Page 26 of The Madame Catches Her Duke

“At least once more, Lady Harwich. I am nothing if not above reproach, Your Grace, especially when it concerns my best friend’s wife.” The earl turned a lopsided grin in her direction before prodding his horse into a canter.

He laughed and pulled ahead of Marce and her mount as their trail widened on the way to an open meadow, blanketed in thick, green grass.

If he were any other man, and she was not supposedly spoken for, Marce would think Tobias a dashing lord. Very gallant, indeed.

Marce pulled her horse to a stop and slipped from her side-saddle to the ground.

The earl reined in his mount and circled back to her, dismounting his stallion.

“Have I offended you?” he asked, taking his place at her side as she walked into the meadow, their horses trailing behind them. “If I have, I will lay myself upon my sword and—“

“You do not possess a sword, my lord,” Marce said with a light laugh. “And even if you did, you’d have to do and say much to offend me.”

“Then what is it?” His gaze flitted about the field before them, settling on nothing. “I noted your distraction last night, and it only seems to have intensified today.”

He was worried—whether about her personally or something altogether different, she did not know.

“May I ask you something?” She glanced up at him as they walked side by side. “A question of a delicate nature?”

His brow rose, but still, he nodded.

“Don’t you think this charade has gone on long enough?” Marce focused on the rolling landscape as her eyes blurred. “I mean, it has been eight years. Eight years Rowan could have been searching for a woman he truly loved and longed to wed. Eight years I’ve spent lying to both my family and his…” She expelled a rough sigh. “I am exhausted, Tobias.”

Her stomach tightened. Never had she been so forward with anyone on the subject—and spoken words so close to the truth. The earl knew every detail of their arrangement but was kind—or perhaps he didn’t care—enough to discuss the topic with her. If she could trust anyone to keep her secret and also be honest with her, it was Tobias.

They both cared greatly for the duchess and didn’t want to see her hurt.

“You are thinking of ending things with Rowan.”

Marce’s steps faltered. There was no question in his words, only a statement. “How did you know?”

His chuckle was uneasy as he stopped to face her. “The correct question is: why have you waited so long? Though Rowan doesn’t believe it, I always knew this charade would end…and badly. Perhaps not for you or Rowan, but for Leona. She’s lost enough in her too-short life, and I suspect losing you—a woman she’s known as her daughter for years—will crush her far more than all the babes she lost in the past.”

“But I will still write her. Perhaps even visit once in a while.”

“We both know Rowan would never allow you back at Hadlow.”

She did know that, and it saddened her far more than she was willing to admit—even to Tobias.

“I would also never see you again,” she mumbled.

“Why ever not?” He turned and resumed their walk. “We are friends. Rowan cannot keep us from seeing one another on occasion. After all, London is a small town.”

“I won’t remain in London.” The city had been her home her entire life, and a small part of her would miss it, even if she tried to convince herself otherwise. “The duke will take Craven House, and I will be forced to seek another home. When I do, it will not be in in the city; likely, it will be far from town and society.”

The tall grass from the meadow parted as they proceeded, their boots trampling the previously untouched greenery, leaving a path in their wake.

“And what if you and Rowan continue your charade, at least for the time being?”

Tobias could not truly be asking her to linger longer, to remain at the mercy of Rowan and their never-ending arrangement. “What of my future? Do I not deserve to find love, happiness, and contentment for myself?” She didn’t wait for his response. “There is nothing for me if I remain under Rowan’s control. And what of his future and the dukedom? He needs an heir, and I am not the woman to give him one.”

“Rowan isn’t concerned with his happiness or the next in line to take over the dukedom,” Tobias challenged.

“He should be very concerned about his future and that of the dukedom, instead, he continues as it has been with little regard for his duty as a duke.”

“I think you judge him too harshly, Your Grace.”

“Stop, Tobias.” Her steely tone sparked a morsel of remorse even before the words had left her mouth. “He demanded I pay the penance for a sin that wasn’t mine to bear—nor was it his.”