Prim turned so abruptly, she almost stumbled. There, ready to help her out, stood the Duke of Greyhaven. He was holding a paper in his hands.
“You received one as well,” he stated, not asked.
He extended his hand, showing her the paper. The handwriting was identical to her note.
Miss Primrose is in danger. Go to the garden maze.
“We are being manipulated!” Prim realized with terror.
“We were trapped to come here,” the Duke agreed.
“To cause a scandal?” Prim was shaking.
“Most probably."
“I have one already following me around. A second will simply ostracize my entire family,” Prim shook and sat down on a marble bench.
“Miss Primrose,” the Duke tried.
“You should go. Now.”
“On the contrary. I think this is an excellent opportunity.”
“How is this an opportunity, Your Grace?” Prim was ready to scream.
She got up to leave. She might have time to avoid the scandal. Or if she got out of the maze and was ambushed. Whoever planned this was one step ahead.
“The scandal matters little to me,” the Duke demanded her attention.
Prim looked at him as if he were crazy.
“Manipulated or not, we are here now. It would be a complete waste of opportunity.”
“Your Grace, now is hardly the time.”
“I find it the perfect time. You seem to be constantly followed by Mildenhall.”
Prim froze. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but the Duke had one thing in his mind, and he seemed like a man who never moved to another objective if he hadn’t fulfilled the previous one.
“I have told you already, Miss Primrose, that I came to London to find a wife and a mother to my daughter.”
Reality was slipping from Prim’s fingers fast. There was a looming threat over them, and the Duke thought that this was the perfect opportunity to propose.
“Your Grace, I-”
“I believe that you are fitting for the role.”
Prim chuckled. She deserved as much. This was, at worst, absurd and at best amusing. The Duke didn’t seem offended, but she offered her apologies nonetheless.
“I apologize, Your Grace, but it is as if talking about finding a governess for your daughter.”
“I am not. I am looking for a Duchess to help me manage my estate and a female presence to take care of the upbringing of a young lady.”
Prim crumbled the note in her fingers, looking at the Duke in disbelief. A proposal. Decent and precise. By a powerful Duke.
“What I offer is clear, Miss Primrose. You will be the Duchess of Greyhaven. I will not touch your dowry. It will be yours to use as you see fit. I will add a stipend for your convenience.”
“You speak of marriage,” she said carefully, “as if it were an acquisition.”
