“He knows, doesn’t he?” Marina began pacing back and forth. “Oh, I warned you that this might backfire, and now look at what you have gotten yourself into.”
“No need to rub it in,” Rachel sighed. “It is beyond my control now.”
“What is he going to do?”
Rachel held up the empty piece of paper in her hands. “I can either write him a letter to reject him?—”
“But you cannot reject a duke! Your reputation will never recover?—”
“Or I can just get married to him,” Rachel sighed. “The ceremony will be done within a week.”
“Has he gone mad?” Marina asked. “Why is he doing this?”
Rachel shook her head. She did not know which one of them was the mad one. Her for starting the rumor, or him for actually trying to make it into a reality.
Perhaps they would make a good match.
“And what did Father say?” Marina gasped. “Surely, he must have been furious. Oh, this only means that he is going to be even more unkind to you now.”
Rachel pressed her lips together. She did not even wish to think about the havoc this decision was going to wreak on her life at home—or worse, her sister.
And then she realized, “Oh heavens.”
“What’s happened now?” Marina asked immediately.
But Rachel could not speak. Given how angry their father had been, she knew that he would now only make her life a living hell if she were to remain in this house. Why wouldn’t he? He had all the power over her, and she was entirely reliant on him.
Unless…
She wrapped her arms around Marina, holding her tightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix this. I’ll fix it all—you will not need to suffer because of my actions.”
“Buthow?” Marina sounded hopeless.
“I’ll marry him,” she announced, the words feeling foreign in her own mouth. Yes, she had gone about claiming that they were to marry before—with such confidence—but that had meant nothing.
Now, her words actually held weight.
“I do not think my life would ever improve if I rejected his proposal. Or yours for that matter,” she continued. It was the only way.
If she became the duchess, then her father would not have power over her anymore, and she could at least use her title to protect Marina.
“Rachel,” Marina shook her head, “you need to be more careful. It is marriage that we are talking about, not some small thing. You must think clearly.”
The time for thinking clearly might have passed already.
“I am thinking clearly,” she lied.
Marina shook her head vehemently, “You think marrying a man like the Duke of Everly is fixing it? Rachel, you do not even know him!”
Rachel folded her arms, “What I see is an opportunity. I may not know him, but I know what this will do for you.”
“How is your sacrificing your entire life supposed to help me? Do you think I’ll be happy knowing you’ve trapped yourself in a marriage you don’t want?” Marina blazed.
If only her sister could understand it wasn’t what she wanted that mattered. Rachel heaved a long sigh, clamping her fingers to her temples as if she was actually gripping her sanity by the throat. She took a breath, sitting down to calm herself.
“If I don’t do this… If I don’t marry him, you’ll never have a chance of freedom. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“Freedom?” Marina scoffed, pacing the small room again. “You’re trading one prison for another, Rachel. Do you honestly think the Duke of Everly is going to offer you freedom? He’s… he’s…”
