“You may not, but you must believe it is for the best. I will make the arrangements for us to wed tomorrow at the registry office. I have contacts. I will have my cousin there, and if Lady Millie could come, then we can make this fable a reality.”
“Charity, I do not think you have an option,” Millie said gently. “Not unless you want to marry Markham.”
He watched her take this in, and then, after a lengthy silence during which the only sounds were the clip-clop of horses' hooves and the grinding of carriage wheels, she sighed and dropped her shoulders.
“If I must,” Charity said bitterly.
“You must.” he said, and then, before she could respond or question, he turned and hurried away into the night—for not only did he have a wedding to arrange, but he also had to make it appear as if it had already taken place. And then, he had to ensure that all of this was worth it—and he would be able to secure the secrets that could be his undoing.
CHAPTER6
Charity
Charity stared after the man she was supposed to marry, still shaking with rage. Rage at Lord Markham for pushing her into this position in the first place, rage at the duke for taking advantage, and rage at herself for going along with it.
“What just happened?” she asked her cousin, Millie.
“Well, it seems you've made yourself a new match. And a much better one, if you ask me.” Millie smiled as though there was reason to be merry here. Why was she so calm about this? Did none of this concern her? Of course, Charity was grateful to have Lord Markham put in his place, but now she was to wed a stranger? Who wanted to protect her from some evil plan Lord Markham had in place?
She had no doubt Markham saw advantages in their match, but she could not imagine that what he stood to gain by marrying her would be worth all this trouble.
“This is a good thing,” Millie added.
“What do you mean? I am still being forced to marry. I do not want this!”
“Yes, but at least the man you’re going to marry now is a duke. And handsome at that. If I had to choose between Markham and the duke, it would be the duke any day.” Millie shrugged and looped her arm under Charity’s, leading her away from Stafford House.
“But what do I really know about him? Nothing. Nothing but his name and that his father knew mine,” Charity protested. “How can this happen? How dare he just force me into a marriage like this?”
Millie stopped and looked at her seriously.
“How can he do it? By the power of his position—the exact same way Markham was going to do it. It is not ideal, I know, but it’s better than what you were facing. By all accounts, he could be considered an honorable man. He is formidable, he is rich, and he is not the only duke in his family. Three of his uncles are dukes on his father's side, and on his mother's side, there’s a duke and an earl that I know of. It doesn’t get any closer to royalty than this. They have estates everywhere in the country and overseas. They are a very powerful family. If your father’s desire was to protect you, this must be what he had in mind.”
Charity paused for a moment, recalling bits of information she'd heard about the Hayward family. Long ago, they had been quite disgraced due to the terrible actions of the patriarch. What had his name been? He wasn’t a duke then...She looked up at her cousin.
“Wasn't there a scandal attached to them?” she asked Millie, and her cousin nodded.
“What noble family doesn't have scandals attached to them? But yes, the Haywards have had their share. My grandmother told me she knew the patriarch. Lord...what was it? Worcestershire? I can’t quite remember now. In any case, he plotted to murder one of the dukes who ended up marrying one of his daughters. Or did he try to kill that duke’s brother? I am not certain but there was a murderous plot involved. He ended up in Newgate prison before being banished to Scotland.”
“Goodness, gracious! And you think it’s a good idea that I’m marrying into this family?” Charity gasped, unable to believe her ears.
“Oh, Charity, that was thirty years ago! Since then, all of Lord Worcestershire's daughters have married well and carried on with their lives. They’ve become more powerful and influential than you can imagine! They have done a lot of good. One of his aunts is patroness of a number of orphan asylums and responsible for many schemes that are helping orphans. There has been no true scandal attached to them in decades. Your father would not have been friends with the duke’s father if they were unsavory. You’ve really never heard of him? Eammon?”
“I cannot recall ever meeting him. My father mentioned the Duke of Leith’s heir at times, but that is all. He never shared much about his friendships. I recall the former duke was very close to his father, but that doesn’t make it any better that this man tricked me into marriage! And what does he mean by it being for my own good and to protect me? Protect me from what? Why can’t I know?”
“My dear, your interaction with him was brief, and most of that was dominated by what Markham did. I’m certain he will tell you more once you have time to speak to him. But for now, you must— I suppose—plan your wedding.” The way Millie said it, so nonchalantly, made Charity’s blood boil.
“Plan my wedding? This is all so convoluted. He’s told everyone we are already wed! Now, I must go home and tell my mother…what? What am I meant to say?”
“Say nothing,” Millie advised. “In fact, do not go home. Come with me. We will send a messenger to your mother saying that, due to the lateness of the hour, you have decided to stay with me. My mother is not home, so we will avoid her interrogation. We can look through my closets and find something for you to wear for your wedding. Then tomorrow, we will wait for His Grace. You will wed him, and after that, you and he can go talk to your mother.”
“I cannot believe this,” Charity said again, still trying to comprehend. None of this made any sense. She felt as though she were in a dreadful play and wanted nothing more than to walk out. But it seemed she was quite trapped. If she did not go through with the duke's scheme and marry him, she would be exposed as a liar for having publicly declared they were married. She would still be forced into a marriage with Markham. Whatever the case, she had no other options; she had to marry him.
“We will also send a message to the duke, of course, and let him know that you will be with me, and he can collect you from there in the morrow. Did he say he was spending the night at his sister’s home?”
Charity nodded, vaguely remembering him saying that.
“Very well, I shall send a message there as well.”
