“I’ll Marry the First Man Who Enters,” She Joked — Then the Duke Walked In
Chapter 7
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"They have titles.""They do not have teeth."The carriage jolted to a halt. The footman opened the door, letting in the damp night air. Augustus stepped out first, offering his hand: his palm was warm and rough, a stark contrast to the smooth kid leather of her gloves.The low hum of conversation in Lady Danbury's drawing room died the instant the major-domo announced them. It was not a gradual quiet; it was a sudden, violent cessation of sound, as if someone had dropped a stone down a well.Bella kept her chin level. She placed her hand on Augustus's forearm; it felt like holding onto a beam of solid oak. They walked into the room. The staring was offensive: dowagers peered through lorgnettes; lords in embroidered waistcoats leaned against the mantelpieces, sneering openly. The rumor had been that the Duke of Westford was punishing the desperate spinster for her crude joke; seeing them together, however, confused the narrative. Augustus did not look like a man dragging a captive: he moved with a heavy, predatory grace, and Bella walked beside him not with shame, but with cold defiance."Ah, the happy couple!"Lord Henry Cavenaugh detached himself from a group of sycophants near the hearth. He wore a waistcoat of crushed purple velvet; his smile was razor-thin. He stopped directly in their path, blocking Augustus's way to the hostess.Bella felt her stomach drop, a cold sweat pricking her hairline."Westford," Cavenaugh drawled, offering a shallow bow that bordered on mockery. "We were just discussing you. A rather sudden engagement. Some might call it reckless; others might call it... charity." Cavenaugh's eyes slid to Bella, the malice in them naked. "Tell me, Miss Holloway, how is your brother? I understand he left London quite abruptly."Philip was safely on a coach to Cornwall, his debts paid, his life intact. Bella knew this; yet Cavenaugh's voice still carried the echo of the threat.Before Bella could reply, Augustus stepped forward. It was a small movement, just half a pace, but it forced Cavenaugh to step back or be trampled."Cavenaugh," Augustus said. The gravel in his voice was gone; it was replaced by a flat, dead calm that was infinitely more terrifying. "I hear you are a man who appreciates ledgers, accounts, debts."Cavenaugh's smile faltered slightly. "I am a man of business, yes.""Then let us do business," Augustus said, his volume dropping so low that the surrounding room had to strain to hear it. "My fiancée's family is now my family. Her name is my name. If you speak to her again, if you look at her, if you breathe in her general direction, or if you ever mention her brother's name in public or private, I will not challenge you to a duel."Cavenaugh stiffened, a sneer returning to his lips. "Are you threatening me, Westford? The law—"