Page 36 of My Beastly Duke
“Thank you, Isolde, I shall be right down.” Marina took a deep breath and turned to the mirror giving herself a final once over.
It is now or never.
She turned around and headed straight for Aaron’s study, knocking on the door before pushing it open.
Looking up in surprise, Aaron let go of the piece of parchment that he had been reading on his desk. “You look… Beautiful.” The question in his eyes was almost palpable.
“Thank you, Your Grace. Flattery will get you everywhere.” She held her head high, knowing that she had done her best to look good for him.
“Any special occasion?” He laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on his desk.
Taking a deep breath, she offered him a smile that she hoped would soften the blow. “Now, I do not want you to get angry with me. I know the tea with my sister and mother did not go very well, but I was hoping you would give this just one more shot and come down to dinner with me and my friends. I promise you that the ladies will make a much better impression. No fish eggs in sight.” She ended on a hopeful note.
Aaron stared at her for a moment, making her slightly nervous as she waited for his response. “Why do you keep arranging these things?” He asked her honestly.
“Because, Your Grace, I want you to get to know the people in my life. I was hoping that you would see that not everyone will view you as a monster.”
His eyes filled with a strange look that she could not quite place her finger on.
“Please, just this one dinner, if it does not go well, then I promise you that I will never arrange anything of the sort ever again.” She hoped that her honesty would breach his walls.
Taking a moment to chew on the inside of his cheeks, Aaron nodded. “Just a few of your friends?”
“Just three of my closest friends. Two of them are married and one is still unwed, but she is the quietest of them all.” Marina waited a few moments before drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. “Please, I know you do not fully understand why, but it means so much to me. Just this one dinner. Have I ever asked you for anything else since I have been here?”
Aaron’s expression seemed pained, but he nodded again. “Very well, one dinner would not hurt.”
Marina felt like running to his side and throwing her arms around his neck, but she held back and smiled. “Thank you, Your Grace. Our guests are already here, but we shall wait for you before we start.” She beamed at him before turning and leaving the room.
Finally, things are starting to look up.
Her heart felt lighter than a feather as she giddily made her way down the stairs, looking forward to the evening that lay ahead.
“Perhaps we should go and see where he is?” Penelope suggested with an encouraging smile while glancing at their husbands at the other end of the room.
Rhysand, the Duke of Huxton, stood silently by with his arms crossed over his chest while Eleanor’s husband, the Duke of Larsen, proceeded to complain about a recent boxing match that he had attended. Both seemed utterly bored with the situation when Rhysand stifled a yawn.
Looking around the table at her friends who had all done their best to arrive on time in their finest dresses, Marina shook her head. “No, I think we had better start the first course. The duke promised he would be here, let us not allow the food to go to waste.
Cordelia exchanged a concerned look with Eleanor before shifting forward in her seat. “I guess it would not hurt to start the first course; the duke can always join right in when he arrives.”
The heaviness of her heart betrayed her smile as Marina gestured for the butler to begin serving the first course.
He promised me.
Marina found herself glancing at the doorway through the first course. She barely added anything to the conversation throughout the rest of dinner, and she merely nodded at the others when they attempted to converse with her.
“I think it is time for sherry.” Marina stood at the end of the dessert and forced a smile.
Her friends all enhanced worried glances before Penelope came forward. “Marina, darling, I think we had better go. You are distracted enough, and we both know that you will not be able to rest until you have settled matters with the duke.” She placed her hand on Marina’s arm and gave her an encouraging squeeze.
Looking around the table at the worried faces, she suddenly realized that she had been a terrible hostess. “I am so sorry for not paying more attention to you ladies this evening. You all made such an effort to come, and I have done nothing but ignore you.”
The men both seemed to realize that something was happening when they stopped their discussion and looked at the women.
“Marina, we understand. Marriage is never easy. These things tend to happen from time to time.” Eleanor stood and offered her another reassuring smile before glancing at her husband.
Cordelia stood next and joined in. “I may not be married yet, but I do understand that things are not always as simple as they may seem. We should go home, and you should go and talk to your husband.”