“There is no need for introductions. We are well aware of who you are, Your Grace,” Lord Lempster interjected quietly. “Might I ask how you are acquainted with my daughter?”
“Pardon my intrusion, Lord Lempster,” Raph said evenly. “I arrived this morning with a proposal for your daughter.”
Every pair of eyes widened in disbelief. All but Lady Iris’s. She sat in composed silence, her gaze fixed on him with unsettling clarity, as though she could see straight through the falsehood he had uttered.
If only her younger sisters possessed the same restraint.
But his thoughts were dashed when Lady Iris rose and asked hesitantly, “Uhm, Camelia, are you… Are you truly marrying the Duke of Brentmere?”
Straight to the point, this one.
“Camelia! When were you going to tell us you are to be a duchess?” Lady Margaret gushed.
Lady Camelia gaped at her sisters. “Sisters, I am as unaware about this as you are,” she said with genuine confusion.
“Oh…” Lady Margaret pouted, disappointment etched in her features.
Lord Lempster cleared his throat, his brow furrowing as he fixed Raph with a stern look. “Indeed, Your Grace. Your… proposal has caught us all off guard.”
“I must beg your pardon, Lord Lempster. It was never my intent to intrude upon your meeting with Lord Montague. Yet, I confess that patience has never been my virtue. When something piques my interest, I do not wait… I claim it.” Raph’sgaze locked on Lady Camelia’s, a steady, searing heat that left no doubt as to his meaning.
He watched her throat work as she swallowed nervously. The elegant line of her neck drew his eye. An image flashed unbidden of his hand on the nape of her neck, her head tilted back, and her lips parting as she moaned his name.
“Is Camelia compromised? Is that why you’re here, Your Grace?” Lady Iris’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Compromised? They think I’ve ruined her.
Raph bit his tongue, the truth too dangerous to voice.
She would have been compromised if she hadn’t run into me.
“Iris! I am not?—”
Raph shot her a look, and she immediately stopped talking.
Good, little flower.
“Your sister’s honor remains intact, Lady Iris,” he assured firmly. “I seek nothing more than a wife, a duchess who will do her duty to me. Lady Camelia suits that role perfectly. That is all you need to know, for now.” His tone brooked no protest or inquiry.
“This is all rather thrilling, isn’t it, Father?” Lady Margaret said. Her grin was wide, yet it faltered as her eyes swept the room. “Surely it is welcome news, Camelia?”
Lady Camelia glared at Raph before turning to her sister with a soft smile. “Yes, it is splendid news, Margaret.”
“You simply must tell us every detail!” Lady Margaret exclaimed, her mischievous grin returning full force.
“In due time, Sister.” Lady Camelia tucked a loose curl behind Margaret’s ear.
She would be a fine wife.
Raph had no regrets about his hasty decision. Despite his growing hunger for her to writhe beneath him, naked and fully submissive to his every whim, the maternal care she showed her sisters would come in handy.
“Lady Margaret,” he interjected, and the room fell silent. “I assure you and your family that this isn’t a game to me.”
“Oh, I should hope not!” Lady Margaret’s tone was sharp now, all trace of her childish humor gone. “Camelia is beloved by us all, and we will not stand to see her harmed.”
Raph’s jaw tightened.
They have no idea what their beloved sister planned to do.
