"Stop it!", she pushed him, now nervous and scared, but confident. Its about time she used the experience of having four brothers to use.
Suddenly, he lunges forward, jumping on her,"Let go of me!", only to fall down, knocked out, from the single facer Carina planted.
Letting out a gasp at her aching knuckles and the horror of what she just did and the consequences she would have to face, she was completely shocked, unsettled and scared out of her mind.
Oh gods! She was ruined and her hand ached. Just then, she saw the Duke running into the garden, and nervously rushed to explain,
"Your Grace... I had no intention..."
"Of knocking the climp flat out?" he questions, a look of relief on his face. Carina only tried to soothe her sore knuckles and panicked.
"Well, I must say, I am impressed.", he says sounding pleasantly surprised as he rounded around the man, bending down to check his state of consciousness.
"What are you doing out here?" Carina asks, trying to get her mind off of her massive mess up.
"Avoiding certain people." he replies. "People?" she enquired, confused.
"Mothers." he elaborated.
"They are people, I suppose." she makes an attempt at humour, trying to keep herself calm but then noticed the direction the Duke walked in from, and all the panic came rushing back, ten fold. She felt as if she couldn't breathe. This was it, this was the time when she finally ruined her family's good name all due to her reckless disregard for rules.
"You are coming from the Dark Walk. It is merely a few steps away.", she stated more to herself, trying to make some sense of it all.
"What would you know of the Dark..." the Duke starts, only to be interrupted.
"The Dark Walk is merely a few steps away, and I am alone with two men." says Carina in panic, turning around to leave, having too much thrust upon her in so little time it was only now all settling in.
"You are only with one man. The other is..." says the Duke with a smile, finding this funny.
At this, she turns back and fires, "I'll be compromised just the same."
"Do you have any idea what would happen if someone even suggested that I... I must go." as she was leaving, a faint mumble from Berbrooke stopped her in her tracks yet again, "Marry me, Miss Bridgerton."
"Now, as far as proposals go, that may be the least romantic of all." says the Duke, clearly amused by the situation.
"I suppose if someone were to find me here, it would be one way out of marrying him." says Carina sarcastically, with apparent disgust for the man. "You cannot possibly be thinking of marrying him." questions Simon incredulously.
"If I am unable to secure another offer, there may be no alternative. Anthony is set on marrying me this season. Unlike you, I cannot simply declare I do not wish to marry. I do not have such a privilege." she says, her dismay at the idea of marriage obvious.
"Yes, I was surprised to learn you no longer have a line of suitors around every square in London.", and he has the nerve to mock her at this moment?
"I am in no need of your derision, sir.", Carina says.
"I do not mock you. I am being sincere," now that surprises her, "I know of what this Lady Whistledown has written. Trust I possess as much contempt for the author as you do. She's all but issued a challenge to London's most ambitious mamas, encouraging, provoking them to..."
"Claim you as their prize?" She questions with a smile, finding herself calm and somewhat mentally functioning again, all due to his conversing being a well needed distraction.
"Do not worry, Your Grace. I believe such a win would be promptly forfeited, indeed." She was the one mocking now, "I must go this way. You, through those trees." she says, finally coming up with some solution to this.
"Perhaps there is an answer..." Simon's words stop her in her tracks, "to our collective Lady Whistledown issue."
"We could pretend to form an attachment. With you on my arm, the world will believe I've finally found my duchess. Every presumptuous mother in town will leave me alone, and every suitor will be looking at you. You must know men are always interested in a woman when they believe another, particularly a duke, to be interested as well."
"But that would be of no use to me, My Lord. I do not wish to be wed. Marriage has never been something I wished for myself. Catching the attention of suitors shall only make my life more difficult. The only reason I even debuted was for my family." she explains.
"Perhaps, but Anthony settled your engagement regardless, didn't he?" He questions.
"Because I agreed to marry if I had to. It is not my choice!" she exclaims.
"Well then, if you have to get married, having more suitors would be beneficial would it not, it would allow you to rid of this pig right here."
Realisation sunk on Carina's face and so did hope. This might actually work.
"You presume Lady Whistledown..."
"I presume she'll deem us to be what we are. Me, unavailable. You... desirable." says Simon, with newfound hope and happiness.
"Oh, so I am desirable now, My Lord?" Carina teases with a mocking smile on her face.
"I never said you weren't, Miss Bridgerton." Simon slyly replies, leaving Carina filled with disbelief as he took the lead. All the while, she couldn't help but feel dumbfounded at both, Simon's coquettish remark and the flutter in her stomach.
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Walking back to the Vauxhall celebrations, Carina can see, can feel everyone's eyes on herself and the Duke. It is truly a wondrous feeling, the hope. Even more wondrous is the feeling of her arm, intertwined with the Duke's. She frowned for a brief moment, wondering where that thought crept in from. Perhaps the safety the Duke had provided after being harassed by Berbrooke, of course, it was gratitude and respect. Moving on to the dance floor, they moved to stand facing one another when suddenly he whispered, "Stare into my eyes."
And so she did. She glanced once, then twice, and then never looked away. She stared into those eyes. Those same stupid brown eyes that lie to her time and time again, that are lying to her, at this very moment. The same stupid brown eyes that are telling her that she might be a disaster, the most beautiful disaster they had ever seen.
Those same stupid brown eyes of the same stupid man who pulled her closer, and took her breathe away, "Here." he whispered. "Closer." He said, his lips ghosting her ear, "If this is to work, we must appear madly in love." Those same stupid brown eyes of the same stupid man who brought her back to reality as he uttered the sentence.
"It is an absurd plan.", she whispers, scared any louder and she might break.
"I find it quite brilliant." he whispers back, "Provided you do not wish to marry me, and I do not wish to marry you, whatever should you have to lose?", he says but in that moment, staring at the stupid woman and her stupidly gorgeous eyes, he does not believe his own self.
For those not in attendance at the Vauxhall celebration, you missed the most remarkable coup of the season. It appears Miss Carina Bridgerton has captured the interest of the newly returned Duke of Hastings. How the young miss secured her newfound suitor is yet to be determined. Yet, if anyone shall reveal the circumstances of this match, it is I.
Yours truly...
Lady Whistledown.
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Author's Note :
SURPRISE! A new update after a long while...
I am so sorry for the delay guys, I really am. Especially when i have like 10 chapters prepared in advance. But I just couldn't find time to be on Wattpad for a while as my exams just started today.
Updates might be reallyyy slow because I am editing the story and pre-written chapters to give it an original twist but they will be there.
Do share what you feel about the chapter. Feedback's are always welcome! AND maybe.... Idk suggestions about what you would like to see in the story? My vision for this is set so i wont be changing the whole story but I would love to include small tidbits in... Until next time, stay healthy and safe guys.
ALSO- the last thing I promise- 1.2 K READS ON MY STORY AYO WHAT? THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! I LEGIT FREAKED WHEN I SAW IT THE OTHER DAY.... AHHHHHH!
~ Ri <3