An Unconventional Affair: Forever Yours Series

by Reid, Stacy

  Kitty knew every word to the article that had been burning a hole in her reticule these past three weeks.

  Rumors abound that the enigmatic and reclusive Duke of Thornton is on the hunt for a bride. At one point the duke, dubbed the “mad, bad, and dangerous” catch of the season, left a trail of broken and hopeful hearts in society, and we cannot help speculating who the lucky lady may be. Of course, The Scrutineer is unable to confirm, for no one in society has seen Thornton in several years. Is it all another piece of fantasy surrounding our favorite absent duke? Or is there some veracity to this delectable tale? Anyone with news is welcome to share with us, of course; we protect the identities of our sources.

  Maryann glanced up. “How does this connect to your plans?”

  Taking a deep, steadying breath, Kitty withdrew a folded paper. “This is my reply…which I mean to post.”

  Maryann plucked it from Kitty’s trembling fingers and started reading aloud.

  “Dear Lady Gamble, it is with great delight I inform you that I, the Honourable Katherine Danvers of Hertfordshire, am honored to be the fiancée of His Grace, the Duke of Thornton. After giving the matter some thought, I decided to pen a reply to satisfy society’s interest. The duke spends most if not all his time in Scotland, where he intends for us to reside after marriage. Because this will see us from London’s society for a while, he has agreed to a lengthy engagement to give two of my younger sisters the opportunity to secure matches for themselves before we wed. I am confident you can publish my news and will be elated to be the first to break such a delightful tidbit.

  Sincerely, Miss Kitty Danvers.”

  Maryann’s expression of shock would have been comical if Kitty wasn’t so anxious.

  “You know the duke?”

  “Of course not,” she whispered. “But I mean to use society’s fascination with the man and the power of his name to my family’s advantage.”

  “Oh, Kitty…this is almost as naughty as my plans.” Then Maryann laughed, and it wasn’t Kitty’s imagination that there was a touch of hysteria there.

  “Maybe too wicked?” Kitty whispered, wings of indecision fluttering in her stomach. “I do not expect my plan to work in my favor at all, as if I am discovered, I would be a ruined spinster forever! But I must do something to help my sisters. The connections we will foster by using the duke’s name will be enough to see Anna and perhaps even Judith settled comfortably.”

  A piercing disquiet settled in Maryann’s eyes. “His Grace is not a man to be taken lightly. Kitty… The newspapers call him ‘the puppet master.’ He is influential with the lords, and his power is far reaching even if he does live at a remote estate. Don’t you read the political tracts?”

  A knot formed in Kitty’s stomach. Excitement or fear? She didn’t know.

  Perusing political news and cartoons had never been an interest of hers. The duke was an enigma to both the press and society. Kitty was relying on exactly the air of mystery that surrounded him to enhance her popularity.

  Why had he driven himself from society? Some vague whispers said that he was scarred, others said he was malformed, and yet others said he was merely a hermit hiding a broken heart.

  Kitty had no notion of what to believe and had tried subtly prying from her mother what she could about the duke, but the viscountess had not been keen on granting her a proper response. The only thing Kitty had been certain of was that society had not seen the Duke of Thornton in years, and he was not liable to re-enter the glittering whirl of the ton.

  Once she revealed their fake attachment, the fickleness of the ton and their insatiable need for gossip would result in some invitations being quickly delivered. They would be hungry to know the lady who had snagged the attention of the elusive Thornton.

  Nerves rioted dreadfully inside her, but her family depended on her, and she had been failing them for the past two seasons. Kitty was at her wits’ end to see them settled in a modicum of comfort and security. She believed at long last she had found the way to rescue her family, leaving at least their dignities intact.

  Except…she would surely burn in purgatory for the deception she was about to orchestrate.

  A passing reference of a few notable names would not do. She must become. Kitty believed her aunt Harriet, who had scandalized the family by taking to the stage, would burst with pride.

  It was all such a delicate situation that could lead to the worst sort of ruin.

  As ladies, they were expected by their families and society to conduct themselves with good sense and temperance, always. Anything else could lead to scandal and ruination. But what must one do when desperate straits for her family loomed?

  The deception she would weave on society at times filled her with terrible nerves, and in the dark of her chambers, she had questioned her sanity. Was this the kind of person she wanted to be?

  She’d told herself she had no choice, but was that the truth? One always had a choice. And Kitty was willing to do anything to save her family.

  “You know Lady Gamble will publish your response using her artful words. What if the duke should see this?”

  Oddly, that was the least of her worries. “Oh, Maryann, no one has seen or spoken to him in almost seven years, according to my mamma. She did not share the details of his last appearance in society, and I did not want to arouse her overly inquisitive nature with my probing. As for the duke, I daresay if that man read or cared to read scandal sheets, he would have responded to the ones that speculated last year that he had died, and his cousin Mr. Eugene Collins would be summoned to court and a declaration that he was the new duke would be made. Then, how about that rumor that said he had ruthlessly seduced Lady Wescott’s niece and absconded with her? Last season that furor was rabid, and the duke hasn’t even demanded a retraction or an apology. No one has heard from him. I promise you he will not see this. I would be astonished if he did.”

