“What have you to say for yourself?” the duke asked, ignoring Simon. He cocked his head angrily, eyes burning like hot steel and cutting right through her. “Miss Pembroke, I am speaking to you, and I will have an answer.”
She didn’t appreciate his tone, duke or not. “It was only a glass of wine.”
“A glass of wine that you poured all over me,” he argued, shaking the wine off his hands for emphasis. Margaret winced, trying to avoid the splatter. He looked down at his vest again and sighed, storming over to the drinks table to grab a napkin,forcing Margaret and the rest to follow. “The least you could do is apologize.”
“I beg your pardon?” Margaret watched him dab aimlessly at his vest, then throw the napkin aside. “After what you said about my father,youshould be apologizing tome.”
“Come now, Margaret...” It was Simon speaking, trying to defuse the situation now that more onlookers had come to gawk. “Just give the man what he wants and be done with it.”
Margaret glanced nervously around. Helena stood faithfully by her side, shaking her head at Simon in disappointment. More guests were gathering by the minute, and they all looked at her the same way: she was an irritation, vermin that should have stayed in London in the ruins of her house rather than disgracing them with her attendance that night, and now she had gone and upset the duke.
Something snapped inside her. What good were manners against prejudice like that? Everyone in that room already thought the lowest of her. She would not trade the remnants of her self-respect for the Duke of Langley’s approval. He would be receiving no apology from her that night, or ever.
Margaret spoke through labored breaths, staring at the duke intently: “How about this, Your Grace? Had I known it was you standing behind me, I would not have turned so abruptly. For in fact, I would not have been standing anywhere near you. That was my first and only mistake of the night... Is that answer acceptable to you?”
The duke smiled in disbelief, looking almost impressed. Margaret still vibrated from the callousness of his words, but his rage was delicious. She hadn’t felt so alive in years.
“Sadly not.” The duke kept his tone frustratingly neutral, probably hoping to make her look like a madwoman. “I find your attempt at an apology lacking. For one, I have always found apologies much more effective when they come with a smile."
It was a dare, an insult, trying to get her to smile for him even though he was in the wrong.
“And I have always found pink to be a much more becoming color than beige.” She nodded at his vest. “You might thank me for the improvement to your appearance instead of begging for apologies that you are not owed.”
“Ah.” The duke paused, then let out an offended laugh. “So now you would add insult to injury. I had not known you were a fashion-expert as well as a hoyden.”
“I am many things, Your Grace, none of which I would expect you to know. What few meetings we have shared have been fleeting at best.” She waved at the watch hanging from his pocket, igniting what she hoped was an unpleasant memory for him – if he remembered her at all. “Perhaps you might look at your watch again and tell me it is time to leave for old times’ sake.”
“Oh, it certainlyistime to leave, Miss Pembroke. But not for my benefit, I assure you. Your behavior tonight is inadmissible, regardless of your current circumstances.”
“Circumstances of which you have evidently apprised yourself in full. That you could say such a thing about my father... He once considered you a friend?—”
He cut her off, eyes widening at the accusation. “We were nothing of the sort, and you will not cast me in with him.”
“No...” Margaret sized him up, shaking her head. “How could I? You are, after all, unimpeachable yourself – you know nothing about familial scandal.”
The duke fell silent then, taking a step toward her. The whole world closed in. She was terrified but enjoying this more than was right. Embarrassing him, besting him in that moment was all that mattered. She had no idea if anyone else was still watching. But of course, they were. How could they look away?
“I would tread carefully, Miss Pembroke. If you believe I am alone in seeing your father for the failure he is, and judging you in the same light, then I have most terrible tidings to share with you.” His eyes roved her face, and a dark yearning swelled inside her. “I should have known better than to give him the time of day years ago.”
Margaret snarled, fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her skin through the fabric of her gloves. She sucked in a breathand readied herself for more, just as a woman’s voice rang out nearby.
“What in heaven’s name is happening here?” she said as she pushed through the crowd.
Margaret blinked, stepping back from the Duke of Langley. His eyes were trained on her, and she hated that she had backed down first. The room came back into focus. Helena and Simon were waiting like seconds in a duel—a jovial little country song, playing at the other end of the assembly room. Dancers twirling unaware of the chaos on the sidelines...
“Your Grace! What has happened to you?” The woman turned slowly toward Margaret, and she recognized her immediately. Mrs. Dudley, one of her mother’s former friends, who had cast her off like a tic once the scandal had erupted. “Ah, I should have known that you would be involved, Miss Pembroke.”
“Ah, indeed,” Margaret said, shirking from the duke’s gaze. “How wonderful it is to see you again, Mrs. Dudley.”
Mrs. Dudley shook her head, calling for a footman to come and clean up the mess they had made. By that point, the duke had turned to speak in hushed tones with Simon and someone new, teeth grinding so hard Margaret swore she could hear his molars crack. Jane was nowhere to be seen, but Helena approached. She tugged discretely on Margaret’s arm, trying to get her to leave.
“I expect you have apologized,” Mrs. Dudley said before Helena was successful, standing between the two wounded parties. Shelowered her voice and leaned in to Margaret. “Really, Miss Pembroke... You are not helping your case by acting quite so ill-mannered.”
“How can you claim to know how I have or have not acted?” Margaret bit back, shaking off Helena and drawing the duke’s attention once more. “You were not even here. His Grace turned like a bull and bumped into me. It is his own fault that he spilled his drink. You will not lay the blame at my feet – like his wine lies at his.”
Margaret expected no less from Dudley, who looked at Margaret like she had lost her mind. Margaret hadn’t been a welcome sight before, and she certainly wasn’t welcome now.
“That’s enough, Mrs. Dudley,” the duke said. He sighed and took a step forward. “Antagonizing Miss Pembroke further will avail neither of us. Clearly, she is not used to being in society and has forgotten how to comport herself.”
