“Ah! Here is my daughter now," her father, Lord Notley, said with a proud look on his face as his eyes peeled away from some papers at his desk. “Take a seat, Meredith, please.”
The mysterious gentleman resumed his seat, but she didn’t miss the glance he sent her way or the smirk at the book she was holding.
What business has he with our family? Oh no… did he perhaps tell father about what transpired between us at the ball?
Meredith’s jaw fell slack as she contemplated stepping back outside and postponing the berating she was bound to receive. Her eyes fell to the floor in humiliation.
“F-father…?”
Her father beamed and he motioned for her to sit. She complied with a soft smile. But behind her façade, her breath came in short, shallow gasps, and her fingers twisted the fabric of her muslin gown. Her gaze flitted to the gentleman before her, before returning to her lap. Over and over. After a few more moments of painful silence, her father finally spoke up.
“Meredith, dear," he began, “I am certain you know of His Grace already.”
Meredith’s eyes immediately darted to the gentleman seated across from her. “His Grace?”
“Erm, yes, His Grace. The Duke of Allerton. I have arranged a marriage for you with Duke Ethan Connolly." He paused, clearing his throat, almost as if expecting applause for his accomplishment, before continuing, “The arrangements have already been made and the date is set for three weeks from now. It is my hope that you will find happiness with this union."
“I…Duke Ethan? I don’t…” It took a while for her father’s words to register and she was receiving too much information at once. The man sitting next to her was the Duke of Allerton? And her father was…marrying her off?
“Now, I am certain you have questions, but I’ll answer everything after. I have already contemplated this matter significantly, and decided a stable, arranged marriage is far more favorable to an ill-fated love match,” Lord Notley said matter-of-factly.
“An ill-fated…” She didn’t allow her voice to continue the sentence. Her back touched the cotton chaise and she could barely control her unstable breathing as she was hit with swift and piercing statements, one after the other. So was it all a lie? All the chances at finding a suitor? Attending balls for the season?
“Your Grace,” Lord Notley said, oblivious to her barely restrained emotional turmoil. “I shall permit a few minutes of solitude with Meredith, but I will be standing by the door outside. I hope you can understand that.”
Duke Ethan nodded, his face as solemn as ever. “I would expect nothing less, My Lord,” he spoke for the first time.
With that, Meredith’s father nodded and walked out of the office, leaving the two of them alone once more. A heavy silence hung in the air between them before Duke Ethan eventually stood up. Much to her astonishment, however, he walked right past her and took a seat on her father’s office chair with no regard for his manners. Then, he crossed his legs and rested them on the desk, only grinning as he noticed Meredith’s exasperation at his boldness.
With his voice low and strong, he began, “Well, I suppose we are bound together now after all.”
Meredith’s cheeks burned with rage, not only at Duke Ethan’s antics but also at her father for trapping her in this situation. She held her head high and stared him straight in the eyes before she spoke. “How long have you known about this?”
Duke Ethan simply shrugged as he leaned his head back lazily. Oh, how she desired to open the door and show her father the impertinence of this man!
“I will not accept this marriage," she said flatly. "That is a decision I will make for myself. You may have entrapped my father with your twisted combination of charm and etiquette, but not I."
Ethan regarded her for a moment, really stared at her, and suddenly, the hems of her skirts seemed a far more interesting prospect than they did but a moment ago. The creaking of the desk reached her ear, and she looked up to find the Duke of Allerton making his way toward her. He stopped a mere foot away from her and his eyes glinted with menacing cruelty as she exhaled in frustration at his control over her.
"You may decline," he began softly, "but your father will simply find someone else...someone who could be far worse than I, if you indeed believe marriage to me is that unpleasant a prospect.”
“Worse than a rake?” she asked wryly.
Ethan shifted closer, inspecting every inch of her, his well-defined lips lifting into a smile in the process. “Yes, far worse than a rake.”
“And how did you become the arbiter of my fate, Your Grace,” she said drily at his blatant attempt at trickery, to make her feel as though her father would sell her off elsewhere at any given opportunity.
“Well, let us just say I had to hurdle far fewer obstacles to impress your father than I expected as someone with such a,” his eyes glinted, “…deplorable reputation.”
Meredith bit her lip in embarrassment. There remained more than a hint of truth in his words if her father was willing to set up an arranged marriage between herself and the Duke. “...And I suppose if I were to reject this proposal, you would tell my father about what happened earlier—"
Ethan shook his head with conviction, declining the implication she was making. Meredith remained silent, still avoiding his gaze. But his warm fingers touched her chin and she was forced to face him once more.
“What if I offer you something to sweeten the deal?” he began.
“The deal?” she asked, her eyelids fluttering as memories of their shared past reignited.
“Yes, a deal,” he continued. He moved even closer now and whispered against her ears, “You agree to this marriage and we marry in three weeks as arranged. But after two weeks hence, I will have you relocated to a country estate and you will be free to live as you wish there, without any restrictions and as if we never married. You can find someone to…entertain you and it will not be my business.”
