Page 94 of It's All About the Duke
Rath’s hand tightened on the cloth. “Lady Vera may still have someone want to harm her because of what you said.”
“You needed to know that your misbehavior had consequences, too. Some young ladies were hurt by your letters. None physically that I’ve ever heard. Still, there were serious aftereffects. And you were to blame.”
“And that’s the only reason I’m not going to challenge you right now.”
“Your Grace?”
Rath looked over to Miss Everard and knew she was an innocent victim, too. He let go of the man and stepped back.
“Veronica said the only thing people in thetonsaid was rakes will be rakes.” Miss Everard’s voice was stronger than Rath had ever heard before. “Because you were dukes, the three of you went on with your lives and you were never held to account. Veronica is in a loveless marriage that she thought would at least give her children. Her husband has his fossils, his bones, his studies of them. She will have nothing after I marry.”
Rath remained silent. Thinking on all he’d heard.
“You need to take a hard look at what you’re giving up—Your Grace,” Miss Everard said. “Marlena. You don’t deserve her but she wants you.”
Rath stared at the two sets of eyes looking at him and saw all the damage he’d done. “Miss Everard, I’m sorry I sent the secret admirer letter to your sister and all the other ladies. It was thoughtless, and I thought harmless.”
She nodded once. “I’ve said all I came to say,” she said. “What you do about Marlena is your own business. I just don’t want her to be as unhappy as my sister and I have been.”
“And I stand by my words, Your Grace,” Bramwell added.
“I stand by mine as well.”
Rath turned toward the door and called “Sneeds?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” he said, walking in.
“Show Miss Everard and Mr. Bramwell out.”
Rath walked over to the decanter and poured himself another splash. It was a little early in the day to be hitting the bottle for the second time, but he had a lot of thinking and planning to do.
A lot to make up for.
Maybe going back and remembering some of the things his father had told him about being a gentleman might help. All the emotions of anger and revenge that had been swirling around inside the past few days were impossible to fathom right now, so he didn’t try. He would let them go. All of them. The only emotion he kept was his love for Marlena. It welled up inside him and wouldn’t be denied.
One thing he was sure of. He wouldn’t stop until he got her back. No matter how long it took.
Chapter 25
He could be a rake if he has a difficult time admitting he was wrong.
MISSHONORATRUTH’SWORDS OFWISDOMANDWARNINGABOUTRAKES, SCOUNDRELS, ROGUES, ANDLIBERTINES
“I find it very unusual that the Duchess of Griffin didn’t invite you to tea, too, Marlena,” Justine said, walking into the drawing room dressed in one of her new visiting day dresses.
It certainly didn’t bother Marlena. She was happy for Justine to be out of the house for a couple of hours. She’d been trying to work on her last Dear Reader column and Justine was always around and always talking. A little peace and quiet would be appreciated.
“You must have said or done something to upset her. It’s just puzzling that you didn’t get an invitation.”
A pain gripped Marlena’s stomach. That was highly likely. Had the duke decided to tell the other two rakes and their wives what she’d done? Had he told Lady Sara and Lady Vera, too, that she was Miss Truth? If so, shecould understand them shunning her. Everyone else would, too.
Marlena inhaled three deep breaths. Let it be so. She was tired of fretting about it. She had thought about going and apologizing to Lady Vera and Lady Sara—all of the people she’d written about over the years—but there were simply too many. And the thought too overwhelming.
“Perhaps she will tell me today what it is you have done. Can you think of a time you might have offended her?”
Many times.
“I probably said something, Justine. You know I’m not always as discreet as I should be. And the Season has me weary.”
