever beheld.
Letty.
He had originally agreed to Cedemoor’s invitation to attend Pinerose’s hunting party out of pure desperation. The request was simple, until it wasn’t.
Sighing out, Mac picked up the parchment paper that sat on the cluttered worktable. He read the words for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
Eviction
“Fuck,” he cursed.
He’d asked Molly, the sweet, motherly wife of his landlord, to convince her greedy husband to give Mac more time.
Running his hand through his hair, he tried to ignore the sinking feeling spreading through him. He had worked for years to build the print shop up to something he could be proud of, something that would matter and make a difference. And now he could lose everything.
His dwindling funds, along with the increase of rent, was the reason he had accepted Cedemoor’s offer. The heir to an Earldom, along with his other friends, were powerful allies. Or so he thought.
This could all go away—if he went along with Cedemoor’s plan. All he had to do was ruin Letty Crane.
