Sleep proved elusive for Maddie that night. Thoughts of Harrison, worries over her future and a sense of impending doom kept her pacing until dawn. She canceled her early-morning tennis practice, even though Nationals was just three weeks away. The idea of being around people right now terrified her.
Perhaps if she stayed in her room, she could avoid her problems.
Now you’re being childish.
Shaking her head, she flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling. There was no way around it: she had to tell Lockwood about kissing Harrison.
It was the honorable thing to do, though the duke could very well call off the wedding as a result. Her mother would be devastated if that happened. Daddy, too. Maddie hated the idea of disappointing anyone.
Why had she gone to the gazebo last night?
Because you wanted to. Because you needed to see if these feelings for Harrison were real.
She’d gotten her answer, at least. Whatever was between her and Harrison was very real. The realization only compounded her problems, however.
A knock sounded, and she blinked into the bleary sunlight pouring through her windows. Had she fallen asleep? The clock on her nightstand read shortly after nine o’clock.
“Maddie, are you awake?”
That was Nellie’s voice. Maddie was instantly out of bed, throwing on a dressing gown and rushing to the door. “What happened?”
Nellie entered and shut the door behind her. “Alice’s mother asked to speak with your father this morning. Then they called for the duke. Something is going on. You need to get dressed.”
Oh, no. Mrs. Lusk was telling her father about last night. There was no other explanation. Dash it all.
“I have to hurry.”
“Yes, you do.” Nellie summoned Maddie’s maid while Maddie rushed into the washroom.
Nellie spoke through the door. “Would you like some advice? I do have a bit of experience with handling fathers, you know.”
There was no reason to keep it from Nellie. Her friend was no stranger to scandal, after all. “I kissed Harrison last night in the gazebo,” Maddie said. “We got caught in the rain and Mrs. Lusk may have seen us come in together.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Exactly.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I haven’t a clue.” The backs of Maddie’s eyelids began to burn and she blinked rapidly, hoping to stave off the tears.
“Look on the bright side,” Nellie said. “This may have happened for a reason. Remember, this is your life, Maddie, not anyone else’s. Do what makes you happy.”
“Will you still speak to me if I am ruined?”
“As if you need to ask me such a ridiculous question. And if you’re ruined from this, then I am the worst jezebel New York has ever seen.”
“We’ll be ruined together, I suppose.”
“Stop talking nonsense and hurry up in there. No matter what happens we’ll always be friends.”
Fifteen minutes later, Maddie’s hair was in a simple knot at her nape, and she wore a light pink morning gown. A footman arrived just as Maddie put on her gloves. “Miss, your father would like to see you in his office.”
It felt like her stomach had suddenly lodged in her throat. “Thank you, Robbie. Please tell him I am on my way.” She exchanged a worried glance with Nellie. “Walk me down.”
They descended the staircase, their slippers whispering over the carpet, and Maddie tried to focus on not tripping as she hurried to her father’s office. Nellie squeezed Maddie’s hand, then let her go, and Maddie pushed on the heavy wooden door.
The room was quiet. Harrison stood at the window, staring out at the lawn, while Daddy and Lockwood were both seated at the desk. Mrs. Lusk wasn’t anywhere to be found.
“Madeline, close the door.”
Her lungs constricted at hearing her full name, but she approached the desk and tried to read their faces, looking for some hint as to what was to come, but there was nothing. Lockwood appeared perfectly put together and calm, as always, and Daddy seemed impatient but not angry. Harrison didn’t look her way, just continued to stare at the lawn.
“What is this about?”
“Sit, please.” Once she was seated, her father said, “I had an interesting visit this morning.”
“Oh?” She clasped her fingers together to stop her hands from trembling.
“Mrs. Lusk asked to speak with Lockwood and me this morning. Apparently, she was up late last night and noted some inappropriate activities in the house.”
She couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. The air in the room was stifling, heavy with foreboding and thick with anxiety. Her father’s gaze narrowed when she remained silent, his brows dipping. “She claims to have seen you and Mr. Archer come through the terrace doors well after midnight, soaked to the bone.” He paused. “She also said that Mr. Archer returned your engagement ring and kissed you before he went upstairs.”
Maddie’s mouth had gone dry, so she licked her lips in a desperate attempt to unglue her tongue from the roof of her mouth. It was everything she had feared. “That is certainly a tale. Are we sure she hadn’t been drinking?”
“Madeline Jane.” Her father’s voice was sharp with disapproval. “Were you outside with Mr. Archer last night?”
She glanced at Lockwood, who was watching her carefully, the flat set of his lips an indication of his unhappiness. She owed him the truth. “Yes.”
Lockwood frowned and let out the breath he’d apparently been holding, and her guilt compounded. A decent man, he had been so kind to her. He did not deserve to be humiliated like this.
Daddy rubbed his eyes vigorously, as if trying to make this all go away. “So it’s true?”
She didn’t dare look at Lockwood or Harrison. “It is.”
