He sighed and looked away. “After my parents died, the thought of feeling that pain of loss again felt unbearable. It still does. I know I will inevitably lose my grandmother, and possibly even my brother if he doesn’t outlive me. I cannot do anything about that. But I thought I could at least spare myself the pain of losing a wife, or even a child. Even more, I worried about dying suddenly and leaving a widow and grieving child behind. I wouldn’t wish that sort of pain on anyone.” He shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.
“But you’re not worried about that now?” she asked gently.
“I’m terrified,” he admitted. “But the thought of living my life without you feels worse. You have a tendency to make me reckless. Now I feel so reckless that I want to marry you.”
Warmth and longing seized her chest as she realized the truth of his words. She had wanted him for so long. Now she knew he wanted her just as much– that he truly cared for her. But that knowledge felt bittersweet, because it could be too late for them to get their happy ending.
Evan looked out the window. “We should be arriving soon,” he said. “They should be having breakfast right now. I am going to announce my decision to marry you to everyone. Grandmother will have to accept it if she wants to stay in the manor.”
“You would turn your grandmother out?” She could not help but be shocked. She knew how much he cared for the dowager duchess.
“Yes,” Evan said without hesitating. “If she cannot accept you as my fiancé—as my wife—then I will make sure she has a very comfortable place to live, but it will not be with us.”
A warm feeling filled her chest at him saying “us,” but her thoughts were quickly taken over by the matter at hand. “This doesn’t sound like her,” Joanna said. “I can’t imagine her going against your wishes like this without something else going on.”
“I agree,” he said. “But I don’t know why this is happening. It’s confusing for both me and Peter.”
However, when they reached Blackwell Manor, Joanna had a sneaking suspicion they would soon find out what was afoot.
CHAPTER 41
Evan, Joanna, and her housekeeper entered Blackwell Manor together, only to find that there were two guests already waiting for them in one of the drawing rooms.
Evan stared at the young lady, who only looked vaguely familiar, and the older gentleman, whom Evan recognized from the opera. He was the man who had upset the dowager duchess. The “old friend”.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Evan demanded, stepping forward. The young lady seemed to shrink in on herself, her gaze trained on the floor. If this were Lady Katherine, then he could not possibly marry her. He would not have a wife who was scared of him.
“Your Grace,” the man said with an oily smile. “It is so nice to finally meet you in person. I am Lord Oliver Preston, the Marquess of Somerton. And I believe you have met my daughter, Lady Katherine Preston.”
Somerton.
He knew that name.
His brow furrowed. “I had a footman who recently left my household. His brother was a stableboy in your manor, but was recently dismissed.”
Lady Katherine looked up at him with pained, wide eyes when he mentioned the stableboy, but the marquess simply laughed. The sound made Evan’s skin crawl. “Perhaps,” he said. “I do not pay a lot of attention to matters of my staff. I leave that for my steward to handle.”
There was something the man wasn’t telling him. Of that he was certain. He looked around the room, as if hoping to see his brother or grandmother hiding in the corners, but it was empty. “Where is my family?”
“Aside from your fiancé, right in front of you?”
The duke glared at the man, making it clear that he was not in the mood for games. “Where are my grandmother and brother?”
“Your grandmother is otherwise occupied. And I believe your steward had some work matters to tend to.”
Evan bristled. “Peter is my brother, not merely my steward. I suggest you remember that.” He hated it when people dismissed Peter as merely staff simply because he was adopted.
The marquess sneered. “With all due respect, I am not here to discuss semantics, Your Grace. I am here to finalize the details of your marriage to my daughter.”
Anger coursed through Evan’s veins, but he also knew this was his chance to find out what was going on.
However, there was no reason for Joanna to witness this. He wanted to keep her away from any unpleasant matters if he could. He turned to her. “Wait for me in the library,” he said. “This should not take long.”
She looked anxious, but relief flickered across her face. She was probably happy to leave this uncomfortable scene, and he didn’t blame her. She left, with Mrs. Lucas trailing behind her.
The duke turned back to the marquess. “I don’t know what my grandmother told you, but I did not approve that engagement to Lady Katherine. I am sorry for any misunderstanding, but I intend to marry Miss Thorne. Not your daughter.”
The older man glowered at him. “You will marry my daughter if you want to keep your grandmother out of prison.”
