Melanie’s eyes dropped to her hands, her fingers trembling in her lap. She wasn’t sure what hurt more—the disappointment in their voices or her own failure to speak for herself.
“Malum’s coming here?” Helton asked.
Reed’s scowl turned even deeper, if that was possible, as he shook his head. “I’ll go to Preston Hall.”
“It’s true, then?” Josephine asked from the doorway, her voice barely audible. “Melanie is going to have to marry the duke?”
With those words, their mother sat up straight, blinking. “But of course, he’s a duke, isn’t he? And in light of this evening’s scandal, our Melanie will be… Why, she’ll be a duchess, won’t she?”
Caroline whirled around on their mother. “Yes Mother, he is a duke, but he isMalum! He owns a brothel!” And then back to Melanie. “What were you thinking going off alone with him?”
“I didn’t…” Melanie managed, because she had not sought him out tonight—though, it wasn’t the first time they’d been alone together.
Regardless, none of that really mattered. He wouldn’t offer. He’d shunned Society’s rules for years, why would he do any differently now?
And yet, he was not a man without principles.
Not that it’s your business, he had said.But Ernest isn’t mine.
Oddly enough, Melanie believed him.
In which case, he had taken in a newborn baby—a child who wasn’t his—set him up in his own nursery, hired a nursemaid, fed and clothed him. And he’d done all that without any actual obligation to do so.What else was I supposed to do?he’d asked.
Which meant that the Duke of Malum had some integrity after all—even if he would send Ernest away once he’d located the mother.
Still… He wasn’t the sort who’d propose in order to salvage her reputation.
And if he did, could she accept?
It would be hypocritical not to admit she’d been drawn to the man who had calmly helped her change Ernest’s nappy, the same man who had raced home, clearly concerned for the baby’s safety. But he was also Malum—a duke who owned a brothel, a man surrounded by women who were likely at his beck and call day and night.
Such a marriage could never be a proper one.
And Melanie, well, if she was ever to marry, she’d want it to be a proper one, wouldn’t she? She certainly couldn’t be happy sharing her husband with other women.
Something a brothel owner would expect, no doubt.
No, she thought, even if he did propose marriage in order to preserve her reputation, she could not accept.
Definitely not.
Unfortunately, this kind of scandal wouldn’t only affect her, it would affect her entire family.
She closed her eyes for a moment, willing away the sting of imminent tears.
She had gone into the libraryalone. He had merely followed in order to offer that absurd apology.
She had done nothing wrong!
“I went…”alone. Melanie inhaled.Just say it!she berated herself. They needed to know she’d never knowingly put them at risk.
But Reed somehow understood. “He followed you, didn’t he? That bloody bastard.”
Melanie nodded. It was the truth, but she couldn’t help but feel as though she was betraying the duke.
Despite the fact that he had, in fact, followed her—to apologize—for betrayingher.
"If he doesn’t make an offer, couldn’t this ruin all of us?” Josephine’s question wasn’t meant to be unkind, Melanie knew. She was only being honest, but it cut to the heart of the matter.