  “And if he does?”

  “He won’t,” Kitty stubbornly insisted. “But…even if he did, surely he would think it another baseless speculation of the press to be added to the many over the years. And my ruse won’t be forever, only for the few weeks remaining in the season. After my sisters have secured important matches, I will cry off the engagement.”

  Maryann’s face softened with sympathy. “You’ll be ruined after.”

  Kitty lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. “Oh, you know I am without expectation of contracting an eligible alliance.”

  Her friend considered, and Kitty schooled her expression into what she hoped was a neutral mask. She’d already cried over what the damage to her reputation at the end of it all would mean.

  A possibility of no marriage and children of her own.

  Even without the damage to her reputation, no gentleman had shown an interest to court a young lady like her. The past two seasons testified to that distressing knowledge. She was three and twenty. It had been remarked more than once how agreeable and sweet-natured she was. No one used epithets such as “pretty” or “sought-after.” A young man had once said she had “interesting eyes.”

  Kitty thought that was the most particular compliment she’d ever received.

  “I am not worried about my future. I have long seen that a family of my own is not in the cards for me.”

  Her family’s lack of wealth and connections had cemented that for the last few seasons. Now her ruse would be the proverbial final nail in the coffin. On the other hand, if she succeeded in taking advantage of the duke’s connections, at the end she would have to pretend the engagement had been called off. Whispers would abound that the duke had jilted her. Either outcome would see her reputation in tatters at the end.

  It is a risk I must take…for Mamma and my sisters. And I must not think the worst!

  “I worry that you do not think of your own happiness,” Maryann said with a sigh.

  A frightening surge of longing and an ache traveled through Kitty’s heart, and she forcibly suppressed the need for som
ething more. “My sisters are so charming and uncomplaining. They deserve some happiness. Our papa is gone, and Mamma is still stricken with grief over our lamentable prospects and dire futures. It is up to me to secure alliances for them. We will become sought-after once it is known we are related to a duke.”

  Maryann hugged her, and with a watery laugh, Kitty returned her embrace.

  “We are really doing this,” Maryann vowed. “We are going to be sinful wallflowers.”

  Yes, we are… And Kitty prayed she wasn’t making the most dangerous mistake of her life.

  Chapter Two

  Two weeks later…

  Cheapside, London

  “Have you seen this?” Annabelle demanded, slapping

  the newssheet onto the old scarred satinwood

  table in the center of the small and barely furnished

  parlor. It pained Kitty to see another tear in the side

  of the blue muslin spring gown her sister wore. It was

  only a few days past she had repaired the hems and

  pockets.

  “I haven’t had a chance to read the papers,”

  Kitty murmured, popping a tart into her mouth and

  chewing thoughtfully.

  “This outrageous on-dit says you are betrothed to

  the Duke of Thornton. A duke, Kitty. It reads ‘Lady

  Gamble has learned from the most unimpeachable

  source that His Grace, the Duke of Thornton, is

  betrothed to the Honourable Katherine Danvers of

  Hertfordshire.’ That is you,” her sister ended on an

  incredulous gasp.

  A shock of pure fear and exhilaration tore through

  Kitty’s heart.

  Finally, a response.

  Their younger sister Judith lowered the gothic

  novel The Devil’s Elixir, which she’d been reading

  in the dim light of the single lit candle, glancing back

  and forth between her elder siblings. “Kitty, could

  this be true?”

  Kitty had her sisters’ undivided attention. Even

  their youngest sibling, Henrietta, who had been

  practicing her music on a pianoforte in desperate

  need of a tuning, had faltered. Their mother stirred,

  shifted from beside the lone window in the room to

  perch on the arm of the sole, bedraggled armchair

  present in the parlor to settle her pale blue eyes on

  her eldest daughter. She indicated for the newssheet

  and it was pressed into her hands.

  Her mother was visibly distressed and struggling

  not to cry. Lifting her shoulders, she met Kitty’s stare.

  The vacant, hopeless look disappeared from her eyes

  to be replaced by a hope so bright and painful, a

  lump grew in Kitty’s throat.

  “Katherine, is there any veracity to Lady Gamble’s

  claim?”

  She had prepared for this, yet there was a moment’s

  hesitation in her heart. For this decisive step

  in her deception felt more profound, more frightening

  than anything else. Now she was offering her

  family a hope that could be crushed if Kitty was not

  clever and resourceful. There was also a heavy fear,

  deep inside, that disappointing her mother would

  crush the remaining life from her. The very notion

  was unbearable, and an odd sort of pain clutched at

  Kitty.

  “Yes, Mamma,” she said softly.

  A peculiar stillness settled over the parlor, as

  if they dared not breathe for fear the promise of a

  different future would burn away like ashes in the

  wind.

