Page 9 of The Duchess He Couldn’t Resist

A sigh escaped Marigold upon reminiscing about her old friendship. They may have started together, but there was a huge gap between them now. Her so-called friend had managed to snatch a viscount, secure a title, and give birth to an heir, and somehow, she was under the impression that all these achievements gave her the right to be cruel to other people. Especially Marigold.

“Run along now, Lady Marigold,” her old friend finally addressed her, “and do not insult His Grace’s eyes with your sore appearance.”

Marigold looked up and was not surprised to see a full henhouse of ladies gathered around Lady Hayes. Luckily for her, they were all concentrated on the man before her. Marigold congratulated herself on her deduction skills. She knew the man was of high status, and she had now just confirmed that he was a duke.

“I am sure,” one of the other ladies said, “the Duke of Voss is such a nice gentleman that he has no idea the company he is keeping.”

“Absolutely,” another whispered loudly enough. “You see, Your Grace, Lady Marigold can be quite cruel and rude.”

“She is, after all,” Lady Hayes dared to touch the man on the arm, so she could get closer, “a terrible, stingy, and mean woman.”

Marigold was quite used to being treated like this on the streets or everywhere she would meet members of the ton. She never minded. She knew who she was, and others’ opinions mattered little when she had to worry about putting food on her table.

But now, her eyes urgently found his.

This man helped her without even knowing who she was, and now, he would want nothing to do with her. That feeling of having someone in her corner was so short-lived.

She chuckled bitterly and turned her back to leave. She still had a deal to broker with a butcher.

“You would do well never to speak ill of my betrothed, especially in front of me.”

CHAPTER 3

DANGEROUS PROPOSITION

Silence crashed all over the street like the quiet after thunder. Marigold turned very slowly, afraid that what she would face would be a reality she no longer recognized. The first thing she saw was Lady Hayes going pale. One woman beside her dropped her fan, and the others had gloved fingers over their shocked mouths.

In the middle of it all, the Duke stood, absolutely calm, and for some reason, that was the thing that had Marigold spiraling. Why would he say that? Was he just mocking her?

Before she opened her mouth, the Duke moved. He took her hand decisively and dragged her away from the crowd. Not pulled, dragged. Marigold had a hard time keeping up with him and almost tripped, but his fingers held her firmly.

Behind her, she could hear whispers.

“Did he say betrothed?”

“Impossible.”

“That was the Duke of Voss.”

Marigold looked upon the back of the man who was dragging her away, saying nothing, and his silence drove her insane. Why was he doing this? And yet, through her disbelief, she could still feel the warmth of his fingers even through the gloves. Finally, the man started to slow down as they reached the quieter area of the park, and it was then that he decided to finally release her hand.

“What have you done?” Marigold didn’t waste the moment, afraid that she would never get the chance if he decided to just vanish.

To her credit, she managed to keep a civilized face as the Duke, in a controlled manner, straightened his cufflinks.

“I prevented the problem,” he simply said, still avoiding looking at her.

“My Lord⁠—”

Marigold caught herself. This was not merely a gentleman of the ton. He was a duke. She repeated that last piece of information a few times so it would be catalogued properly.

“From the little I’ve known you, Your Grace,” she continued, “I must commend that you have a rather unique way of solving problems. And though punching Donny had the desired effect, I am afraid on this occasion, you were being rather radical.”

He finally looked at her with a cold and calculative manner that she had to guess was the same one that she had when she looked at her ledgers, especially when the sums did not add up.

“Tonight at midnight, you will be at the north corner of your house. Exactly at midnight.”

That is all he said before turning his back and walking away. Marigold lamented the time she had spent that day thinking that negotiating with the butcher would be the most difficult task that she had to undertake. Dealing with the Duke of Voss far surpassed negotiating over the price of a lamb.