The Duke's Revenge (24 page)

“
Your vile act does not
affect me, woman. Best if you stop, you will only tire yourself,”
he said, moving his hand down to her breasts. He slipped his hand
beneath the flimsy fabric of her décolletage and cupped her
breast.

“
Nay...” she cried and
pushed him away.

He pulled her back and kissed her nape.

“
Please, you must stop,
somebody will see.

“
I don’t bloody care,” he
said, his warm breath fanning her skin.

“
No, you don’t understand,
they will think that I’m...”

“
A fallen woman? Serve you
right, doesn’t it?”

“
You have no heart. I hate
you,” she screamed, and with all her might, she pushed him from
her. She was about to get away when he caught her wrist and pulled
her back.

“
This is what you
deserve,” he said and kissed her again, his tongue wildly exploring
her mouth.

“
Dear Lord, what is this?”
a voice said.

Max lifted his head up. He turned and saw
Lady Mornington standing there, looking at them in shock
surprise.

“
Oh God, I do not believe
this,” the woman murmured.

Shaking from head to toe, Ivy stared dazedly
at the older woman. She was still embraced in Max’s strong,
powerful arms. He released her then, and she staggered
backward.

Humiliation flooded through her. She simply
wanted to disappear and never returned to face these people again,
ever.

“
Ivy?” the woman
said.

Ivy hugged herself as she shook her head.
And then as she couldn’t control her turmoil emotion any long, she
ran to the castle. She raced up the stairs blindly where she almost
collided with Lady Hartland who had just returned from visiting
Tyson, Dan, and Mary with their governess.

“
What is it, Ivy?” the
woman asked in concern when she saw Ivy’s pale
complexion.

Ivy, however, could only shook her head as
tears rolled down her cheeks.

“
My God, you’re so pale
and you’re shivering, my dear, what is it?” the woman asked as she
touched Ivy’s cold arms.

Still shaking her head, Ivy managed to say,
“Nothing,” and rushed up the stairs straight to her room. There she
threw herself on the bed and cried her heart out. She did not know
how long she was lying there, crying. All she knew was that they
would all by now know she was the duke’s mistress. They would never
look at her again. She was a fallen woman, and my God, how it
hurt.

She was still sobbing when there was a knock
at the door. She lifted her head up and saw that it was dark
outside. Thinking that it was Lisa, she begged her to come in. But
it was not Lisa that entered the room; it was Christine.

The other woman came in and sat down beside
her. Ivy sat up and wiped her tears. She felt humiliated.

Christine moved and hugged her. “Everything
is going to be all right.”

“
Nay...” Ivy sniffed,
“Nothing is ever going to be all right. Not for me. I’m ruined, oh
Christine, they would hate me. They would think that I’m a slut and
you, too, and...”

“
Hush now, Ivy, everything
will work itself out, I’m sure.”

“
No, no, you don’t
understand, they saw me and His Grace. I don’t know what to tell
them, I don’t know what to do.”

“
There is a way, Ivy,”
Christine said.

“
There is? What is it? But
there can’t be.”

“
You will have to marry
His Grace,” Christine explained.

“
What? No!” She shook her
head.

“
But you must, ‘tis the
right thing to do. By now everyone will have known. This type of
news spread fast, Ivy, if you were to attend the season next
year.”

“
Oh, but I can’t...I won’t
marry the duke. He is not for me, Christine,” she insisted. “You
must understand.”

“
But he loves you,
Ivy.”

“
What? Nay, he does not
love me, you don’t understand. I’m his--”

“
Don’t tell me you are his
cousin for I don’t believe that. To me, the way he treats you is
not cousinly at all.”

“
But I can’t marry
him.”

“
Yes you can and you must.
‘Tis the way it has to be.”

“
If I do that, things will
only get worse,” Ivy said, knowing very well that he would blame
her for this whole shamble.

***

“
I won’t marry her,” Max
snapped, glaring at his friend who sat rather too comfortably in
the arm chair.

“
I thought you’re a man of
honor, Max,” Merrick said, folding his arm across his chest with a
raised brow.

“
You know very well I have
no honor, Merrick, that’s why they call me
Lord Devil
,” Max said
sourly.

“
Did I hear the gossip
wrong there, my friend? Was it simply a story conjured up by Lady
Hartland and Lady Mornington? I don’t think so. Those two are good
women, and they have good intention. You did the wrong thing, Max,
fix it,” Merrick snapped. “And I will not stand to see you surfer
further with your hellion behavior, friend. It’s about time to get
yourself a wife anyhow.”

“
I won’t marry her and
this discussion is over,” Max snapped and walked out the
study.

Merrick narrowed his eyes at the closed
door. He knew he had to use his power to set things right. He’d
have to help Maximilian like Max himself had help him two years ago
when his life was in danger, and more importantly, when he had
almost lost Christine because of his stupidity and stubbornness.
And he was sure his wife would want the same.

CHAPTER 21

Four weeks later Ivy found herself in St.
George’s church for her wedding ceremony. She was shaking
uncontrollably from head to toe as she walked down the aisle. She
kept her head held high, however, and fixed her gaze on the priest
standing before them with his elegant gold and white robe. She
tried not to acknowledge the man standing beside the priest who had
his intensive gaze on her person.

Once she was on the platform the priest
started the sermon. She did not comprehend one word that came out
of his moving lips. She was too conscious of the overbearing man
beside her.

Max looked at his bride. She was beautiful
with the white silk gown that fit her perfectly. The round
décolletage exposed her tantalizing cleavage to his hungry eyes.
The skirt was long and trained, and her veil was attached to a
coronet of orange blossom. It rested all the way to the ground. Her
raven hair was formed into ringlets. As he gazed down at her, his
desire intensified. He gritted his teeth at his weak sexual
appetite in disgusted.

