For the tender moments she had believed were real.
For the foolish, naive girl who had dared to hope.
It had all been an illusion.
The Duke—Gabriel—Mr Stone.
He was not the man she had believed him to be.
He was cold. Calculating. He had toyed with her affections to amuse himself.
And she?
She had been pathetic enough to fall for it.
Sometime in the early hours of the morning, a knock sounded.
Soft. Hesitant. Familiar.
Her breath hitched.
She knew who it was.
She lay still, her face buried in the pillow.
The knock came again—gentle, insistent.
Still, she did not move.
She would not open the door.
She had nothing left to say to him.
After a long silence, the footsteps faded.
And for the first time in a long while, Grace allowed herself to break.
Chapter 24
Heather entered Grace’s room mid-morning, her face alight with excitement.
‘Gracy, why did you leave the ball so early? You missed all the commotion!’
Grace, exhausted and emotionally drained, could not have cared less about another ton scandal, but she asked anyway.
‘What commotion?’
‘They announced Lord Gerrard’s and Lady Jane’s engagement, and thetonis abuzz with the scandal! Can you imagine? Lady Jane was engaged to the Duke only a week ago, and now she’s already moved on to his brother!’
Grace winced inwardly. She had yet to tell Heather about the encounter in the library, and all this secrecy was beginning to weigh on her.
‘Oh, and there’s a rumour going around that Lady Jane only broke off her engagement with the Duke because she discovered he was keeping a mistress in the countryside!’
Grace’s heart sank. Were they talking about her? Had someone overheard their conversation last night? A wave of nausea threatened to rise, but she feigned indifference.
‘What mistress?’
Heather shrugged. ‘No one seems to know, but they say the Duke is smitten with her. Gosh, Grace, you were right about him. It seems he does enjoy flirting and keeping mistresses. I’m sorry I tried to match you both up—I’m glad nothing happened between you.’
