“Of course,” she blushed. “And you need not look so smug about it, Your Grace.”
He laughed out loud. “I am just relieved that you apparently find yourself lucky to have found me.”
She rolled her eyes in a rather unladylike manner. “You need not pretend you have not heard all the other young ladies say that you are quite the catch. I do recall several of them throwing themselves into your path in every ball we go to.”
“None of them were you,” he argued. “How would I be able to notice anyone else when I only have you in my eyes?”
“What a lovely silver tongue you have!” she laughed, playfully swatting at his arm. “All in all, I think our announcement went rather well. Thankfully, they received the news rather enthusiastically.”
“One would think they had been waitingagesfor us to finally do so,” the Duke groused. “My sister, particularly, could not stop talking how some other gentleman was going to snatch you from under my nose simply because I was too much of a coward to confess my true feelings for you.” He sobered up at the thought that, indeed, the Marquess very nearly managed to snatch Claire from under his nose.
Claire smiled faintly and patted his hand reassuringly. “You need not worry about it overmuch, Your Grace. I shall make things clear between the Marquess and I.”
“That is what worries me, my darling,” he frowned. “You do realize that he might not take the news too well.”
“He cannot possibly do anything to me in broad daylight. And I intend to bring Lady Suzanna with me, so I shall not be alone.”
“I would feel better if you brought someone else with you,” he persisted. “I do not wish to cast aspersions on his character but he had been gone for several years and I have heard that he may be involved with less than legal dealings.”
Claire shuddered visibly at the thought that she had considered marriage to such a man, even fought with Lady Suzanna when she tried to warn her about him.
“We are meeting this afternoon at the park,” she offered with a small smile. “There will be quite a lot of people around to hear me if I scream for help.”
Oliver visibly paled at the prospect of her getting hurt but she just laughed him off.
“You worry too much, Your Grace. I assure you, everything will be all right.”
As much as he wanted to believe her, Oliver could not but feel some fear gnawing at his heart. For years, he had wanted nothing more than to be able to love Claire as openly as he did now.
He did not want to lose her just because he was complacent or because he underestimated his opponent.
He was fairly certain that Lord Draydon was hiding something, although he did not have evidence to back his claims.
He was certainly going to take precautions about it, though.
Just in case, in his mind, he made a note to add another footman to accompany Claire and Lady Suzanna when it came time for them to meet with the Marquess that afternoon.
* * *
“Oh, Claire, I cannot believe it! You and His Grace! It is my very dearest wish come true!”
Claire watched as her younger sister danced around her rooms in jubilation. From all the joy she was exhibiting, one would think it was Trixie herself who managed to catch the heart of the Duke, and not her older sister.
“I am glad that you approve of my choice of suitors,” she said wryly as Trixie plopped herself into a chair next to her in a horrendously unladylike manner.
“But what about the Marquess?” the younger girl asked. “Wasn’t he hanging around you like a leech the past few weeks?”
Claire grimaced at her sister’s choice of words. “About that…He did intend to ask for my hand in marriage yesterday…”
“You do not say!” Trixie breathed, her eyes wide in amazement. “What happens now?”
Claire pursed her lips. “Of course, I must inform him that I cannot continue courting with him. I will have to let him down.”
“I do not think it will be that easy.”
“I know,” she sighed. “His Grace warned me to be careful.”
Trixie smiled teasingly at her sister. “He seems to be rather protective of you.”