The disappointment in her father’s expression nearly cut her in two. It was so rare, so upsetting to see him anything but proud and supportive, that tears threatened once again. He sighed and regarded the duke. “Lockwood, I’ll write you a check with enough zeroes that perhaps we might keep this quiet for a bit.”
“Of course, Webster. I am sorry this didn’t work out.”
“I feel the same. You have my deepest apologies.”
They were so polite, as if they were discussing the weather. “What do you plan—”
“Not another word, young lady,” her father said, his voice low and harsh. “Sit and do not speak until I am ready for you.”
Her mouth fell open, the command so unlike him. Before she could argue, he swiveled his chair toward the window and addressed the silent man in the corner. “Well, Archer. Are you prepared to do the right thing?”
Harrison didn’t move. “Of course.”
“We need to make this right as quickly and quietly as possible.”
Harrison nodded once.
What was happening here? Panic caused her to blurt, “Wait, what does that mean?”
“It means you have been compromised, Madeline,” her father said, his jaw tight with anger. “It means you will marry Mr. Archer. Immediately.”
Oh, my God.
She flew to her feet and put her palms out, as if to calm everyone down. “That’s hardly necessary. I haven’t been compromised. I went for a walk last night and Mr. Archer found me and assisted me inside.”
“Mrs. Lusk saw you both and remarked—quite loudly, I might say—about the intimacy of what she observed. Not to mention you had taken off your engagement ring and given it to Mr. Archer at some point.”
“Oh, speaking of the ring,” the duke said, his tone even. “If you don’t mind, Miss Webster.”
Dropping her head, she removed her glove, slipped the heavy piece off her finger and placed it carefully on her father’s desk. The duke picked up the ring and smoothly dropped it in his coat pocket. If not for the patch of red skin above his collar, she might have thought him unaffected.
You’ve humiliated him. Of course he is affected.
She hated the idea that she’d hurt him in any way. This was not the place to explain or apologize, however. She’d seek him out once they were done.
For now, she had to convince her father this was nothing to worry about. “Daddy, Mrs. Lusk has leapt to conclusions.”
“Perhaps, but she is one of the biggest gossips on the East Coast. I won’t have your name associated with a scandal, and the duke asked to be released from the betrothal if the story proved true. You will marry Mr. Archer and that is final.”
She and Harrison . . . married. Her eyes flew to where he stood, now facing her, the morning sun forming a ring of golden light around him. His expression revealed nothing, his emotions locked up, even in this moment of upheaval. That angered her, considering much of the blame for this lay at his feet. He’d pushed and pushed until he’d broken her engagement.
Lockwood rose and extended a hand toward her father. “Good luck, Webster.”
Daddy stood and shook the duke’s hand. “And you, as well, Your Grace. Thank you for your discretion.”
Then Lockwood gave her a grim smile. “Miss Webster, I wish you the very best.”
The moment was surreal, and she half expected to discover it was all a bad dream. “The best to you, as well, Your Grace.”
“Thank you.” Focusing on Harrison, the duke said, “Under any other circumstances, I’d offer to shake your hand, Archer.”
“And under different circumstances, I might accept,” Harrison returned, his tone colder than the Atlantic in March.
The duke spun on his heel and quit the room, his shoulders straight and proud. The silence that followed was awful, and mortification crawled over her skin like thousands of ants. She didn’t wish to leave things like this with Lockwood, with him believing the worst of her—and she owed him an apology. He must absolutely hate her for embarrassing him like this.
Guilt gnawed at her stomach. She needed to set this right—or as right as she could, considering how badly she’d blundered. Rising, she gestured toward the office door. “I should speak with him.”
“Go on, then.” Her father waved her out. “I need to discuss things with your fiancé, anyway. You and I will talk later.”
Fiancé, meaning Harrison.
This was all happening too fast. “Is there any chance I might change your mind?”
Daddy’s expression hardened, his tone the one he used for discussing business. “Absolutely none. You two will be married as soon as I can drag a reverend here, Madeline.”
Harrison struggled to keep from grinning like a madman as Maddie dashed from her father’s office.
She would soon be his wife.
It was too perfect. Her betrothal broken, she would now be forced to marry him. No, he hadn’t planned on winning her this way, but he couldn’t dredge up an ounce of regret over it.
Things were shaping up nicely. Once they were married, he could return to New York and to the business of ruining his family. At last count, there were fewer than five thousand shares of Archer Industries stock to recover.
Yes, things were shaping up nicely, indeed.
“I suppose you best sit down,” Webster said. “Then I won’t need to crane my neck the entire time.”
Harrison lowered himself into the chair opposite the desk. “I am sorry about all of this.”
Webster cocked his head, his gaze turning thoughtful. “Are you?”
“Not really.”
Maddie’s father rubbed his forehead with the tips of three fingers, slow frustrated sweeps across his wrinkled brow. “I want honesty from you, Archer, and I’ll only ask this once. As a gentleman, have you compromised my daughter under my roof?”
