All the while knowing that he was a man that calmly watched a woman run away from his home in the dead of the night, crying. This plan would have Prim dangerously indebted to such a man. She might have better fate with the lions in the ton’s arena.
“I am honoured by His Grace’s proposal,” Prim bit with the way that showed that she really was not in fact honoured, “but I am afraid I will have to decline.”
Prim had no mood for games, no matter how alluring they seemed. Especially with a man like him. She may be in a dire situation, yet Prim still had enough of her dignity intact to refuse to entertain an infamous rake.
That last thought was thecoup de grâce. She realized that she was in fact alone, at night, and chaperoned in the study of the most reckless rake in London. Alone with a man whose name was enough to cause a scandal. She must have been mad coming here at this hour without anyone knowing. It was time to end this foolishness.
“Now,” Prim felt a primal instinct of survival come over her. “I will take my leave, Your Grace. Good night.”
“Very well,” the Duke said lightly.
Prim felt relief as if she were in a vice and now allowed to breathe. She took one step towards the door, but didn’t go far. The Duke and his massive body leaned to her, cutting her flight to freedom and sanity abruptly.
“Let me make myself clear, Miss Jenkins.” his voice stole her breath. “Someone wants to hurt me, and they are using you as their weapon of choice. Yourreasonable thinkingmust tell you that we are bound by this.”
Prim’s knees were ready to give in, and cold sweat ran down her spine. The Duke delivered the final blow.
“Whether you like it or not,” he said in her ear, “you are mine to protect.”
Prim didn’t even realize that she ran away till she was sitting alone in the hack, her heart in her throat.
CHAPTER 3
Courteous Insults
Days after, Prim was in her drawing room, reading a history book, her favorite subject to distract herself. And yet, not even the heroic endeavors of distant ancient Greek men toiling to push away the Persian empire could distract her from the tempest that raged in her mind.
You are mine to protect.
The Duke’s words still echoed in her ears, and they woke the small hair on the back of her neck in the same way they did that night.
“Amazing news!” Her mother came into the drawing room, waving a piece of paper as if it were some victorious banner. “Girls!”
The twins rushed down from their shared room. Prim really didn’t want to indulge her mother’s delusions this morning, so she quietly remained concentrated on her book.
“Girls, our exile has ended,” her mother announced. “This is an invitation from the Countess of Dawkins.”
Prim frowned. The Countess of Dawkins was an elderly lady who was probably either blissfully unaware of the scandal that forced the Jenkins family into social exile, or she had forgotten. Either way, Prim felt uneasy going after that sheet, circulating even if it was a charity event. The Countess might have forgotten, but the rest of the ton that would surely attend wouldn’t be that obliging.
“Perhaps it’s too early, Mother,” Prim tried.
“Nonsense! We cannot afford to reject any invitation. We will show up and save our image along with the street orphans. You girls will wear the silver gowns with the diamonds. Prim, choose the cobalt gown. I’ll tell Jocelyn to make your hair.”
Her sisters looked excited, thinking of the event already, hope blooming in their hearts. Prim sighed. She couldn’t let her sisters in the care of her careless parents at an event that may eat them alive and spit them out. But she was wearing the ivory.
Prim had taken but one step in the charity event when dread struck her. The same dread that a small animal feels the momentit realizes that the trap was laid way before it walked straight into it. She was the prey, and she was hunted for sport.
Her family was invited not out of charity or even negligence. She was invited because the ton realized that it wasn’t fun to gossip in the privacy of their drawing rooms anymore. It would be so much more entertaining if they could gossip about her in her face.
When she stepped into the venue, all eyes turned to her, and the reaction was instant, even if it varied. Wide eyes and sly smiles, whispers behind palms and fans, fingers pointing at her.
Prim walked on a carpet made of snickering laughter and cold whispers.
“…trying to trap him…”
“…as if the Duke would ever…”
“…shameless…”
