Page 6 of My Ruthless Duke
“As you wish, my lady.” The maid smiled and gave her a small bow.
Cordelia turned to head back inside, attempting to wipe any excess soil or bits of plant that clung to her arms. She pulled her wide-brimmed hat from her head and tucked it under her arm. If she had known that they would have had guests, she would have planned better.
Halfway down the hall, she could hear her mother’s loud giggling. She sounded borderline unhinged for the way she was laughing at her own jokes. When had she started drinking this morning? It felt surreal. Was she truly going to have to look after the woman every hour of every day? She certainly hoped not.
There would be no time to change, after all. She would have to intervene straight away to ensure that the mother did not do anything too scandalous.
She did not wait to be announced before stepping into the parlor; her mother was pouring herself another drink from an empty bottle as she swayed in place. Cordelia crossed directly to her mother, pulled the empty bottle from her hands, and escorted the older woman to the couch to sit.
“Lady Cordelia, I presume?”
Cordelia straightened. “Yes, I apologize for my mother’s behavior—she is… grieving.”
She had said that phrase so many times now that it no longer felt like they were actually words. Only when her mother was settled and grinning did she turn to greet the duke—and was taken aback. He was so tall she only came up to eye level with his chest, and his shoulders were nearly double her size. Clean-shaven, brown hair and the most stunning honey-brown eyes looked back at her. He wore no smile, nothing more than a quizzical brow as he waited for whatever she was going to say next. Though, it took her a moment to remember that she was capable of speech in his presence.
His eyes drank her in, absorbing every detail of her as they raked down her frame. However, the moment he landed on how dirty her dress was, she could practicallyfeelthe judgment rolling off of him.
“Did you have business with my mother, Your Grace?”
“Only in so far as I came to ask for your hand in marriage.”
The words were so blunt that she laughed without thinking. The sound was a soft chuff of air between them as she blinked incredulously at him. Perhaps the reaction could be considered a touch rude, but she had been taken so off guard by the suggestion. Surely, he would claim to be joking or teasing her for some reason she could not guess. Only, he did not smile. There was not even the smallest hint of emotion on his handsome face. “Wait, I beg your pardon?”
“No pardon required, my lady. I apologize if this comes as a surprise to you. I simply wished to make my intentions clear, and I do not much care for beating around the bush.”
Cordelia was frozen in place, but Lavinia chose that moment to come to her senses. “Marriage?” she shook her head a touch too vehemently. “My daughter is not for sale, Your Grace!” She hiccupped and paused to compose herself. In a rare moment of sobriety, she continued. “I know perfectly well of your reputation, and I shall not have my daughter cavorting with the likes of you! We may not be as proud as we once were… but… but…”
“Everyone has their price. Name yours,” the duke answered dryly.
This could not be happening. They were not about to haggle over her worth right in front of her face. “I am standing right here, you know.”
Neither party acknowledged that they could hear her if they could.
Though, it was nice to have her mother on her side for this.
“She ismydaughter! You cannot–”
“How about a lifetime supply of the liquor of your choosing?” The duke offered; his face still unreadable.
Cordelia laughed bitterly, her arms crossing over her chest. She had never heard such a ludicrous offer in her entire three-and-twenty years of life. “Your Grace! This is ridiculous! If you think that my mother would–”
Lady Salisbury perked, hopping up off of the settee and extending her hand happily to the duke. “Well, then, we are in agreement!”
Cordelia had to scoop her jaw up off of the floor. “Mama! You cannot be serious? You willnotsell me for a few bottles!”
She gestured widely to the duke, who had just the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips. How could he be so shameless as to make such an offer? She had never been so insulted, never been madeto feel so cheap, in her life. Which, given how things had been going for her recently, was saying something.
“Quiet, Cordi, we are talking about your future with this lovely and generous duke here,” Lavinia continued, her whole demeanor shifting. Lavinia took the duke’s arm, stroking it affectionately. “We shall start planning straight away! We have so much to do if you wish to be married by the end of the Season!”
“I see no reason that we should have to wait that long.”
“Well, then! Let us sit and have some tea, and we can discuss dowry and salary requirements! You see, my need for funds has…” Lavinia gushed, attempting to pull the duke toward the tea table.
Cordelia would not listen to any more of this. She had endured so much humiliation on her mother’s behalf, and this was truly the icing on the cake. Her hands balled into fists at her side. She was not going to stand here and listen to them haggle over details as if she were invisible. Clearly, she was not to be considered when making such important choices for her own future. The whole ordeal was wholly and utterly preposterous.
She turned so quickly on her heel that it left a scuff mark on the polished floor. Space. She needed space. She just needed a moment to breathe. She would not allow herself to cry, but she felt so damned hopeless that she did not know what to do with herself. It would appear that her mother truly had no tact, no limits left that she was unwilling to stoop to. The drinkingaddiction had consumed everything that her mother once was. She attempted to wipe her hands clean on her skirts as she walked. The first door that she came across, she flung it open and nearly hurled herself into the room, throwing the door shut behind her. However, it did not slam as she intended—instead, it smacked against something, and she whirled to see a man’s hand on the lip of the door.
The duke’s large frame took up most of the doorway as he stepped inside, pushing the door shut behind him gently. She had not even noticed that he had followed her out of the room in the first place! Cordelia whirled, her eyes widening as he closed most of the distance between them in a single stride. Her heart leaped into her throat.