Page 1 of The Duchess’ Second Chance

CHAPTER 1

“Put those books down, Amanda. I want a word with you right now.”

Lady Amanda Castell didn’t look up from the book in front of her, but she couldn’t help the way her shoulders grew tense at the sound of her father’s voice. Lord Stapleton was a harsh, exacting man, and when he demanded a conversation in this manner, it was sure to be something difficult.

She didn’t want to react, though, because she didn’t want to alarm Rose. The nine-year-old orphan girl was mouthy and outspoken, but sometimes she shied away from disapproval as if there was something in her that expected to be struck. It made Amanda’s heart ache every time she saw it.

She put a hand on Rose’s shoulder now. “You’ve been doing so well with your reading today,” she said quietly. “Why don’t you take the book back to your room so that I can have a word with my father? I’ll come and find you after we’re finished.”

“You will?” Rose asked. She sounded slightly worried.

“Of course, Rosie,” Amanda promised. “Finish the book, and you can tell me all about what happens, all right?”

The girl nodded, picked up the book in both arms, and scurried to the door. On the way, she glanced up at Lord Stapleton, who was glowering down at her as if she was some sort of pest.

“You know,” he said darkly once she was out of the room, “if you’re going to be taking in strays, Amanda, you ought to at least try to present them as if they belong here. She still dresses like an urchin.”

She didn’t at all. She wore a very tidy, presentable dress that Amanda had made herself. But she squared her shoulders and faced her father down. “If you want Rose to wear something nicer then give me money to pay for her garments,” she suggested. “I’m happy to dress her in the finest London has to offer if you’d like to help pay for it.”

Her father shook his head haughtily. “Certainly not. She isn’t my stray.”

“Then I’ll dress her as I see fit,” Amanda said evenly. “Is that what you wanted to speak to me about, Father, or was there something more?”

“There was,” he said. “I came to tell you that I’ve arranged a marriage for you.”

And there it was.

Just like that, without any warning or build-up, he had simply dropped it into the conversation as if it was nothing at all.

He did that to try to get a reaction from me. She knew, as she had the thought that she was right, and she also knew she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of standing here and getting emotional over it. If she did that, he would feel vindicated in having made a monumental decision like this on her behalf. Lord Stapleton loved to believe that he was the only person capable of logical thought.

She took a beat, making sure that she would be able to speak to him calmly, and then said, “You ought to have consulted me before doing that.”

“I’m your father,” he pointed out. “I don’t need your input before I make arrangements.”

“You actually do,” she said coolly. “The time when you could arrange marriages for me has come and gone; I’ve been married. Now that I’m widowed, I have a few more rights than I did when I was a girl. I don’t have to marry anyone I don’t wish to marry just because my father wants it to be so.”

“Oh, do you think such a short marriage as you had excuses you?” Her father sniffed. “You never even produced an heir, Amanda. Your marriage, as you call it, was an utter failure.”

“My husband died,” she reminded him stiffly. She didn’t exactly mourn for George, for there’d been no closeness at all between the two of them, but any death was sad. And it certainly did not constitute failure on her part. She hadn’t killed him.

“And what have you done since then?” her father demanded. “The required mourning period has long since passed, but you’ve made no effort to secure another husband for yourself. It isn’t as though you’re telling me I can’t do this for you because you have your eye on somebody else. If I thought it was that, I would be willing to see about your choice, to determine whether or not he was a good one. I have no desire to go out of my way to make you unhappy, after all. But it seems to me as if you don’t wish to marry at all.”

“I did marry,” Amanda said evenly. “I won’t be a spinster. A widow is a different thing.”

“Then I’m right? You did mean never to marry again?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” she said stiffly. Strictly speaking, this wasn’t true. She’d considered it idly a few times, wondering whether she ought to make moves in that direction. She could have attended balls, tried to discover whether any men were interested. But every time she thought about it, something stopped her, and she was beginning to realize that she was happier in her current state for the time being. On her own, without having to worry about the needs of any husband.

“Well, you’ve got to think about it now,” her father said. “It’s happening. I’m going to have you out of this house, Amanda. I took you back in when you had nowhere to go because I considered it my duty as a father, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to have you stay here for the rest of your life. You’re going to have to be taken in by your husband. That’s really all there is to it.”

“Father, really. Does having me in the house upset you so much? I don’t make many demands on you.”

“You’ve taken in a girl off the street, Amanda. I don’t suppose you’d let me turn her out and keep you here, now, would you?”

Amanda shook her head. “You wouldn’t,” she said, feeling courageous. Her father’s words came as no surprise, of course. He had made these kinds of comments before. Her usual practice was to ignore them, though she had been trying to put aside some money just in case she needed it. But today, she felt like speaking up. “You wouldn’t do that to Rose, Father, knowing that she has nowhere to go. But if you did, I’d go with her, and you know that too.”

“Well, neither of you needs to be out on the streets,” her father said briskly. “The Viscount of Oakwell has agreed to the marriage, even knowing that a street urchin comes along with it. You ought to be very grateful.”