“I will not apologize for my actions, Tri,” her brother said in a level voice. “It was for the best that you didn’t know.”
Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Triana allowed them to flow freely. Years of pent-up frustration and hurt began streaming down her face. “Best for whom, Travell?” Her voice cracked. “Maybe for you, because it certainly wasn’t best for me.” With that, she turned and fled the room.
Chapter Ten
Triana had been surprised when a new article did not appear in theTimesthe following morning. But even more shocking was the fact that her mother didn’t accost her with one of her usual rants, even though Triana had spent the majority of the morning in her bedchamber. She’d had her breakfast sent up, although she found she didn’t have much of an appetite and only picked at the tantalizing selections on her plate before setting it aside virtually untouched. She refused to admit that she was hiding out and purposefully avoiding Travell, but deep down, she knew that was a lie. While part of her was miserable for their terrible argument the night before, she couldn’t help but continue to feel a touch of resentment. She hadn’t realized he’d hidden quite so much from her. It was still hard to swallow that he was aspy, of all things.
And then, of course, there was Gabriel.
He hadn’t bothered to pay her a call, although why she ever thought he might was ridiculous.“I shall be glad to give you all the details. Perhaps somewhere more…private?”The implication had been clear, and his coarse words to Cordelia still rang in Triana’s ears.
She’d drawn out his handkerchief more than once throughout the morning and stared at his initials, trying to make sense of it all. The linen still carried a hint of smoke from that long ago cheroot, and she breathed in the scent with a sigh.
No matter how deplorable his actions were in front of Cordelia, Triana just couldn’t accept that he truly was just another despicable bounder, for she had been the recipient of another side of him, the one he chose to hide from the rest of theton.It wasn’t always visible, but when his guard was down, like that very first evening on the terrace, she knew it existed.
But then, if that were true, why had he tried so hard to humiliate her?
When the kitchen maid knocked on her door to bring in her luncheon tray, Triana quickly tucked the handkerchief out of sight. But in the next instant she froze — a sense of unease trickling down her spine — for right next to her steaming plate of food laid a neatly folded copy of theTimes.
As soon as the maid set the tray on her dresser and took her leave, Triana shoved back her bed covers with trembling hands, stood, and walked toward the paper as if it were an executioner ready to deliver the final blow. She picked up the seemingly harmless, black and white print and closed her eyes momentarily, dreading another twisted headline. But as she scanned the various editorials, she finally found her name in one of the many articles, although what she read was not at all what she’d expected to find.
It was far worse than she could have imagined.
Her mind spun in disbelief as she bit the knuckle of her index finger to keep from crying out as she absorbed every dreaded line.
To our esteemed ladies and gentlemen—the hound has finally been caught! It is this reporter’s great pleasure to announce the upcoming marriage of LadyTriana Abernathy to Lord Alfred Durning, the Earl of Eastbury. How fortuitous that such an admired member of the peerage should ensnare this unsuspecting prey! Quite a twist in an otherwise tangled web of deceit, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps the Duke of Chiltern can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that he is free to pursue more accommodating interests. It is our belief that Lady Cordelia Worthington would make a fine duchess...
***
“Oh, Triana, is it really true?” Rowena’s concerned voice preceded the warm hug she offered the instant she was shown into the Abernathy’s front parlor, where Alyssa already held a cup of tepid tea.
Triana gave the tall blond a watery smile and nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid that it is.”
She paused and took a steadying breath, recalling the way she’d run into her mother’s boudoir that morning — and the horrifying shock that had followed, leaving her more betrayed than she’d ever felt toward Travell.
Even now, Amelia’s harsh, condemning words rang in her ears.“You are no longer a threat to me or this family’s good name, Triana. Since your brother doesn’t see fit to put you in line, then I have taken matters into my own hands. If you truly wish to lay blame, then perhaps you should point that accusing finger at yourself. After those shameless fiascos with the Duke of Chiltern, you left me no choice but to act accordingly and you will wed Eastbury or else face, not only my wrath, but the Regent’s as well, for he gives his highest blessing upon the match.”
Afterward, a steady stream of tears, shouting, and yes, even a bit of begging had occurred, but when it was all said and done, every effort Triana had made to change her mother’s mind was in vain, for regardless if the union was horribly undesired or not, Amelia was as determined as her daughter. For the sake of the preciouston’sacceptance, Triana’s hand had been bartered to the worst man imaginable.
Triana’s mouth twisted, knowing that the words she now uttered came out bitterly. “Mother was the first to offer her heartfelt congratulations on the match.”
She took a sip of her tea, and then set it aside when it promptly turned to ash in her mouth.
Rowena’s mouth immediately drooped in silent despair upon finding that the rumor hadn’t been as false as she’d hoped. Alyssa had worn a very similar expression less than a half hour ago when she’d arrived. It was the first time Triana had known her friend when she didn’t have a humor-imbued reply at the ready.
Rowena sat next to Triana and glanced over at Alyssa. “You haven’t come up with a solution yet?”
Alyssa just sighed. “No. Unfortunately, breaking a betrothal is not my forte.”
Triana listened as the two quietly conversed, trying to come up with a solution to her dilemma, but since neither crying off nor running away were in the realm of possibilities, given Prinny’s stamp of approval on the union, the conclusion was inevitable — she would have to go through with the marriage.
“You just have to have faith it will turn out all right someday,” Ro finally said with an encouraging smile, reaching out to squeeze Triana’s hand. “Maybe you can even learn to care for the earl in time. Perhaps after you have children…”
Triana didn’t hear the rest, her head suddenly buzzing as she focused on the one key factor to her marriage with Eastbury. As if it wasn’t a bleak enough future knowing the rest of her life would be spent in the man’s company day in and day out, but to imagine all the nights she’d have to share hisbed…
The very thought was enough to make her stomach turn.
But just as she was about to become even more despondent, some foreign voice in the back of her mind whispered defiantly,Change the rules.As you carry out this lifetime sentence, why not enjoy one night with the forbidden? If you’re going to lose anyway, you might as well go down in flames with something to remember—with Gabriel—the man you love.
