Page 14 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

Violet’s heart fluttered just a little. Her cheeks colored red. And with her friend watching her, that grin on her lips growing, Violet hastily snatched at her cup of cold tea and took a sip.

“Pah!” She gagged on the tea.

Charlotte laughed. “You are considering it, are you not? Do not lie to me.”

“I am not,” Violet said. “Nor will I ever.”

Charlotte raised a questioning eyebrow, not believing her for a second. And Violet glared back, but it was a weak thing because she knew deep down that this offer was not one that she could simply refuse.

Her life was hard. It would continue to be so without help. And if she said yes to the duke…

Can I even afford to say no?

As desperate as times were, Violet was not entirely out of options.

She knew that the duke’s offer was too good to turn down, but that was only because he believed that she needed saving. If she could somehow find a way out of her current misfortunes, then there would be no need to accept his offer. But that was a big if.

With that in mind, the morning after the duke had paid her a visit, Violet made a trip into town so that she could speak with her family’s solicitor. If anyone could help her, it was him.

Mr. Burrows was a kindly old man, and Violet had known him her entire life. He was close with her father, and when he had died, he had done all that he could to ensure that Violet and Rose were not left in complete ruin. What was more, he worked for free, further proof that he was a man whom she could trust.

He will know what to do…

So, she presented herself at his office bright and early, praying that by the time she left, a new path would be open to her, one that saw her steer clear of the duke.

“It is hopeless, Violet,” Mr. Burrows sighed, pain and guilt written clearly across his wrinkled face. “You know this.”

“There must be something,” she implored desperately. “A way to extend our loans… something we can offer the bank so they do not take the house.”

“I have tried, oh how I have tried,” he said with sadness. “But the simple fact is that there is nothing left. The house is the final asset you own, and even when the bank takes it, your debts will not be cleared entirely.”

“That is… I cannot… There has to be a way!”

“Give up the house,” he said. “Doing so will give you and Rose time. I am so sorry, Violet, but it is all that is left to you.”

Needless to say, Violet left Mr. Burrows’ office in a far worse mood than when she had arrived. And that mood persisted on her journey home.

She spent it in deep contemplation; her thoughts fixed firmly on the duke’s offer and what it meant. She was stubborn… she was fiercely independent… and she refused to trust him at his word. But with all that she faced, she knew too that she had to be reasonable.

Like it or not, the duke’s offer was looking more and more tempting by the second.

And then, as if she needed a final push down that path which she did not wish to walk, she returned home to find a most unexpected and unwelcome visitor waiting for her in the morning room.

“Violet, Rose told me you would be home shortly.”

Mr. Harold Beaumont was Violet’s uncle on her father’s side. He was two years younger than her father had been, and growing up, he had always been kind to Violet and Rose, a caring uncle whom Violet never had any need to worry about. All that changed after her father’s death.

While her uncle was never cruel, he was controlling. But not the type brought about by a need to protect his brother’s daughters, rather the type that suggested he liked the power it gave him.

Since her father’s death, Violet had done everything that she could to resist his desire to influence her and Rose. As a woman grown, she had that right, and she refused his offers to help at every turn. But as the walls closed in around her, her uncle crept closer, and she knew that it was only a matter of time until he finally got what he wanted.

“Oh… Uncle Harold.” Violet started as she entered the drawing room, surprised to find her uncle, even if she should have expected it. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you think?” His expression was pitiful. He swept towards her quickly, and was just as quick to embrace her in a tight hug. “I have been keeping an eye on you and Rose, Violet. I know, I know, you have told me time and again that there is no need. But I would not forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

“We are quite fine,” she said stiffly, unable to summon the enthusiasm to hug him back.

“Fine, are we?” He pulled back and raised a bushy eyebrow at her. “So, that the bank means to seize your house in less than a week is no cause for alarm?”