Chapter 4 #2
“This is a confounding morning,” Briarwood complained. “I hardly know what to make of this turn of events.”
“May I then suggest you take your leave, Briarwood,” the Duke replied. “You trespass not only upon the home of good people, but upon the peace of the woman I love. Leave her be. Harassment has never yet won a lady’s heart.”
The suggestion was more of a threat. Everyone in the cottage was aware of that.
“This isn’t over,” Briarwood said after a beat of silence. “You’ve all made a mistake. I have warned you all about what could happen if Lady Daphne does not become mine.”
He turned on his heel and strode out the door. A slam followed him. The old hinges rattled, making Mrs. Nicholson gasp.
“This is the most exciting thing that’s happened since Mr. Bell’s pig escaped into the churchyard!” she guffawed.
“It was quite the morning. I think I’ve forgotten about my illnesses,” the Reverend declared, chuckling.
“Care to tell me what that was about, Your Grace?” Daniel asked, this time, the Duke becoming the object of his suspicion and anger.
Daphne could not blame him. The Duke’s pretend proposal was preposterous. What kind of stranger inserted himself into a dispute like that?
“Ah. But it was a necessary performance,” the Duke declared. “You’re welcome, Lord Grisham. Allow me to properly introduce myself. Adrian Falkner, the Duke of Wolfcrest.”
Adrian, Daphne thought.
It suited him.
“Well, if we must follow propriety, then…” Daniel responded with a bow. “Daniel Brighton, Marquess of Grisham. This is my sister, Lady Daphne. Or—do the two of you already know each other?”
The Duke’s eyes fell on Daphne once more, and she curtseyed.
“Your Grace,” she said sweetly, displaying all the gratitude she could muster. “Thank you. You have rid me of a great burden today.”
“The pleasure is mine, my lady,” he replied as he bestowed a deep bow upon her.
Daniel stepped forward, placing himself between them once more.
“I may ask…” He appeared momentarily flustered.
“I… Well, you see… The problem is that you made quite a claim, Your Grace. What happens when we return to London and Briarwood learns that Daphne is not betrothed to you?” He cast a quick glance at her.
“That is the truth of the matter, yes? The two of you have not spent the last fortnight falling in love?”
“We only just met,” Daphne confessed.
At almost the same moment, the Duke answered, “That won’t happen. Because I was indeed offering for Lady Daphne’s hand.”
His matter-of-fact manner was amazing.
Daphne blinked. Once. Twice.
Daniel straightened. He glanced at Daphne.
“I have already made it clear, Your Grace, that I wish my sister to marry a man of her choice,” her brother said.
“I wouldn’t wish to force anything upon her, Lord Grisham,” the Duke clarified.
“I said I was offering for your sister. She may refuse me, of course, and return to London and say we decided we weren’t a good fit in the end.
Still, all of us here know that Briarwood won’t give up.
He said as much before slinking out the door. ”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“I know his kind. He will keep pursuing Lady Daphne. When he ruins her reputation, she won’t have a choice but to marry him.
” His thick fringe of eyelashes fluttered as he looked down upon her.
“And I saw the fear in your eyes when he was here, my lady. You know as well as anyone that Lord Briarwood is a menace.”
Daphne shifted, another shiver raking down her spine as she recalled the Earl’s lecherous gaze.
“I do not wish to force anything upon you, my lady,” the Duke added. “I am asking to you to marry me. Briarwood has a power that depends on how much you fear him. However, even he has his limits. One of the limits I believe he won’t test is my authority.”
The Duke looked at her intently, as if showing her just how serious he was or could be.
“If you become my wife, Lady Daphne, no one will so much as whisper your name without my leave. You will be untouchable, and protected not by plea or pity, but by my power. No man will dare speak against you, nor even think harsh words in your presence.”
His promises, though spoken with measured calm, carried a seriousness that pressed against her chest. On the surface, they sounded practical, even merciful.
Safety, protection. An end to fear.
But beneath that veneer lay something heavier, something final: marriage to a man she barely knew. A stranger whose strength unsettled her as much as it tempted her. It was an offer wrapped in reason and authority, yet it felt no less like a cage.
One lined with velvet, but a cage, nonetheless.
“We scarcely know each other, Your Grace,” she reminded him.
