Chapter 9 #3
He told himself they simply needed to stay still for a few more seconds. Whoever had opened the library door would see an empty room and leave, and then it would be over, and they could step out of this alcove and put a reasonable distance between themselves and never speak of any of it.
He was thinking this, was almost convinced by it, when the curtain was pulled back.
The light hit them both at once, and Theodore turned around, shielding Emily with his body.
But not fast enough. Julia stepped to the side to take a peek at the lady he was with, and Theodore didn't miss the initial flash on her face.
Julia stood there with a look of pure pleasure, a victorious smile already pulling at her lips as if she had finally cornered a prey.
But as the light fully hit them, the triumph withered.
Her smile collapsed. Confusion clouded her eyes for a heartbeat, followed instantly by a mask of white-hot, unadulterated fury.
Behind her, three guests lingered like ghosts in the doorway, their expressions shifting from curiosity to a scandalous, wide-eyed shock.
“Out,” Julia said, without turning around, her eyes still fixed on Theodore. “All of you.”
Nobody moved.
Theodore recognized them instantly, three of the most relentless gossips in the Ton, their eyes wide and hungry as they took in the sight of a Duke and a lady tucked into a window nook at midnight. They weren't going to leave. A scandal of that magnitude was a prize they intended to savor.
Julia turned back to Theodore, her face a mask of frantic, white-hot fury. “Your Grace! What is this? Where is Lady Euphemia? Where is she?”
She cast a panicked glance around the shadows of the library, as if expecting someone to emerge from the bookshelves.
In that moment, the pieces clicked together in Theodore’s mind.
He saw the remnants of that triumphant smile that had graced Julia's lips only seconds ago and finally understood the game.
She hadn't been looking for Emily when she looked past him.
She had been looking for Euphemia. She had intended to trap him in this very spot with a bride of her choosing.
He held her gaze for one long, still moment. She looked away first. She looked around the room, at the bookshelves, at the lamp, at a point somewhere past his left shoulder. Her jaw was tight, and her hands were folded in front of her with a control that cost her something visible.
Theodore turned his gaze to Emily and felt a sharp, internal jolt at the sight of her.
The hard-won ease of their earlier banter had vanished, replaced by a visible panic that seemed to vibrate through her entire frame.
Her shoulders had hiked high again, stiff and defensive.
After everything she had shared, he realized he could not possibly leave her to drown in this predicament. Not after tonight.
Without a word, he pulled her toward him, his arm sliding firmly around her waist to anchor her against his side. She was dazed by his action, staring at him, but he paid her no mind. He was going to fix it.
“I should be rather upset by this interruption,” he said and straightened his coat.
“I had hoped for a private moment. I had something to say to Lady Emily that I wished to say without an audience.” He glanced at Emily, and the look he gave her was warm and entirely constructed, and she held it without flinching, which he had known she would.
“I merely required a moment alone with Lady Emily. I had intended to propose in private before making a formal announcement, as I wished to confess my love without… prying eyes.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the gossip seemed to stop breathing.
“We look forward to our marriage,” Theodore continued, his gaze drifting back to Julia, challenging her to breathe a word of protest. “It will, of course, take place very soon. Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe my fiancée requires a moment to compose herself.”
The shock was enough to finally break the spell. Julia, her face now a ghostly, defeated white, turned to the guests. “You heard His Grace,” she managed to choke out. “Leave. All of you. Now.”
The women finally retreated, their whispers already beginning before they even cleared the threshold.
As the heavy oak doors swung shut, Theodore’s gaze shifted toward the threshold, where he caught a fleeting glimpse of Lady Euphemia standing in the shadows.
The girl looked completely disoriented, her face pale as she took in the wreckage of the scene.
Julia let out a sharp, jagged sob of pure frustration before turning on the girl with a vitriol that made Theodore’s blood run cold.
“What are you doing here now?” Julia hissed, her voice trembling with irritation. “Is this what I asked of you? Why are you only appearing when the damage is done? Leave!”
Euphemia didn't offer a word in her defense. She simply lowered her head and hurried away into the corridor. Theodore watched her go, the final piece of the puzzle falling into place. He turned back to Emily, his heart sinking at the sight of her.
“I am sorry,” he murmured, the words feeling entirely inadequate. “This is all my fault.”
“It is,” Emily retorted, her voice brittle.
She stepped back, breaking the contact of his arm around her waist. “I am ruined now, Your Grace. Telling those women you intend to marry me when you have no such intention only makes the fall harder. You have turned a scandal into a lie that will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“I will marry you,” Theodore announced definitively. “I have never in my life ruined a woman, and I do not plan on starting with you. My word is given.”
Emily stood frozen, her eyes wide as she searched his face for a sign of a cruel joke, but she found only a grim, absolute resolve. She looked as though she wanted to scream or weep, but instead, she simply turned and bolted for the door, vanishing into the hall.
Theodore started after her, his hand reaching out to stop her, but Julia stepped into his path. “You need to stay, Your Grace! You cannot follow her now. We must speak about this. Find a loophole. Remediate this immediately.”
Theodore stopped, but the look he leveled at his godmother was one of pure fury. He waited until the sound of Emily’s footsteps had completely faded before he spoke.
“You have done enough,” he said, the words cutting through the air like a blade. “You crossed the line, Lady Birks. You wanted to trap me in a scandal?” he scoffed. “My goodness. Are you certain you have my best interests at heart?”
“Theo, you are not seeing what I see,” she whispered, taking a step forward.
“I do not want to see you anymore,” he retorted. “I do not want you in my house or in my affairs.”
“You do not mean that,” she answered, mellowing.
“Lady Birks, I mean it with all of my heart.” He adjusted his cuffs. “I will be marrying Emily Pierce in a week. You will not be there to witness it.”
He walked to the door, feeling a pang in his chest.
“Theodore,” Julia said quietly behind him.
But he did not stop.