He heard the priest asked
his young bride to recite the words. He heard her low, musical
voice; it was sweet and husky. He almost melted with surrender, but
he suppressed the feeling by reminding himself that the woman
deserved his hate.
She had trapped him
into marriage.

The priest turned to him, “Will you, your
grace Maximilian Benjamin Devilyn, the Duke of Lynwood, take Lady
Ivy Michael to be your lawful wedded wife?”

He cleared his throat and said, “I do.”

The priest turned to Ivy. Max saw her hand
gripping onto the bouquet, the bunch of pink and white roses were
shaking so hard that some of the petals detached from its stem.

“
And you, Lady Ivy
Michael, will you take his grace, Maximilian Benjamin Devilyn, the
Duke of Lynwood to be your lawful wedded husband?” the priest
asked.

Ivy’s throat went dried. The dead silent
lengthened, and she did not answer. She did not look at the man
beside her nor did she look at the priest who seemed to be holding
his breath as though he was underwater and couldn’t wait to reach
to the surface for air.

This was the turning point of her life. She
knew that if she says aye, she would be living with this ogre for
the rest of her life; but at the same time, she would not be living
with her mother. That woman would not be able to hurt her anymore.
She thought how ironic it was that when she was free from a demon,
only to be confronted with the very devil himself.

She took another deep breath and nodded her
head.

“
I do!” her musical voice
hummed low for the mass to hear.

Max sighed. He did not know that he was
holding his breath for her answer.

“
I pronounce you are now
man and wife,” the priest said.

Max turned to her and nudged her arm. He
took hold of her veil and lifted it up from her face. He stared at
her pale complexion and shifted his gaze to her blue eyes that were
gazing up at him. He bent his head down and kissed her lips.

The ceremony was over, and the newly married
couple left St. George’s Church. They traveled in an elegant town
coach back to Edington Mansion where the breakfast reception was
held. Once they had reached their destination, Ivy was whisked away
by Christine and the maids to her room. They helped her change into
another silk gown of Evening Primrose and white. Once she had a
little rest and felt less nervous, she and Christine decent the
stairs into the drawing room where the guests were mingling. There
she received congratulations from the many new people she had just
met over the last month on her coming out. Thanks to the help of
Christine, Mrs. Smith, Lady Hartland and Lady Mornington who had
chaperoned her and introduced her to the ton.

Ivy was sipping her champagne when someone
tapped on her shoulder. She turned to see an elderly man. She
remembered that he was Mr. Murphy McDonald.

“
Ah, I see that the duke
has not at all over phrased you. Indeed, your grace, you are a
picture of beauty,” Murphy compliment and bowed low before
her.

“
Why, sir, thank you,” she
said, frowning at his comment. The duke had phrased upon her
beauty?

“
You are Mr.
McDonald?”

“
Indeed I am, Madam. I
must admit that now I see why his grace was in such a hurry to
marry you. I am sure, your grace, that I wouldn’t want anyone to
snatch you up either.” Murphy laughed, his grey eyes twinkled with
amusement.

“
Indeed, sir,” Ivy said,
staring in Max’s direction. He was talking to the Merrick,
Christine and Lady Melbourne on the other side of the room. She saw
that Christine had the habit of staring up at her husband, and he
in turned, kept smiling down at her. They looked very in love. She
felt that dull pain inside her. She would never be that lucky, to
actually marry a man she love.

“
Your grace?”

“
They look likes they
really love each other,” she murmured and shifted her gaze to her
husband.

Her husband, she thought,
she still hadn’t got used to that yet. He looked magnificent with
his blonde hair, powerful physic, and arrogant bearing. He took her
breath away.
Why?
She hated him. She shouldn’t admire him in such a
way.

“
Who?” Murphy asked in
confusion.

“
Them,” she said still
staring at Max.

“
Ah them, that would be
his lordship, the Count and Countess of Huntingdon. Have you met
them? A meeting could be arranged,” he said. “Come with
me.”

Where are you taking me?”

“
To meet the Count and
Countess of Huntingdon.”

“
But--”

“
Now, now, do not be
afraid,” Murphy said, thinking that the young duchess was
frighten.

Ivy felt helpless against Mr. McDonald’s
insistence as he led her toward the small group. She didn’t want to
join their group for the mere fact that Max was there. She couldn’t
bear to be near him. God, help her, why did her stomach suddenly go
hollow?

“
Ah, your grace,” Murphy
said, “Her grace, your wife would like to be acquainted with your
friends.”

“
Oh, Ivy,” Christine
exclaimed, “come here, there is no need, Mr. McDonald, we are
already acquainted.”

“
Err?” The lawyer looked
wide-eyed at Christine.

Max nodded as he held his hand out to Ivy.
She hesitantly placed her small hand in his, and he pulled her to
him. That made her wanted to run, but he had read her thought and
pulled her closer.

Christine tugged at her husband’s arm to get
his attention. Merrick turned to look at his wife with his brows
raised.

Ivy saw his eyes twinkle as he gaze down at
her.

“
Yes, wife?” he
asked.

“
I would leave you and the
duke to your boring topic of politic. I would like to take Ivy for
a walk if you don’t mind.”

Merrick laughed. “Indeed, my love, go
ahead.”

Ivy’s heart nearly
shattered with emotion when Merrick said that
my love
words to his wife. Would her
husband ever call her that, she wondered? Nay, not Maximilian
Devilyn, not this man,
never!

Max turned to look at Ivy. He saw her gazing
up at Merrick and her eyes lit with admiration. Why the hell was
she staring at his friend like that? He shoved her to him so that
her body, though already close to him, collide against his
side.

She turned to look at him and saw his sharp
gaze on her. He squared his jaw and his mouth smiled cynically at
her.