Then her father’s words hit her.Marry?
“Father,” she interjected, hoping to sway him. She couldn’t marry the Duke of Mowbray! “This is Prudence’s intended…”
“But Lady Prudence is not here,” the duke interjected. “And I won’t be kept waiting. Very well, Lord Highgate, I accept your offer. I will marry Lady Caroline. We will have the wedding tomorrow, as planned. For now, I will take my leave of you, and I will see you again in the morning.” He bowed. “Lady Caroline.”
Before she could begin to process what had just happened, he’d gone.
CHAPTER 3
“Congratulations, Your Grace!”
It was the fourth time in a row that someone had stopped the couple to congratulate the duke, but hadn’t had anything of the sort to say to Caroline.
At first, she had wondered whether the titleYour Gracemight not simply be meant for her as well. After all, she was a duchess in her own right now that she’d said her vows. But the moment she had stopped to receive the congratulations, it had been clear that they were only meant for her husband. No one had given her the slightest attention since the wedding ended.
Well, no one other than a widowed lady who had eyed her carefully and said, “You aren’t Lady Prudence.”
“No, I’m not,” Caroline had agreed. The sound of her sister’s name was like cold water poured over her head. Even if she had been enjoying this wedding day—and she wasn’t—it would havebeen impossible to focus on her own joy through the knowledge that Prudence was still missing. She worried terribly about her, and at the same time, she felt no small amount of anger. She herself had been forced into this marriage because Prudence had fled it!
But she’s my younger sister. It’s my duty to stand between her and terrible things. I’m doing my job.
The widow had eyed her carefully before moving on. The whole encounter had left Caroline feeling strange, but at least that lady had spoken to her. No one else had taken the time to do even that.
At the wedding breakfast, seated at the table beside the duke felt to Caroline like a prison. She wished she could get up and run away to her bedroom.
But that’s not my bedroom any longer. This is not my house anymore.
The dowager duchess sat across the table from Caroline and the duke, her eyes boring into Caroline. They had been very briefly introduced before the wedding, and while the dowager duchess had not spoken to Caroline since the ceremony had ended, Caroline felt as if the woman hadn’t taken her eyes off her. It was deeply intimidating, and she didn’t know what to do about it.
“You look familiar, Your Grace.”
The voice came from Caroline’s other side, away from her husband, and this time she was sure the voice she’d heardwasspeaking to her. And sure enough, when she turned to face the speaker, a pair of all-too-familiar eyes bored into hers.
Charles. The man who had harassed her at the tavern.
The duke had referred to him as a cousin, yet it hadn’t occurred to her until this moment that he might be present at her wedding. But he was here, all right, and had somehow managed to claim the seat right beside her own.
“Have we met, Your Grace?” he asked her now.
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” she told him, which was true enough. “I don’t know your name.”
“Charles Membury. Baron of Talbot.” He smiled at her. “And you, of course, are the Duchess of Mowbray.”
It was the first time anyone had spoken the full title aloud, and it sent a little shiver down Caroline’s spine. “I suppose I am,” she agreed.
“How exciting for you—to be a duchess, I mean. You must be over the moon.”
“The duke honors me.” It was the closest to the truth she was able to say.
“And you’re sure you and I haven’t met before?” Charles asked. “I have to say, your face looks very familiar.”
Had he recognized her from the tavern? She didn’t think he had—the expression on his face was one of genuine uncertainty. But she wasn’t about to help him figure it out.
“I haven’t met you, my lord,” she told him. “I’m pleased to be meeting you now, however.”
“Yes,” he said pensively. “I suppose we’re going to be family.”
She began to turn away. Her first impression of this man had not been good, and her second impression of him wasn’t starting off much better.
