Page 5 of My Ruthless Duke

Dorian noted that Xander’s glass was empty. “Do not push your luck. There are a great many things that you do not know about me.”

Xander shook his head with a laugh before speaking sarcastically. “Color me intimidated.”

Drunk or not, there was no reason to mock him. Dorian paused, waiting for the man to apologize.

Xander sighed, his hand raking down his face. “Normally, I would be glad to take this outside. But I promised my wife that I would be on my best behavior. Eleanor has forbidden me from fighting.”

Dorian snorted. He could not fathom allowing a woman to have that sort of control over his life.

“Perhaps we ought to return to more interesting topics of conversation? Hm?” Patrick interjected, motioning for Rhysand to hurry up and deal the cards already. “I was speculating as to Lady Salisbury’s motivations for her conduct at the ball earlier.”

Salisbury?The name was so familiar to him. He tried for a moment to summon the image of a face to his mind but was drawing a blank.

“To whom do you refer?” Dorian asked, unable to help himself despite not normally bothering with such gossip.

“Lady Salisbury? Quite the fall from grace. She and her daughter both. I cannot imagine my wife or child attending ball after ball if I were to have died and left them on the brink of ruin like her husband has. No amount of misfortune can excuse her conduct though, that much is for certain…” Patrick commented as he took his hand of cards.

The pieces clicked into place, and Dorian sobered nearly instantly.

Bile rose in the back of his throat as guilt gripped him. Of course, he remembered that man.

Lord Salisbury.

Dorian was the one responsible for the Marquess’ death.

And apparently, for his family’s misfortune.

Chapter 3

“My lady? I apologize for interrupting your work, but we have a visitor.”

A visitor?

Cordelia sat back on her heels and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Her dress was covered in soil. Her brunette hair was unkempt and messy. The very last thing she wished to do in her current state was to entertain guests. They were not expecting callers, so she did not even have the faintest idea of who it could be.

“They are here, now?” Cordelia breathed, resting back on her heels.

“Yes, my lady. Your mother has said to receive them in the parlor.”

Oh no.

Why did it have to be today of all days? The first time that she actually carved out time for herself to be in her garden was bound to be interrupted. Beside her was a basket of bulbs that she was supposed to finish planting. She had not even gotten to the flowers yet, let alone the herbs. The afternoon sun was at its warmest, and Cordelia desperately wished to make the best of the light while she had it. Spending the afternoon indoors, making idle conversation while attempting to ensure that her mother did not make a further fool of them both, did not sound like fun.

Pulling her bonnet from her hair and pushing as many flyaway hairs from her face as she could, she closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sky. She let the sun warm her skin and settle her mind. It was the first time she had felt so calm and at peace since the ball.

Might as well get this over with.

Cordelia dropped her garden spade and pulled her gloves from her hands. She untied her apron from her dress and handed it and the gloves to the servant. “Who is it?”

“The Duke of Davenport, my lady,” she answered, folding the apron carefully. “Should I take over the planting for you?”

Cordelia forced a smile that did not quite meet her eyes. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

Either way, the work had to be done today. She just wished she could be the one to do it.

“Shall I help you change first?”

“Change?” Cordelia tilted her head to the side in confusion and then looked down at the state of her dress. The hem was at least two inches in the dirt, and bits clung even to her bodice. Oh, she supposed that would be wise, would it not? The last thing that she needed was to cause further damage to their reputation by the guest reporting that she could not even manage to be clean inside of her own house. “Yes, I will summon Ann to help me, though, so that you can finish up here.”