Though she knew her hot cheeks must be red, she held her head high and walked around to one side of the group. Jane and Louisa made room for her. She averted her eyes from them all. Taviston walked around the opposite way and stood between Lord Northfield and Lady Smitherton.
The marquess was the first to speak. “Miss Forster, I apologize. This is my home, and I am responsible for what goes on here.”
Victoria had only ever seen his golden eyes alight with pleasure and humor, but now they glittered with anger, disappointment, and embarrassment.
Taviston opened his mouth to speak, reluctantly it seemed to her, but Mr. Browne intercepted him.
“See here, Taviston. This is an untenable situation. I am deeply appalled at the indignities you have forced upon my ward. This is utterly beneath a man of your standing.”
She had never heard her guardian speak with such a noble voice before and the hypocrisy of it had her indignation growing exponentially. Now was not the time for
him to finally come to her defense.
Taviston looked anything but the staid and proper duke right now. She had wrought havoc with his short hair and much of it now stood on end, shooting off in different directions. His jaw was stained red as well, no doubt from the humiliation of being caught like some school lad behind the stables. Nevertheless, he looked her guardian right in the eye and said, “I apologize, Mr. Browne, for my behavior. Everything you have said is true.”
The older man huffed, stiffened his spine and replied, “Your apology is appreciated, but it is hardly sufficient under the circumstances.”
Oh, dear God, what had got into the man? Mr. Browne hadn’t paid her this much attention in the last two months and now he wanted to be her defender?
Lord Northfield broke into the conversation. “Mr. Browne, surely we should let Taviston and Miss Forster—”
“Northfield, it’s quite all right. I am fully prepared to resolve the matter in any way Mr. Browne sees fit.” While the words were said casually enough, Victoria noted the duke’s clenched jaw. How to stop this insanity?
“I think you are well aware of how this incident needs to be resolved,” Mr. Browne declared with an air of authority.
Louisa, who stood beside Victoria with a knowing little smile on her face, interjected herself into the situation. “Now, Mr. Browne. I don’t believe there is any reason for all of this fuss. Before you go making demands on His Grace, let me offer another solution altogether.” She paused to make sure she had everyone’s attention. “We can easily send the girl back to the country. She’s hardly known in society. None will miss her. No one outside of this circle ever needs to know what transpired here this evening. She lived in Rippingale for ten years; it would not be a hardship for her to spend the rest of her life there.” Her cousin finished with a brilliant smile.
Victoria trained her eyes on Taviston. She had a morbid fascination with seeing exactly how he would respond to this offer of an escape. There was a third option, an option that Victoria had hoped to hear from his lips in the beginning. It was the only option she was willing to even contemplate.
No one spoke for an eternity. When Taviston finally did open his mouth, she saw how he struggled to form the words. Resignation filled his grey eyes, which he kept on her guardian. “I will marry your ward, Mr. Browne.”
That more than satisfied Mr. Browne. He positively beamed as he said, “Excellent. Just excellent. I knew I hadn’t misjudged your character, Taviston.”
Beside her, Victoria sensed Louisa’s frustration and anger intensifying. She could see that her cousin desperately wanted to add something, but after the duke’s offer, any other protests from her would be very suspicious.
The marquess turned to his friend. “Taviston...”
“Northfield, the matter is resolved. To everyone’s satisfaction.”
He still hadn’t looked her way since this ridiculous conversation began. Apparently, he wasn’t going to offer the third option, which was to find out what Victoria wanted. That fact, plus his obvious reluctance to marry her, made her own indignation and wrath boil over.
“I hardly think so, Your Grace.” The brittleness in her voice finally brought his eyes around to her. “I am not satisfied. It is my life you all speak of. I will not marry you. I shall return to my quiet life in the country.”
Why didn’t that speech give her more satisfaction? She turned to her guardian while the others all gawked at her. “I wish to leave now, Mr. Browne.”
She didn’t give him time to answer but headed for the door straightaway.
Within ten minutes she and the Brownes had braved the storm and made it safely into their carriage. Not a word was spoken.
Her guardian once again sat staring out the window. Louisa sat next to him, looking smugly satisfied with the turn of events. Victoria huddled in the opposite corner, willing her eyes to contain their tears.
TAVISTON CHARGED THROUGH the door of Northfield’s library and wheeled on his friend, who followed.
“Hell and damnation, Northfield! What an inopportune time for you to make an appearance. How could you drag all those people through the house, looking for us? A scandal such as this is one of my worst nightmares!”
He let all of his feelings of anger, frustration and mortification spill out of him. He knew it wasn’t fair of him to heap all this on his friend and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he would need to ask Northfield’s forgiveness.
“Bloody hell, Taviston! If I had known you needed more time to complete your ravishment of Miss Forster, I would certainly have delayed discovering you.” Northfield’s rarely used sarcastic tone sapped most of the fury from Taviston’s blood.