Page 22 of The Duke’s Unwilling Bride

“Attacked?” Middlehey cries out, pulling away from the men staring on in shock. Behind him, with the door still open, others mill about, craning their necks to see the bit of gossip that will no doubt flood the streets. “You are saying the Duke of Foxford attacked you?”

“She’s saying nothing of the sort,” I growl out, stepping away from Lady Teresa to go toe-to-toe with Middlehey. I can understand his frustration, but now is not the time for him to test me. Turning, I spear the omega with a glare. “Are you?”

“No!” Her voice trails off in a wail as she desperately tries to shield herself from prying eyes.

“My cousin is ruined,” Middlehey continues to moan, putting on a show in front of the gathering crowd. “Who will marry her now? You put on this show just to take her for yourself?”

“Oh the devil take it,” I snap out. “Can you at least allow her to cover up?”

“Why?” he sneers, “So you can hide the evidence of this shame?”

“No. So that none of these men can continue to ogle her.”

“Enough,” my mother yells out, creating a stir amongst the crowd. “You shall come to a conclusion on the matter, but not while this young thing is half undressed for you all to see. For shame, all of you.” She pushes her way past the other Alphas and betas, owning the room like the impressive dowager she is. “I will take her to get changed while you men figure it out. Come, child.”

Her silver hair glints in the candles and oil lamps as she storms across to grab Lady Teresa's hand, giving the matronly omega an ethereal glow. She looks more like an avenging angel as opposed to the woman who raised me with such a gentle hand. Her stance brooks no contest as she drags the girl behind her, sheltering the young omega with a lent shawl.

“I still demand satisfaction, Foxford,” Middlehey growls once the ladies leave. “As my cousin, I need to know she will be taken care of.”

“Do you want satisfaction in the way of pistols or marriage? Because I will assure you, both will be untenable in your regard. I have seen how well you shoot, and I refuse to saddle myself with a woman I had no hand in ruining.” I hiss the last part under my breath where the others cannot hear, not wishing to destroy either the chit or me.

Something is not right here, and I wished to God I could put my finger on it. However, both of them act as if they are the injured party and put on such a good show it’s easy to believe. Is there any chance that they’re in this together? No. That can't be possible.

The way Middlehey spoke about her, the vehemence in his voice… that couldn’t have been contrived. He seemed in earnest about wanting to get rid of her. To backpedal now, to put himself into her corner seems absolutely ludicrous.

We mill about in the library as I try to figure out what to do. Of course, I will have to marry her if I am to save both of our reputations. I’m left with no other choice. The room is thick and heavy with a myriad of stenches, but the strongest of them all is the underlying thread of gleeful anticipation.

Deep in my gut, I know that even if Lady Teresa can produce the man who tore her dress, I will still be on the block for the bridal noose. There are too many witnesses, too many onlookers to have them act as if they never saw me with my hands about her unclothed body. Already, I can feel it cinching about my neck, and I go to loosen my cravat, desperately needing to breathe.

“You must marry her, Foxford,” Middlehey pleads. “I cannot have my cousin ruined.”

“Yes. Lord Middlehey. I am very much aware. I shall procure a special license and it will be as good as done.”

Within the span of a blink, his eyes turn from sorrowful to predatory, setting my teeth on edge. “Excellent. And her enormous dowry? I know that remains with you since you are, in fact, the one wedding her. However, might you consider sparing such a sum to cover her debts?”

I watch the calculation in his eyes and that’s when my stomach twists. The two must have been in this together, plotting to trap me to extort money out of me. But what I can’t understand is why? With her married, her husband would have been obligated to pay her debts.

My heart plummets as my earlier convictions come back in full force. I should have trusted my gut the moment he came waltzing into the room with his gaggle of gossipers. And to think he played the role of concerned cousin so well…

But in all of this, why does Middlehey care? Unless her debts are far steeper than what others could possibly pay? “I will have my manservant bring you the ten thousand pounds. That is all that will pass between us. If there is anything more, you will have to deal with it. The matter between us is closed.”

At this point, I don’t even want to look at the debts. If they are under ten thousand, then huzzah for Middlehey. He will have a little extra to line his coffers, and I will never see him again. If it’s more than that, then he’ll just have to figure out where to get the rest of the coin. It will no longer be in my hands. Good riddance to both of them.

“You are most magnanimous, my new cousin-in-law. I am grateful to have you see to your new bride’s debts so that you may begin marriage on a fresh footing.”

He backs up into the crowd, but I can still feel his eyes upon me as I run my hand down the front of my face. Sighing, I let my mind wander for a moment, remembering all that passed between Middlehey and me. Hell, the man saved my life. How could he betray me now?

I don’t want to believe he has a hand in this, and truthfully, the fact that we both received a letter neither condemns nor exonerates him. The only person I know that’s directly at the center of all of this is the one person no longer in the room. My mother absconded with her before any real truth came out.

All I wish right now is to get to the bottom of this and drown myself in port. But, as it is, I still have my new fiancée to attend to. All too soon, the doors open, and in steps the dreadful omega, teary as she clings to my mother’s arm.

The charlatan, the harridan, the no-good chit who forced my name to be alongside hers. She clutches my mother's hand, eyes wide as she looks at the men waiting to hear her testimony. It’s as if my mother is her saving grace, but Lady Teresa has no idea of the devil she’ll unleash now that I am forced to be her husband.

My mother may have sympathy for Lady Teresa in this moment, but the dowager omega will be nowhere in sight once it comes time for me to take my husbandly due. My balls shouldn’t draw up at that unspoken threat, but watching the young omega as she picks her way through the crowd, my body wants nothing more than to bury itself deep inside her, to force her to cry out, to confess to everyone she’s never been touched by me before. And then, if I’m feeling charitable, I would allow her to orgasm.

How I wish I had my actual friends at my side, and that they were not still stuck making their way from the country. I could have used the comradery, but more importantly, their influence. With just one duke, impropriety is a hard battle to fight, but with five others by my side, we might be able to persuade the rest of the Ton.

It’s a stupid thought, one I can’t believe passed through my brain. I must be getting soft. Friends or not, she is ruined, and I was the one caught with her. Think as I might, try as I might, there’s no way I’m getting out of this. Better to just accept my fate and push on, I suppose.