Dusk With a Dangerous Duke Read Online Free

years. Since the subject was viewed as inappropriate drawing room conversation, she was not well versed in the rules of engagement. For instance, how did one go about procuring a mistress? And once the gentleman tired of the relationship, how did he end it? Did the duke send Mr. Porter to deliver the unfortunate news to the poor woman?
    Her silence seemed to please her uncle. He had come to stir the pot of mischief by revealing the sordid nature of her betrothed, and he had succeeded. Grace could have pinched herself for falling for her uncle’s predictable ruse. She raised her chin and met his gaze to prove that his news had not upset her as he had hoped. When she was alone, she could allow herself to cry.
    “Is it wrong for me to pity the scorned woman, Uncle?” she inquired. “A part of me does, though her loss was inevitable. As you know, my twenty-first birthday approaches, and the time has come for the Duke of Huntsley to clean house if he plans on honoring the marriage pact his grandmother and my grandfather arranged.”
    For the first time, the Duke of Strangham struggled with his words. He had presented her with a clear case of the Duke of Huntsley’s infidelity, and she, in turn, had praised the scoundrel for ending the affair.
    “My dear, I do not believe you comprehend the man’s true nature.”
    “Most brides do not,” she said, her voice hardening ever so slightly. “Otherwise, we would not be so eager to legally bind ourselves to one man.”
    “And knowing this, you are still prepared to marry Huntsley?”
    Grace shrugged. “An agreement was struck. I am prepared to see it through. Our family honor is at stake.”
    “What if I told you that I fear Huntsley has no intention of marrying you.”
    Nineteen years had passed since her marriage to the Duke of Huntsley had been arranged. As a child, the duke’s absence had not troubled her, but the woman she had become understood the implications.
    The duke rejected her as his duchess.
    Once she had believed him to be a man of honor. However, she suspected a marriage born out of duty made for a cold marriage bed. Besides, the Duke of Huntsley’s bed was filled with so many women, there was no room for her.
    She kept her doubts to herself. To her uncle, she said, “Mr. Porter assured me that His Grace will return to Frethwell Hall before my birthday, and our marriage will take place. I assume it will be an intimate affair, but I pray you will attend.”
    “Damn Porter, and to Hades with Huntsley!”
    Grace gasped in surprise as her uncle seized her by the shoulders. “Your Grace!”
    “See here, girl,” he said, his fingers digging into her flesh. “The Kearlys do not breed dimwits, and my encounters with you have revealed that you do possess an intellect higher than most ladies your age.”
    “Thank you—”
    “Silence!” he shouted, and her eyes widened at his outburst. “I have tried to reason with kindness, but I see that I must be blunt. Huntsley will never marry you. His grandmother and your stubborn grandfather foisted you off on him because your impeccable bloodlines and wealth were considered an asset to the Towers family.”
    Her throat tightened as he gave her private fears a voice. “Nothing has changed.”
    Her uncle gave her an incredulous look. “Everything has changed. The dowager is dead, and Huntsley has no desire to take a bride—particularly one not of his own choosing. You must face the truth, my dear niece. Huntsley has abandoned you. Even now, he scours London for a new lady to fill his empty bed. Any lady will do as long as it is not you.”
    His words were so beyond cruel, Grace blindly pushed her uncle aside and rose from the sofa. Was it all true? Had Mr. Porter been lying to her all of these long years so the duke had use of her fortune? What would happen to her once she turned twenty-one and the terms of the arranged marriage went unfulfilled?
    “I see that I have distressed you.” He stood and strode to her