“That is true,” he replied. “But I already respect your character. You are brave, selfless, and worthy of respect. I realize you possess a whole host of other qualities, but I am inclined to think them admirable.”
“There must be another way to get rid of the Earl,” Daniel muttered, shaking his head.
“There isn’t,” Daphne told him. “You saw Briarwood. Once he finds out that this was nothing but a performance, he will strike back. What other option have I got? One that won’t tear my whole life apart?
” she asked, her voice growing desperate.
“Should I have to go to the ends of the earth to escape the wretched man?”
“No, you don’t have to,” the Duke said softly.
“Daphne,” Daniel began, his voice holding a quiet warning.
“As for you, Your Grace…” Daphne faced him. “If I accept this arrangement, I want to know what you have to gain from it. While I want to be safe, I can’t imagine why you would want to commit to a stranger.”
“A Duke is expected to have a wife,” he said simply.
“And the sun rises in the east,” Daniel remarked sarcastically. “Have you got any other reason to offer us, Your Grace?”
“I am being honest,” the Duke offered. “I do want a wife, and this coincidence happens to be very convenient for me.”
“Still, you are asking my sister to bind her life to yours, when she has just met you,” Daniel countered.
The Duke kept his eyes fixed on Daphne. “There are two proposals before you,” he said, his voice calm but firm.
“One offers nothing but entrapment and oppression. The other offers safety, respect… and a chance to be treated as the woman you are. Choose wisely, my lady. And do not mistake the stranger’s protection for coldness.
It is given with intention, not obligation. ”
Daphne sighed. The sound was quiet but weighted with resignation.
It seemed, no matter how she turned it over in her mind, she was trapped.
Each choice carried its own danger: one path promised a life under the scrutiny and whims of a man whose attentions chilled her blood; the other offered security, yes, but at the cost of marrying a stranger, binding herself to a man she barely knew.
She pressed her hands together, feeling the faint tremor that betrayed her outward composure. Fear, anger, and a bitter sting of helplessness gripped her. Yet, despite it all, she understood that some semblance of control remained in choosing the lesser evil.
She could endure a life of uneasy companionship if it meant preserving her dignity and protecting her family.
For now, that was all she could do: measure the risks, steel herself, and accept that survival sometimes required compromise, even when her heart recoiled.
“If I agree to this, I expect you’d keep your word. You would protect me and not demand from me that which I do not wish to give. And above all, respect my family, and ensure nothing harms their name.”
The Duke met her gaze. He didn’t flinch or waver. He simply lowered his voice when he promised solemnly, “You will be safe with me. I will never take from you what you do not freely offer. And your family’s name will never be tainted. Not under my watch.”
In that moment, a flutter stirred in her chest, sharp and unpredictable, leaving her breath uneven.
It was an unnerving, thrilling sensation, one part fear, one part something else she could not name.
Her heart raced, betraying her calm exterior, yet despite the anxiety clawing at her, she could not tear her eyes away from him.
Every nerve seemed drawn toward him, as though the very air around him had some magnetic pull.
“Very well, then. I accept your offer, Your Grace,” Daphne said after a long exhale.
She glanced at her brother, who pursed his lips and nodded.
“If that is what you wish, sister. But I want you to know that I will stand beside you, no matter what,” Daniel said, rubbing a hand over his face.
Daphne could understand the pressure her brother had given himself in trying to protect her and Victoria.
“It is what I want, brother,” she assured him and Daniel sighed.
“All right, then. Your Grace, about the marriage contract—”
“I’ll secure a special license so we can marry as soon as possible,” the Duke said firmly, cutting Daniel off. “Best to leave no room for delay or doubt. We’ll marry in London.”
Daniel blinked, clearly taken aback but nodded. “I agree. Haste is in our favor.”
“Good. I will send some of my men with you to guard you on your journey back to town, and to keep watch over your home until the wedding. They are trained, capable… and discreet.”
Daphne’s attention sharpened at the word trained.
What did that mean?
“Trained?” she parroted, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.
For the first time, the Duke hesitated. It was barely noticeable, a flicker behind his otherwise steady gaze, but it was enough to stir her curiosity.
“My success has made me some enemies, that is all,” he said with a shrug, as though it explained everything. Daphne could sense he was keeping secrets and that there was much more to his story than he let on.