  Mamma favored her with a long, probing stare. “I

  am astonished you never told us you met a duke, let

  alone one as powerful as Thornton. I met him years

  ago via your father. A most charming and handsome

  young man, I recall, though there were whispers of

  an accident that left him hurt. He has been missing

  from society for a number of years, and there has

  been much speculation as to if he would ever return.

  I cannot fathom how such news was not imparted to

  me. What is going on, my dear?”

  A rather large lump formed in Kitty’s throat. She

  hated very much to lie to her sisters and mother,

  but she did not want them to be a part of her mad

  scheme. If she was ever found out, Kitty wished for

  all the recriminations to be laid at her feet. Once

  again, her heart trembled, and her resolve wavered.

  If her ruse were uncovered, the scandal would be farreaching,

  destroying all her sisters’ chances, as little

  as they were.

  “Our correspondence has been through letters.

  I…I did not wish to give false hope, but we have

  formed an attachment.” Tears burned in her eyes

  that she had to deceive them so, and she almost

  crumbled and confessed all.

  Except with a gasp, her mother lifted trembling

  hands to her lips and said, “We might be saved?”

  Yes, I promise it, Mamma.

  “I cannot perceive it to be true,” Anna cried.

  “Why would he choose you, Kitty?”

  Her sister’s astonishment hurt Kitty when it

  shouldn’t have. “I do not pretend to any extraordinary

  beauty, but why shouldn’t a duke offer for me?

  I am pretty, my eyes are fine, I am quick in thinking,

  and I am educated. I am not a spendthrift, and

  I daresay I can manage a large household. I am also

  the daughter of a viscount, even if he had been an

  impoverished one. We do have some connections,

  Anna.”

  “Oh, of course, anyone would appreciate your

  fine qualities. It is all so extraordinary. What will this

  mean for us?” Anna intoned.

  And for the first time in a very long while, hope

  shone in their eyes, and the cold knot of doubt in

  Kitty’s stomach loosened.

  “It means our family may be saved,” Mamma said

  fiercely. “It means we will have coal this winter. It

  means I will no longer have to swallow my pride and

  pen letters to your father’s heir, begging for scraps.

  It means you will not have to return to that dreadful

  house, Annabelle, and good heavens, it means my

  girls may have a chance for a better life.”

  Judith clasped her hands together. “I may have a

  season?”

  Kitty smiled at her sixteen-year-old sister, who

  spent most of her days dreaming of balls and courtship.

  She was already quite decided about her future

  and possessed too much of a romantic nature. “I

  daresay in a couple more years it may be possible. A

  coming-out at eighteen is acceptable. And we may

  be able to hire a governess for you, Henrietta.”

  As it were, Kitty was responsible for her elevenyear-

  old sister’s education, and she had taken rich

  pleasure in teaching her varied subjects.

  She faced Annabelle. “This season will be yours.

  As the fiancée of His Grace, I will be better positioned

  to introduce you to those who wish to be in

  his good favor. You will not be going back to that

  house, as you were suggesting.”

  Her sister cast a furtive glance at her mother

  before lifting her chin and nodding firmly. Anna was

  one and twenty and wasn’t out in
society as Kitty

  was. All their fragile hopes had been hung on Kitty

  finding a good match. After it had been evident Kitty

  was to be a failure, Anna had accepted a position

  as lady’s companion to Lady Shrewsbury, and her

  son had frightened Anna greatly with his brutish

  advances. Anna’s arms had been badly bruised, and

  the imprint of the viscount’s fingers on her sister’s

  inner thigh would haunt Kitty forever.

  How Kitty wished it had been her, and not her

  sweet, gentle sister. Not that she had wanted to be

  defiled or frightened, but she was made of sterner

  stuff and not as fragile as dearest Anna.

  Kitty was grateful her sister had confided in her;

  how she wished she could call out the blackguard to

  defend her sister’s honor, but instead the knowledge

  had been the additional spur Kitty needed to

  conjure up her daring scheme. The weight of her

  sister’s pain and shame felt like evidence of Kitty’s

  failure to see them all safe, as she had promised her

  papa on his deathbed.

  Kitty hadn’t hesitated to confront the bounder

  with her papa’s pistol and warn him to stay away

  from Anna. Of course, the scoundrel had been more

  amused than afraid, but she had gotten her sister

  away from that dreadful place. A life like that wasn’t

  to be Anna’s, Judith’s, or Henrietta’s future— Kitty

  would ensure it.

  Anna nodded, clearly still dazed. “But when will

  we meet him?”

  I pray, never. She had only this season to get

  things right.

  While the duke was a recluse, Kitty did not

  believe she could fool society for more than that

  time. Everyone would wonder where the duke was

  during this farce. They would wonder at the wedding

  never taking place, and they would rabidly speculate

  why he was not by her side. She had to move quickly

  and smartly to secure her sisters’ futures in one

  season.

  It felt impossible. It felt hopeless. It felt terrifying.

  Kitty wetted lips that had gone dry. For several

  nights she had lain in bed unable to sleep, planning