Scandal at Vauxhall (Pleasure Garden Follies) by Layna Pimentel Page A

it!”
    “And you are in
no position to make demands. The girl isn’t your charge. And I am quite sure
your mother will have no objections to the match, will you, Eleanor?”
    His mother
smiled and nodded to the duke, and his sister swooned right into the arms of
Avonlea. This night had gone from terrible to a living, breathing nightmare.
    I’ll
kill him if it’s the last thing I do!

Chapter Seven

 
    Nathaniel’s
sister bounded down from the terrace steps and threw herself into his arms.
Tears stained her face, and she trembled beneath his embrace. “Nathaniel, you
cannot allow Mother to marry me off to that unfeeling, cold toad! His poor
wife! And he could not even be bothered to leave and verify it was true.”
    “I know,
darling. I shall see what I can do to prevent it from going any further. Now
run along inside and do try to stay out of sight. The less Mama and Downsbury
see you, the less distraction you will pose.”
    Anger boiled to
a fevered pitch, forever sealing Downsbury’s fate. Nathaniel would call him out
just as soon as his guests had departed. And his mother had also secured a
permanent holiday to the continent.
    Nathaniel
struggled to understand what the duke was up to. Before the cad would be
permitted to marry again, he would have to seek an annulment, and he most
certainly could not do that overnight.
    Then there was
the matter of Isabel’s country estate. Downsbury would not stop until he had it,
and from the news his solicitor delivered yesterday, Downsbury was indeed
heavily in debt. Perhaps that is why he had announced inconspicuously in the
parlor his intention for Emily’s hand in marriage.
    Her dowry was
substantial and more than enough to lure any greedy man. The only unfortunate
thing was that she was an impertinent brat, and for many reasons he had been
grateful that she had not been married off as soon as some of the other young
ladies from the academy she attended.
    He had to find a
way to end this lunacy. But how? The
only way out for Downsbury was a duel or debtor’s prison. The thought of the duke
being locked away at Newgate was enticing, though Nathaniel
doubted he would end up there. As sneaky as the bastard was, he would probably
flee the country if he got wind of such a deal.
    But then again,
maybe that was the angle the duke operated on. Take what he could from Isabel,
get his marriage annulled, marry his sister, and then flee the country. Once
the cad was gone and out of sight, though, what would he do with Emily? Leave her
discarded in the streets of Venice or Paris? Good Lord! His imagination ran wilder with each passing moment.
    A
duel it is.
    The next
morning, Nathaniel fought a yawn as the excitement from the night before left
him restless and pacing the grounds until now. The servants bustled about and
his mother’s scolding voice could be heard in the distance.
    A sigh escaped
his lips when Avonlea approached. “Dare I ask what has her in such a foul mood this
early?”
    “Could not sleep,
I see? She is perturbed by the fact that you could not be found in your
quarters this morning. She has got the Mortons all in
a dither as she remarked you might have gone to see the whore again.”
    Nathaniel lost
his breath and winced at the label. He punched Avonlea in the face and grabbed
him by his lapels. “Do not ever in my presence use that word to describe the
future marchioness of this manor! Am I understood?”
    “Get a grip on
yourself, man. I was only repeating what your doting mother said, you dolt!”
    He released
Avonlea, brushing his jacket where hands were imprinted. “Apologies. But if I hear
Isabel referred to as that once more, I just may have to kill someone.”
    His friend
chuckled at his admission, though he did not seem to think it funny. Another
yawn escaped while he stretched his tense muscles. He needed sleep, but he also
desired to gain some hold over Downsbury. “I have a proposition, Avonlea. If
you are ready for your day to start, I would