The Exhilarated Duke of Crestfall
Donovan was pointedly ignoring her, directing all his attention to the Duke of Crestfall, and Cassidy felt a surge of annoyance.
"Donovan," she said, her voice cutting through the polite chatter. "You're going to answer my question. And if I don't like the answer, I'll be using my authority from the Capital Inspection Bureau to personally drag you to a cell for a much more serious interrogation."
Donovan was rendered speechless.
What was he supposed to say? *The heart wants what it wants?
* It wasn't that simple. He genuinely was in love with Lady Bradford now.
Besides, his first wife, Lady Redgrave, had only given him a daughter and never gotten pregnant again.
As the heir to the Donovan family, he couldn't let the line die with him.
He'd kept his promise to the old marquis not to take any mistresses, which meant doing right by Lady Bradford was out of the question, forcing him to keep her on the side.
Then the old marquis died, but he was still terrified that brute, the Marquis of Stonehaven, would storm the estate and cause trouble, so he still didn't dare bring Lady Bradford home.
But now? His son with Lady Bradford was five years old.
The Marquis of Stonehaven had been thrown in prison, the whole Stonehaven estate was on lockdown, and it felt like fate itself was clearing his path.
He'd waited for months, and once it was clear Stonehaven's case was a lost cause, he finally worked up the nerve to marry Lady Bradford and welcome her into his home properly.
He even thought he was being considerate. He wasn't divorcing his first wife; she could just be on equal footing with Lady Bradford. From where he stood, he'd handled it all perfectly. He hadn't embarrassed his wife, and he'd followed his heart. It was the ideal solution.
Just as Donovan was scrambling for a way to answer the princess, a commotion erupted at the entrance. A few older women scrambled in, chasing a woman in simple clothes. It was none other than Lady Redgrave, the Marquis of Stonehaven's sister, who was supposed to be under house arrest.
Her hair was a mess and her face was pale, but she held her head high. Her gaze swept coldly over the red silk decorations filling the hall before landing on Donovan.
"Mother!" Paige Donovan cried, rushing to her side.
Donovan's expression soured at the sight of her. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice like ice.
Lady Redgrave gently patted her daughter's hand before fixing her husband with a terrifyingly calm stare.
"Today is your big day," she said softly. "I came to congratulate you."
She paused, her voice hardening. "I congratulate you, Victor Donovan, for being a treacherous, ungrateful, heartless snake. And congratulations to the Donovan family on its upstanding and sterling reputation."
"How dare you!" Donovan was so furious the veins on his forehead bulged, his face turning a blotchy purple. He glared at the women who had failed to restrain her. "What are you standing there for? Get her out of here! Don't let her disturb our guests!"
"Wait," Cassidy said, stepping forward until she stood before Lady Redgrave. "You're the Marquis of Stonehaven's sister?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
At this, Lady Redgrave looked over. Seeing it was Princess Solana, she gave a quick, shallow bow. "Yes, Princess. The Marquis of Stonehaven is my brother."
Cassidy leaned in and pointed at Donovan with her chin. "You want to get rid of him?" she whispered. "I've been looking for a reason."
Lady Redgrave just stared, completely bewildered.
Before she could ask what the princess meant, her daughter, Paige, dropped to her knees with a thud.
"Please, Princess," she begged, looking up at Cassidy with fierce determination. "I'm begging you to find the truth for my uncle's family! And if this has anything to do with the Donovans," she added, her voice unwavering, "then I beg you, don't show them any mercy."
Lady Redgrave trembled from head to toe, her eyes wide with disbelief. She stumbled forward and grabbed her daughter's arm, her voice shaking. "Paige, what are you saying? My brother's case... it's connected to this family?"
Paige met her mother's gaze, tears streaming down her face. "I only suspect it, Mom. But whether it's connected or not, the injustice my uncle suffered can't just be forgotten. This has to be investigated until the truth comes out!"
The blood rushed to Lady Redgrave's head. Of course. She should have realized it sooner. The second her brother got into trouble, the Donovans had not only cut all ties but had practically tripped over themselves to submit official complaints, kicking him while he was down.
Her eyes locked on Victor Donovan, her expression murderous. "Victor. Was my brother's case your family's doing?"
Donovan gritted his teeth. "Your brother's case has nothing to do with us!" He'd wanted to take down the Marquis himself, but someone else beat him to it. Besides, even if he were going to frame someone, he wouldn't be stupid enough to use treason, a crime that could bring down his own house.
Prince Ashworth looked at him with open contempt. "If it's not related, then why are you celebrating with a new wedding while your wife's family is in chains?"
Donovan was speechless again. "Your Highness, I'm not celebrating. I'm... I'm..." He stammered, having no idea how to explain matters of the heart to Prince Ashworth of all people, a man whose own wife had run away from him.
Ashworth gave him a strange look. "If you're not celebrating, then what, exactly, are you doing?"
Just as Donovan was racking his brain for an answer, his father, having heard the commotion, finally hurried over. Leaning on his cane, the elder Mr. Donovan entered the main hall and immediately saw the notorious group from Argent gathered there.
His heart skipped a beat. He rushed forward to bow. "I had no idea such honored guests were in our humble home. I have failed to welcome you properly, a terrible mistake on my part, truly terrible!"
He shot a venomous glare at his son and Lady Bradford, who were still standing there in their wedding finery. He slammed his cane on the floor. "You rebellious boy! Why haven't you apologized to His Highness and the Princesses yet?"
After dressing down his son, the old man turned and bowed to the group again.
"Today was just my unworthy son acting foolishly, wanting to take a mistress. It's a private family matter, really. Nothing for honored guests like yourselves to worry about. We were unprepared for your visit, and our hospitality has been lacking. I do hope you can forgive us."
Seeing the old fox had finally made an appearance, the Duke of Crestfall was instantly on guard. The moment he heard the man trying to downplay the situation, he sneered. "Mr. Donovan, you certainly know how to lie with a straight face."
He raised a finger, pointing at Victor and Lady Bradford in their bright red wedding clothes.
His tone dripped with mockery. "Look at this hall, filled with red silk. Look at the clothes on your son and that woman. What part of this doesn't look like a wedding for a primary wife? And you have the nerve to call it 'taking a mistress'?"
He scoffed, his eyes raking over the old man's carefully composed face. "So this is the famous integrity of the Donovan family? Twisting the truth and blurring the lines of status? This has really been an eye-opener."
He was practically spitting as he spoke, every word a dagger. Maybe it was from hanging around Prince Ashworth and his daughter, but he felt like a new man, filled with a thrilling satisfaction that made him feel like he could yell at a stray dog and enjoy it.
Cassidy watched the Duke, quietly moving to stand in front of her father. She tugged on his sleeve. "Dad," she whispered, "the Duke is being savage."
Prince Ashworth stopped rolling the worry stones in his hand. He leaned close to his daughter. "Aren't they supposed to be partners in crime? Why does it look like they hate each other's guts?"
Cassidy rubbed her chin, her expression confident. "If you ask me," she whispered back, "they probably didn't split the loot fairly. Now they've dropped the act and are at each other's throats."