Chapter 13 #3
The duke went to stand in front of the fireplace, and Max joined him.
“I regret to inform you that gossip about Lady Allegra’s scandalous meeting with you is still rampant in London, fanned mainly by your old friend Landon,” the duke said.
All hope that his father might have some positive news to report died in Max’s chest.
“That is both unfortunate and unfair,” Max said. “And Landon is no longer my friend. I made that quite clear to him on our last meeting.”
“Which might explain his continued hostility toward you.” The duke paused. “I am firmly of the belief that your marriage to Lady Allegra is the only way to fix this.”
Max let out a long breath and looked his father in the eye. “Yes. I agree. The issue now is whether I can persuade the lady to change her mind.”
“She is still resisting you?”
“She has another suitor.”
The duke raised an eyebrow. “Of your status? I sincerely doubt that.”
“She says she does not care for such things.”
“Then she is a fool.”
“I can assure you that the only fool in our marriage would be me,” Max said. “Lady Allegra has a quick wit and a sharp intelligence that one cannot help but admire.”
His father considered him. “I will speak to her father again and attempt to make him understand how vital this match is for his daughter.”
There was a tap at the door, and the earl looked in. “May I interrupt? I thought it might be beneficial to bring all parties together to sort this out.”
“That is an excellent suggestion,” the duke said. “Please join us.”
Allegra came in behind the earl. Max tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn’t look at him, which was extremely worrying.
There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were pressed tightly together.
He wondered whether she’d slept as badly as he had and exactly what conclusions she’d arrived at during her hours of wakefulness.
“Now, shall we all sit down?” the earl said.
Max hurried to place more chairs around the fire and waited until Allegra sat before the men all joined her.
“My son has agreed to the marriage,” his father, of course, spoke first.
Allegra’s gaze flicked toward him and he attempted a reassuring smile, which he suspected came out more as a grimace.
“Allegra?” The earl turned to his daughter. “What do you say to that?”
Max held his breath as she turned to the duke.
“I … accept.”
“Good,” the duke said, and reached over to shake hands with the earl. “I have come up with a convincing story that I hope will convince the ton to let the manner of their meeting become irrelevant.”
“How do you intend to do that?” the earl asked.
“By letting it be known that this is a long-standing betrothal arranged between two old friends when their offspring were in their cradles.”
“That’s damn clever,” the earl said.
“If we craft the marriage notices to the press carefully, I’m sure we can override this little unpleasantness,” the duke continued. “Now, how do you feel about them marrying by special license? I have one with me. Or will that give out the wrong impression of secretive haste?”
“I’m all for haste, to be honest,” the earl said. “But I’ll have to consult my wife about this. I suspect she’ll want everything to be done properly, but I don’t want her to feel unwelcome at her own daughter’s grand London wedding.”
“Perhaps we should go and speak with her now,” the duke said, rising to his feet. “And leave the happy couple to themselves for a few moments.”
The door shut behind the two still-talking men, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind. Max went to speak, but Allegra held up her hand.
“I know you must hate me for this, but I felt I had no choice.”
“I don’t—”
“Please let me finish. Once we are married, you don’t have to stay with me.
You can go back to your old life in London and forget that I exist. I wouldn’t object.
You must have somewhere to leave me?” She finally looked at him, and he registered the desolation in her eyes.
“And of course, when you need an heir, I’ll do my duty for you, have no doubt of that. ”
A growing thread of hurt welled into anger in Max’s chest. “You’ll do your duty.”
“Yes, and I promise I’ll never embarrass you in public, or insist that you bring me up to London.”
“I see. So this is to be a marriage for your convenience, is it, and not mine?”
Her brow creased. “I don’t understand. I’m trying to do the right thing for both of us.”
“Yet, you’ve already decided how our lives will be run. What about what I want?” He rose to his feet, his hands fisted by his sides.
“Oh, Max.” Allegra rushed forward and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“I know you’re only doing this to save my reputation.
The least I can do is set you free to be the man you want to be.
” She kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll pretend that everything is fine to everyone, but I won’t restrict you in any way. ”
She smiled brightly and held out her hand, as if he wouldn’t notice the slight quiver in her voice. “Shall we go and find my mother? I’m sure she’ll be delighted that I’ve managed to snare a marquess.”