Page 45 of Unmasking the Diamond
“Miss Winslow.” His crooked smile tugged unpleasantly at his mouth, looking far too possessive for her liking. He gave Luca a shallow tip of his head. “Lord Luca.”
“Your Grace,” Luca replied politely.
The Duke of Brackenford’s hand cut through the air with an imperious flick. “I wish to speak to Miss Winslow alone.” His tone carried no question, only command.
Jane stiffened at Charlotte’s side, her voice firm. “I’m afraid that would be entirely inappropriate, Your Grace. Say what you need to say.”
The duke’s eyes narrowed. “That was not a suggestion.”
Jane did not so much as flinch. “Neither was mine.”
“Impertinent chit,” the duke muttered, his lip curling.
To Charlotte’s astonishment, Jane did not look away. She raised her chin and met his gaze directly. “Impertinent duke.”
The words hung in the air like a gauntlet thrown. Contempt twisted the Duke of Brackenford’s features as he glared at Jane. “I suppose it was for the best you left me at the altar. I now realize we would never have suited.”
“You decided thatnowand not when you struck me in front of God and witnesses at the chapel?” Jane challenged.
Charlotte’s heart thundered. The tension in the room was palpable as the Duke of Brackenford’s gaze broke from Jane and swung back to her. “I was hoping to speak to you privately, Miss Winslow. Since that is not an option, I shall proceed.”
Her breath caught. A sense of dread flooded her, rooting her feet to the floor. She shifted instinctively, edging closer to Luca, as though he might shield her from what she knew was coming.
With deliberate care, the Duke of Brackenford stepped towards her. Then—horror of horrors—the duke, proud and arrogant as he was, lowered himself onto one knee.
“Will you marry me, Miss Winslow?”
No.This could not be real. This man—this dreadful man—proposing to her? Her stomach churned. To refuse him outright would be a grave insult, one she might never recover from socially. He was a powerful duke. His displeasure could ruin herwith little more than a whisper. Yet the very thought of binding herself to him was unthinkable.
Her lips parted but no words came.
“Did you hear me?” the duke snapped, impatience leaking into his voice.
“I… I…” Dear heavens, how was she to answer? She had played so carefully this Season, presenting her image with precision. And now, in a single moment, it was all at risk.
Before she could speak, Luca’s voice cut across the silence. “I am afraid that is impossible, Your Grace. Miss Winslow and I are engaged.”
Charlotte’s head jerked towards him, her heart lurching.Engaged?He said it so easily, so convincingly, as though it were the plain truth.
The duke’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Is that true, Miss Winslow?”
The choice rose before her like a precipice. Deny Luca and face the duke’s proposal. Or step into Luca’s lie and hope she could emerge unscathed.
Her hesitation only emboldened the duke. He seized her hand with startling strength. His grip was unyielding, his liver-spotted fingers pressing into her skin. “You need not settle for a lowly second son of a duke. I offer you the title of duchess. The highest of honors.”
Charlotte glanced down at his hand, mottled with age, and bile rose in her throat. She could not. Shewould not.
Drawing a steadying breath, she slipped her hand free of his grasp, her voice clear despite the trembling inside her. “It is true. I am engaged to Lord Luca.”
The Duke of Brackenford surged to his feet, surprisingly nimble for a man of his years. His eyes gleamed with malice. “You will regret this.”
“I don’t think I will, Your Grace,” Charlotte replied, her voice firmer than she felt inside.
The duke’s face twisted with fury. With a sharp huff, he spun on his heel and stormed from the drawing room. The heavy slam of the front door echoed through the house, making her flinch.
“What a horrid man,” Jane stated. “You were right to refuse him, Charlotte, but did you truly need to create a fake engagement? After all, it was evident by your reaction that Lord Luca’s declaration caught you off guard.”
Charlotte’s eyes darted towards Luca, as if perhaps he might contradict Jane, but he merely dragged a hand through his hair, looking both weary and unrepentant. “It was the best thing I could think of on such short notice.”