“Does it matter?”
“It matters to your future father-in-law.”
“Perhaps, but still I’ll not answer it. Whatever happened between Maddie and me remains private.”
Webster leaned back in his chair, rocking slightly and causing the wood underneath him to creak. “I should hate you for that response, yet I cannot help but respect it.” He sighed heavily, his chest deflating. “And it leaves me no choice but to force a marriage between you.”
Undoubtedly the Websters would much prefer an aristocratic son-in-law, but that was too damn bad. Harrison was on the verge of having Maddie as his wife . . . and nothing would stop a wedding at this point. “That is your right.”
“It is. Also within my right is to not offer you the same betrothal agreement I gave Lockwood, considering the circumstances.”
“I don’t need your money.” Harrison shrugged. “I made my own money in France.”
“Your inheritance, you mean.”
“No, I was cut off from my trust fund when I left and my mother subsequently spent it.”
That got Webster’s attention. He sat forward in his chair, shaking his head as if to clear it. “Cut off?”
“My father’s doing. It was part of why I went to Paris.”
“I don’t understand. I always assumed you were . . .” The older man cleared his throat. “Well, second son and all.”
“A layabout is probably the term you were searching for. A do-nothing. Ne’er-do-well. Wastrel. I’ve heard them all over the years.” Usually from a member of his family.
“So how did you survive over there?”
“Cards, at first. We wastrels use our skills where we can, you know.” He gave a grim smile. “Then the Paris Stock Exchange, which is just gambling on a larger stage. After that, I started working for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. I helped them design cruises for upscale American passengers, recommending amenities and food that would appeal to travelers of a certain sensibility. For a cut of the profits, of course. Thus far, the cruises have been wildly successful.”
Webster’s jaw had fallen open midway through Harrison’s speech. He closed his mouth and finally said, “That’s quite clever.”
“Thank you. Though I don’t need money, I could use your help with another matter.” Harrison crossed his legs and smoothed the fine wool of his trousers. “It’s not been made public but my father lost everything in the Panic a few years ago. The Archers are broke.”
Webster blinked a few times. “Broke?”
“Indeed. They’ve been borrowing money from the business, which has suffered under poor leadership the last decade or so. But I plan to change all that when I take over Archer Industries in a few weeks.”
“You plan to take over your family’s company? Why not try and help them save it?”
“The reasons are my own, but they do not deserve my help. No, I plan to take it all away—in a hostile takeover, if necessary. That is where I need your assistance.”
“With?”
“Speaking to members of the board, if it comes to that. Many of them are close in age to you and there’s a good chance you know many of them personally. Additionally, I am hoping, as my father-in-law, that you will also serve on the board once I restructure it.”
Keen understanding shone in the older man’s gaze as he nodded once. “Anything in my daughter’s best interests going forward, you may count on my lending support. I never had much affinity for your father or brother, anyway. Does Madeline know any of this?”
“No, no one does. The stock price will plummet if word gets out and the company will fold before I can acquire it.”
Webster stroked his jaw, staring across the desk as if trying to figure Harrison out. Maddie’s father was a shrewd businessman, who’d doubled his family’s steel empire after the war, and he did not suffer fools gladly. There was a reason the Websters owned nearly the largest house in both Manhattan and Newport—and it was the intelligence and drive of the man sitting in front of him.
“I always thought you were frivolous and not very ambitious,” Webster finally said. “I can see I was wrong, and I have to say that comes as a goddamn relief. The last thing I want is for my only child to marry an empty-headed bounder who will spend my money on women and booze.”
“You have my word I will not. I love your daughter.”
“See that it stays that way. Does this mean you are staying in New York?”
“It does.”
“Indeed, I am happy to hear it. I was not looking forward to sending her off to another country.” Webster pushed back from the desk and stood. “I’ll provide you with half of what I originally promised Lockwood. A half million in cash and one million in stock. You’ll have it after the ceremony.”
“It’s not necessary, but thank you. I’ll have a portion put into trusts for Maddie and our children.” Harrison rose and shook the other man’s hand. “I appreciate this.”
“Never forget I am doing this for her.”
“Of course.”
Maddie’s father checked his pocket watch. “When did you first know?”
“Know what?”
“That you wanted to marry my daughter.”
Harrison’s mouth hitched. “When I was fifteen.”
Webster shook his head and he pinned Harrison with a hard stare. “You could have returned from Paris sooner and saved us the trouble.”
True, but until a few days ago Maddie hadn’t thought of him in a romantic way. “I could have, but where would have been the fun in that?”
“I daresay it won’t be easy earning Maddie’s forgiveness. She’s been working on this match with Lockwood since March. Between that and tennis, it’s all she’s talked about for months. You know how much she hates to be taken by surprise.”
“I do.” Harrison remembered how annoyed Maddie became whenever he didn’t follow her schemes to the letter. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to find her now, start working on that forgiveness.”
“Go on, then. I need to find my wife. I’ll let you know what time to show up for the ceremony.”