Evan frowned. “Out of jail? What possible reason would she have for getting thrown into prison?” The notion of his grandmother being in legal trouble was absurd.
“She never told you about what she did? Your grandmother is not the woman you think you know.”
“Care to enlighten me?” the duke said through clenched teeth.
The marquess smiled, seeming to revel in this moment, where he felt like he had the upper hand. “Years ago, when your grandmother was a young woman, she had a suitor who was a tad more… aggressive than socially acceptable. She rejected him repeatedly. But he refused to give up. So he sought to force her into marriage by ruining her. He cornered her at a ball.”
Horror trickled down Evan’s back. He had no idea this had happened to her. She never gave any indication this had happened at all.
“Oh yes,” the older man said. “He would have been successful, too. He managed to get her skirts up while they were alone on the balcony together.”
“Don’t,” Evan said. He didn’t think he could bear to hear the details.
The marquess continued, as if he hadn’t even heard him. “Martha was always a fighter, of course. You know I was half in love with her, back in the day, and it was only loyalty to my best friend—your grandfather—that kept me quiet. She pushed the man off of her, and that would have been the end of it if he hadn’t stumbled and lost his balance. He fell off the second-floor balcony and broke his neck.”
“I don’t believe you,” Evan said.
“Ask your grandmother, then. It does not matter to me if you believe the truth or not. When he fell, everyone attending the ball rushed out to see the body in the backyard. I was the only one who had seen what happened. I could have told them the truth. But instead, I lied. I said the man had been drunk and had fallen off the balcony by himself, and the matter was resolved. I decided to hold on to the truth and bide my time until that piece of information was needed. And this Season, I find that my daughter is in need of a husband.”
Evan looked at Lady Katherine, who was sitting in one of the armchairs, her arms wrapped around herself, looking distraught. “Why is it so urgent that she gets a husband?”
The Marquess’s lip curled in disgust. “Every father wants their daughter to marry quickly.”
“Few resort to blackmail. What aren’t you telling me?” He looked at Lady Katherine, whose head was bowed in shame as her arms covered her stomach, almost protectively.
Realization dawned on him and he looked up at the marquess. “She’s with child.”
“You have no proof,” he said, glaring at the duke. “I suggest you don’t slander my daughter that way.”
“It would explain the urgency of the situation,” he said slowly as he pieced it together. “My guess is the man isn’t a member of the ton or you would have harassed him into marrying heras soon as you found out.” He looked to the young lady. “Lady Katherine? Am I right?”
A single sob escaped her and she looked away. “Yes,” she said quietly.
“Shut up!” Lord Oliver shouted at her. “You’ve done enough damage.”
“Who’s the father?” Evan asked Katherine.
“Owen,” she whispered. She met his eyes for a brief moment before looking down, her cheeks reddening. “The stableboy.”
“Ah.” Suddenly it all made sense. He turned to the marquess. “So you dismissed the stableboy and bribed his brother to reveal information on Joanna. Jimmy would have taken the bribe if it meant keeping his brother out of poverty while he found a new position. You are the one who fed that information about Joanna to the scandal sheets!”
“Yes,” the older man growled. “I needed to reveal that harlot to thetonto ensure you were available to marry my daughter. But it hardly matters now that you know. You will marry my daughter, or your grandmother will go to prison.”
Evan barely heard his grandmother’s footsteps as she entered the drawing room.She always has to make an entrance.
He turned to look at the dowager duchess, who looked at the marquess with squared shoulders and a determined look. “He will not be marrying your daughter, Oliver.”
The marquess frowned at her, as if unable to believe what he was hearing. “Has your memory left you in your advanced age, Martha? One word from me will send you to prison for the rest of your life! Even if it’s not prison, all thetonwill know what you have done.”
“I did nothing wrong that day!” The dowager duchess said, marching up to him. She glared at the man, refusing to cower beneath his withering gaze, and Evan felt himself relax as he looked at her.Thiswas the grandmother he knew and loved. Not that strange woman who sent out a betrothal announcement behind his back. She continued to speak. “All you saw was me protecting myself from a vile man who could not take no for an answer. I will not be ashamed of what happened anymore!” She turned to Evan, looking apologetic. “I am so sorry. I never should have betrayed you or Miss Thorne. I should have told you the truth right away.”
“It’s all right,” Evan said. “We can talk about that later.”
She offered him a small smile before turning back to the marquess. “Youare the one who should be ashamed, not only for how you treat your daughter, but for threatening a woman of my age!”
A small sob came from Lady Katherine, and they all turned to look at her as she wiped a tear from her face. “I am so sorry, YourGrace,” she said, looking at Evan. “I didn’t want to cause you or anyone else grief. But I cannot marry you. I am in love with Owen. I wanted to run away with him, but Father would not let me.”
The marquess’s face turned an ugly red color with rage. “Shut your bloody mouth, you whore!” He raised his hand, and Katherine flinched back.
