Sir Richard kept his gaze on Molly. “Lady Mary—
Harry’s mother fell in a dead faint.
“No, Molly, no!” Penelope shrieked, and then
“The baby!” he cried, and lifted Penelope up, cradling her to his chest. “Dr. Krauss. Are you still here?” He began to stroke Penelope’s hair.
Molly felt the blood fall to her feet. Penelope was to have another baby? And now she’d received a great shock—
Molly put her hands to her mouth to keep her lips from trembling. She was blinking so hard, she almost couldn’t see. And then it seemed all the women in the audience began to cry, or faint, or yell in Penelope’s general direction.
The news about the baby couldn’t have come at a worse—or more appropriate—time. Because Roderick’s life might very well be in danger.
The house of Mallan was vulnerable!
“Hold on,” he said. “Don’t let them—”
“Penelope—” Molly could barely speak.
“She’ll be fine. So will Mother. Everyone will be.”
“But my father—”
Lord Sutton was still staring at her, thunderstruck.
And then, in the midst of the chaos—after Dr. Krauss had removed Penelope from Roderick’s arms—Roderick looked at Harry, and Harry looked at him.
Time stood still.
And for a moment, Molly felt as if she were back at the Christmas ball when she was thirteen.
Penelope had fainted again, yes. But her chagrin would be far worse this time around because Harry and Roderick wouldn’t simply exchange punches. If Roderick were to defend her honor, he would be compelled to challenge Harry to a duel.
For a moment, all Molly knew was a swirl of color, and loud, jangling noises. But then she felt Harry’s hand touch hers. And he gripped it. His hard, warm palm cradled her own.
She would focus on the warmth of Harry’s hand and not on what was happening on the stair landing. Yes, she would hold on to Harry’s hand for all she was worth. And she would think about how much she loved him, that despite everything going on around her—despite her world crashing around her shoulders—she loved Harry. And always would.
With a capital
And it seemed that maybe—oh, bother with
She lifted her chin and stared defiantly at Sir Richard. At Roderick. At the duke. At her father. At the world. She would endure the clamor and pray her father and sister and Harry’s family would forgive her. But if they didn’t —what was done was done.
She was Harry’s forever.
“That despicable vermin said it rightly, Father,” Harry’s voice rang out, more threatening than she had ever heard it. “Molly Fairbanks
Molly trembled next to him.
Harry’s words were heroic, but she knew that she
Sir Richard chuckled. “How naïve of you, Traemore. Rest assured, at the very least,
The duke’s face was grave. “As I am well aware of the details of Prinny’s wager—having read the Impossible Bachelors decree numerous times at my club—I must validate Bell’s concerns.”
Molly’s fingers went icy as the duke turned to look at her father and said, “Forgive me for what I am about to demand, Sutton.”
Molly knew what that demand was. And with all her being, she wished it didn’t have to be so.
The duke looked at Harry. “You shall propose marriage to Lady Anne Riordan immediately.”
Molly swallowed hard. Lord Sutton looked about to cry. She was ruined. Completely. And she and her father both knew it. Any plans he had to marry her off to Cedric would be cast aside now. She was a fallen woman. No respectable man would have her.
Thank God Penelope had been carried out of the room.
Harry looked at Molly, a world of pain and regret in his eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
She knew he was. The whole thing had gotten out of control, hadn’t it? They’d both made stupid decisions, but somehow in the middle of it all, she’d discovered the center of her being, the place where you knew you were whole.
And Harry was there. Harry was a part of her. No matter what happened.
“I understand you have no choice,” she whispered back. “I knew it all along.” She squeezed his hand. “Harry, you
He squeezed her hand back so hard, she wanted to wince. But she wouldn’t. She would remain strong for him. She would never let him know how much it hurt to let him go.
He left her side, and something inside Molly went numb, in the very center of her heart. She knew she would never be truly happy again.
Chapter 46
Harry looked at the duke. It was time to do his duty. He’d avoided marrying because he knew his father would be happy to see him married, and no matter what, Harry hadn’t wanted to make his father happy.
Because he’d thought the duke didn’t love him.
But he saw today that he did. His father may never have said it out loud, but the cool way he’d handled Sir Richard—his entire commanding demeanor—suggested to Harry that his father loved his family above all things and would defend it to his dying breath.
Harry was part of that family. He was the one who seemed to make a mess of things, but his father had never thrown him out of his life. He’d always included Harry, in his own way.
“I shall do my duty, Father,” he said to the duke. “A man of honor must always satisfy his obligation to a bet.” He paused. “But in hindsight I see that he has an even greater obligation to question a wager which compromises the dignity of so many, a duty which I shirked. Perhaps, had I spoken up, I could have steered Prinny in a different direction.”
The duke cleared his throat. “As a longtime acquaintance of the Prince Regent, I should have requested a meeting with him to air my concerns, especially as his plan involved my son. Had I been more attentive, perhaps it wouldn’t have come to this…end.”
He looked so sorrowful that Harry had to choke back a lump in his throat.
“Don’t be sorry,” he told the duke. “Soon I shall fulfill my obligations to the bet and restore honor to the family—but meanwhile, I’ve an even higher duty to heed. A duty of the heart.”
Harry strode up the stairs two at a time to the balcony. Sir Richard jumped behind a footman and cowered, but Harry wasn’t wasting any more time on him.
“You
