“News of my death might have made the papers, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as juicy,” she said. To Society, the scandal between her and Malum was far more titillating.
The duke didn’t laugh as she half-expected, but kept his stare steady, his eyes looking darker than usual. She watched as his throat moved, and when he spoke, his voice sounded grave. “I,for one, am glad I was there to catch you. I can live with the consequences of saving you.” His brows furrowed…
A little flutter spiraled around her chest, and she had to shift slightly in her chair in an effort to refocus. “So, what are we to do now?” she asked, attempting a more businesslike tone.
“I don’t see any way out of it.” The duke stared at his hands, loosely clasped, his elbows braced on his knees. “We’ll have to marry.”
Staring at the top of his head, Melanie blinked. And then blinked again.
Until that moment, she hadn’t truly believed that he would, in fact, make her an offer.
“We don’t have to.”
He lifted his gaze, eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to marry me?”
“Well, you don’t really want to marry me, do you?” When he didn’t answer, but stared at her, looking incredulous, she just shook her head. “But that’s beside the point. There must be some other way out of this. You are a duke, after all—surely that counts for something…?”
And then… inspiration struck, and Melanie drew a slow breath while she gathered her thoughts. But of course. “You are theDuke of Malum,” she said.
He tilted his head, a stray lock of ebony hair curling around his cheek. “I know thetonisn’t known for its intellect, but I assumed eventheyhave grasped that particular fact.”
“No. I mean—” She rushed to explain herself. “You are not just any duke—you are a duke who has opened abrothel. And I know people say that you’ve been banished, or shunned, rather. It’s actually the opposite, isn’t it?”
He stared at her in that way that allowed her to continue.
“By making it known that you’ve offered for me.” She was feeling a little breathless. “In a show of honor,you becomelike the… like the prodigal son! People love a redemption story, after all. If we’re seen together—publicly and properly—an announcement might be enough to shift the narrative. From all of my family’s indiscretions to…”
“To me.”
Melanie nodded. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? “After the Season ends, I’ll cry off.” It might just be enough…
“I told Standish I’d marry you,” he said, but then he paused, apparently considering her suggestion. While waiting for him to say more, Melanie tried to read his thoughts, quite unsuccessfully. There wasn’t even a flicker of expression on the sharp lines of his cheeks.
“I’m not sure which would be worse,” he finally said. “Attendingtonevents as your fiancé—a lost sheep who has returned—or simply going ahead with a private ceremony.” The word “fiancé” sounded strange coming from him.
Melanie’s skin tingled with excitement though, because he seemed to think that her idea was… plausible. “A bit of pretending—that’s all it should take. There are only a few weeks left in the Season. And then, we’ll simply call it off over the summer. After that, I’ll stay in the country, and you can go right back to being… well, you.”
His lips curved slightly, a rare smile that seemed to transform his entire face. “How very pragmatic of you.” But he scrubbed a hand down his face.
Melanie held her breath.
A SCHEME
Malum wasn’t joking. The thought of actually getting married held more appeal than enduring Society’s suffocating ballrooms and drawing rooms—places he’d sworn off years ago.
Marriage, at least, would be a straightforward arrangement.
But this scheme wouldn’t simply demand his presence in Society. It would require him to play the part convincingly, enough to lend respectability to their engagement. That meant polite conversation, attending festivities, and enduring the company of women who had only ever offered him thin smiles. Worse still, he’d have to tolerate their hypocritical husbands—the so-called gentlemen who passed judgment by day but paid handsomely for their nights at theDomus.
The thought was almost unbearable.
Oddly enough, the notion of taking a wife was far less daunting. Simpler, cleaner—at least in theory.
By marrying, he could essentially go on with his life, business as usual.
Of course, there was the matter of Lady Melanie herself. The idea of having her at his side, or in his bed, wasn’t withoutits appeal. There was something disarmingly honest, alluring, about her presence.
Lady Melanie all but squirmed in her chair, leaning forward just enough to draw Malum’s gaze to her neckline. It reminded him of the far more revealing view he’d had the night before.
