To Deceive A Duke

Chapter 27

"Mother..."

"Clary, que se passe-t-il?" Marie demands, reaching for her daughter's hands. Her mouth drops open when she looks down and notices the ring. She holds up the hand that bears it and openly gawks at the size of the diamond. It gleams in the light, big, bold and beautiful. 

"Oh mon Dieu," She breathes, her eyes wide. 

Clarissa smiles, taking her hand back and fiddling with her ring, "He's my world. He means everything to me," The lie slips off her tongue easily as she stares at her hand with a secret smile. This is exactly what the hopeless romantic inside her mother wants to hear. Throw in a fortune and a title and she should cave. Clarissa glances up, a radiant smile on her face. Marie's shock is turning into delight the more she admires the diamond. 

"Tell me who he is," Silas commands, crunching up the paper and throwing it aside. It hits the wall and drops to the floor in a ball, "It's not that politician, is it? What is his name?" His surprise is wearing off and his protective instincts are being disguised by his fury. 

"As if Wyn could afford such a diamond. This is a man's jewel," Marie sneers. They both look to Clarissa for an answer. She feels herself grow pale under their scrutiny. 

"It's Daniel Cavendish, The Duke of Richmond," She murmers, her voice faltering a little as she stumbles over the title. 

Marie gasps, "Duc? Tu vas être Duchesse?" 

"Oui, I am to be a duchess," Clarissa can barely breathe as her mother pulls her into a tight hug and squeezes her. She hugs her back, trying not to feel guilty for causing the utter delight Marie is exhibiting through a charade that is destined to crumble. Over her mother's shoulder, she can see that her father is stone-faced and brooding, staring at the floor with intensity as he processes her words. She pulls away from her mother, giving her a grateful smile before moving to kneel in front of her father's chair. He blinks as she takes his hands, drawing his attention to the innocent and pleading expression that she has plastered on her face. It has taken many years to perfect this look but out of all her sisters, she is best at getting what she wants from her father. 

"No one has asked my permission Clary," He warns, but he doesn't shake her off. 

"You asked me recently whether there is anything I wanted." She begins, "Well now there is, I want Daniel with all my heart. He makes me glad to be alive, he has made me love, when I thought no man could." She pouts prettily, faking regret, "I know he hasn't asked for your blessing but he is going to. He knows he should have asked you before proposing  to me, but he got so excited when his mother gave him the ring that he couldn't resist." She smiles as though she is remembering the proposal. 

"Silas he's a duke," Marie whispers, none too subtly, "Think what that could do to your status!" 

He ignores his wife's words, his internal struggle playing out in his mind. Clarissa sits back on her heels, dropping his hands and lowering her head in respect. She concentrates on the carpet, linking her fingers together as she speaks quietly. 

"I have never asked you for anything, so please, let me be happy and let me have him," 

He regards her lowered neck, thoughtfully. Clarissa bites her lip as she waits for him to talk. She needs him to believe her, she needs him to give his permission and she needs him on her side. After a few moments, he reaches down and gently pulls her into his arms. She squeezes him back, the tension draining out of her body. She could cry with relief as he cups her face lovingly and smiles. 

"If he makes you as happy as you say then who am I to stand in the way of my daughter's happiness," 

"Thank you father," She says breathlessly, she kisses his cheek and retakes her seat. There still might be some doubt in her parent's mind but she thinks that the worst of it over. Two bombshells down, only one to go.