Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Victor stood in front of Lady Lydia and her family, holding his nerve. He breathed steadily and tried to quell the uneasy feeling in his stomach. When he made the proposal, he watched Lady Lydia closely. Her face paled, and she looked as though she had been asked to march into hell.
“That’s wonderful news,” Agatha said although Victor did not place much credence into the annoying woman’s opinion.
“I’m glad you are doing the honorable thing,” Edmund said, although there was tension in his voice. The other two women present said nothing, and the boy clung to his mother. Victor curled his lip. He had had enough of children for the time being.
“No,” Lydia whispered.
Victor arched his eyebrow, for that was not the answer he had been expecting.
“Lydia,” Agatha snapped and then turned to Victor with a placating smile. “I apologize for her, Your Grace. As you can imagine, it has been a difficult night, and she is not well-rested. I’m sure she just needs a little time to consider the matter, and you will get the answer you desire.”
Victor pressed his lips together. He had no desire to hear the answer at all.
Frankly, he would have chosen to be anywhere else, but as Harry had reminded him last night, he did have a duty to the baby and to his family.
He could not allow a scandal to stain his family’s name, and the only way to avoid that was to lean into the rumors and make this ‘affair’ legitimate. The ton demanded nothing else.
It was humbling to be reminded that, in the end, he was powerless against the whims of the ton.
“You do not need to apologize on my behalf, Grandmother,” Lydia said.
Her eyes were ringed with sadness, but she held herself with a rigid posture and a defiant look rested upon her features.
Victor found it hard not to appreciate her beauty, even if he was not usually concerned with such things.
She looked delicate, but there was clearly an inner strength that was admirable.
“Why would I wish to marry a man who accused me of having a child out of wedlock? Especially when it is more likely that the child is his,” she continued.
“I told you the child is not mine. The accusation is nonsense,” he snapped, color rising to his cheeks.
Lydia folded her arms across her chest. “You have still not explained to me why someone would leave a baby in your chamber wrapped in your family’s blanket. It seems to me that someone was leaving you a message.”
“If so, then the message is entirely lost on me,” he said, breathing deeply because he could feel the emotions rising within him again.
The last thing he wanted was to lose control in front of these people.
They might start believing Lydia’s claims. “I can assure you that I have never ruined a lady, and I do not intend to begin now. I have seen the morning papers. I know what they are saying about us. It isn’t right.
” He looked at Lady Lydia, wanting her to know that this was not an entirely selfish act.
“This marriage is a way for us to… manage the situation. I know how the situation looks, and I am attempting to discover the truth, but in the meantime, we must do something, Otherwise, the story will run away with itself.”
“I already have a plan. I will become a nun,” Lady Lydia said.
“And have people believe that you are paying penance for your sins? The story will hound you all your life. You will forever be tainted,” he said, mystified that anyone would welcome this.
“That would be the case anyway,” Lydia replied.
Victor shook his head. “Not if we prove the truth. Let me tell you my plan. I have obtained a special license that will allow us to wed but offer the option of an annulment. It is an… unusual situation, but it will afford us time to find the child’s mother and present the truth to the ton.
In the meantime, we shall be married, and so the whisper of scandal shall die down as people will see us as legitimate. ”
Edmund nodded thoughtfully, but it was difficult to discern Lady Lydia’s reaction.
“I can tell you have thought about what happens next,” Edmund mused. “But what will become of my sister at the end of all this? Say that you do find the mother, and the ton knows the truth. Lydia would still be married to you.”
“The marriage will come to an end, and the rules of the annulment shall be in the public record. Lady Lydia’s name will not be destroyed, and she will be free to marry again.
I do not see another way to fix this matter.
Anything else and Lady Lydia’s name will be ruined beyond repair,” as he said this, he turned his attention back to her and closed the distance between them. She did not recoil.
The closer he came, the more he could see the details of her face. The bright, pure blue of her irises, the strands of hair all tucked together, the slender neck, the high cheekbones, the bow of her lips. Every element seemed crafted perfectly, and together, they formed an exquisite young woman.
If he was the type to be moved by such beauty, he might even have felt a stirring of the heart.
“Lady Lydia… I do apologize for what happened. You were only looking for your grandmother, and instead you stumbled into a situation that confused us both. You do not deserve to have your reputation left in tatters by something that occurred in my house. I’m afraid there is nothing more we can do to fix this.
Either we get married, or we are both ruined forever. ”
Lady Lydia stared at him for what seemed like an eternity.
Her eyes glistened. They were filled with pain.
He could feel the enmity radiating from her.
She had been placed into an impossible position.
Even in this way, when he saved them from scandal, he was still condemning them to a time of unhappiness.
But he had thought about this a hundred different ways, and this was the only path forward he could see.
“I have done nothing wrong. I don’t see why I should be made to suffer,” Lydia complained then turned on her heel and rushed out of the room. The Duchess of Stonewood immediately chased after her while Edmund’s other sister, the Duchess of Winthrop, had a pained look on her face.
Edmund and Agatha came to stand beside Victor.
“I’m sure she will come around. It was big of you to stop by today, and we shan’t let this scandal continue. She will marry you. It’s the only thing that can be done,” Edmund said.
There was a sense of finality in his words. Victor’s life was about to change dramatically. Lydia’s words echoed in his mind, for he felt entirely the same way. He had not asked for this child. He had not asked for this scandal. Yet now, he had to salvage his reputation and marry Lady Lydia.
Whoever the mother of this child was, he would find her and would uncover the truth, no matter the cost.