Chapter 1
THE DUCHESS HE NEVER WANTED
CHAPTER ONE
THE MARRIAGE PROPOSAL
Victoria Laurent knew something was wrong the moment her father sent for her.
Her father never called for her after dinner.
Never.
The Laurent household followed a strict routine. Dinner at seven. Tea afterward. Her father would retreat to his study, her mother would retire to her room, and Victoria would spend the rest of the evening reading or helping the housekeeper.
But tonight, everything was different.
Victoria stood outside her father's study, her fingers resting against the carved wooden door.
“Come in,” her father's voice called.
She opened the door.
Her father sat behind his enormous mahogany desk. Several documents were spread before him, but what caught Victoria's attention was the expression on his face.
He looked exhausted.
Not simply tired.
Afraid.
Her mother was sitting beside the fireplace.
Victoria stopped.
“Mother?”
Her mother looked up quickly.
“Victoria, come and sit down.”
Victoria slowly walked into the room.
“Is something wrong?”
Neither of them answered immediately.
That frightened her more than anything else.
She took the chair opposite them.
Her father folded his hands together.
“There is something we need to discuss with you.”
Victoria swallowed.
“About what?”
Her father's eyes moved toward her mother.
Then back to Victoria.
“Your future.”
Victoria frowned.
“My future?”
“Yes.”
Her father took a deep breath.
“You are nineteen now.”
“I know.”
“You are no longer a child.”
Victoria almost smiled.
“I certainly hope not.”
Her father didn't smile back.
“Which means it is time we began discussing marriage.”
Victoria's smile disappeared.
“Marriage?”
Her mother lowered her gaze.
Victoria looked between them.
“You called me here tonight because you want to discuss marriage?”
“There is a particular proposal,” her father said.
Something cold settled in Victoria's stomach.
“A proposal?”
Her father nodded.
“From whom?”
Silence.
Then he said the name.
“Duke Adrian Blackwood.”
Victoria stared at him.
For several seconds, she wondered whether she had heard correctly.
“Adrian Blackwood?”
“Yes.”
The room suddenly seemed much smaller.
Everyone knew the Blackwood family.
They were one of the most powerful noble families in the kingdom.
Their wealth was enormous. Their lands stretched across several counties. Their influence reached the royal court.
And Duke Adrian Blackwood was known for being ruthless.
Cold.
Unapproachable.
Victoria had never met him personally, but she had heard enough stories.
Women admired him from a distance.
Men feared him.
Servants whispered that he could silence an entire room with one look.
And, most importantly, he was not looking for a wife.
Victoria slowly shook her head.
“No.”
Her father closed his eyes.
“Victoria—”
“No.”
She stood.
“You cannot possibly be serious.”
“We are.”
“You want me to marry Duke Blackwood?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Her father looked away.
That was when Victoria noticed something.
There was a document on his desk.
An official-looking document bearing a black wax seal.
The Blackwood seal.
Victoria stepped closer.
“What is that?”
Her father immediately covered it with his hand.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
Victoria stared at him.
“Father.”
He sighed.
“Our family is in serious financial difficulty.”
The words struck her harder than the marriage proposal.
“What?”
“We have debts.”
“How much?”
Her father said nothing.
“How much?”
Her mother finally spoke.
“More than we can repay.”
Victoria slowly sat down again.
She looked around the study.
The expensive furniture.
The paintings.
The crystal lamps.
The family portraits.
Everything suddenly looked different.
“How long?”
Her father looked at her.
“How long what?”
“How long have we been in debt?”
He hesitated.
“Three years.”
Victoria's heart sank.
Three years.
And nobody had told her.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because there was nothing you could do.”
“There must be something.”
“There isn't.”
Her father rubbed his forehead.
“The bank has given us one final deadline.”
“When?”
“Three months.”
Victoria stared at him.
“And if we don't pay?”
“We lose the estate.”
She couldn't breathe for a moment.
The Laurent estate had belonged to their family for generations.
It was her childhood home.
Her mother's garden.
Her father's library.
The place where she had grown up.
“You can't lose it.”
Her father gave a bitter laugh.
“That is why the Blackwoods made their offer.”
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
“What offer?”
Her father pushed the sealed document across the desk.
Victoria stared at it.
“Open it,” he said.
Her fingers trembled as she broke the seal.
She unfolded the paper.
Her eyes moved across the first few lines.
Then stopped.
MARRIAGE AGREEMENT
Her heart began pounding.
She continued reading.
The Blackwood family would settle the Laurent family's outstanding debts.
In exchange, Victoria Laurent would marry Duke Adrian Blackwood.
Her hands began shaking.
She dropped the paper onto the desk.
“No.”
“Victoria—”
“No!”
She stood so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor.
“You cannot sell me to repay a debt!”
Her mother flinched.
“We are not selling you.”
“It looks exactly like that!”
Her father stood.
“Watch your words.”
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
“You made this agreement without asking me.”
“It was the only way to save this family.”
“No. It was the easiest way.”
Her father stared at her.
Victoria wiped her tears angrily.
“You know nothing about him.”
“I know enough.”
“Do you?”
Her father didn't answer.
Victoria looked at her mother.
“And you agreed to this?”
Her mother's eyes filled with tears.
“I wanted to protect you.”
“By sending me to a man who doesn't even know me?”
“He knows about you.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
Her mother stood and walked toward her.
“Victoria…”
Victoria stepped backward.
“I won't do it.”
Her father spoke quietly.
“You have no choice.”
She looked at him.
There was no anger in his face now.
Only desperation.
And somehow, that made everything worse.
“Three months,” he said. “If we cannot pay the debt, we lose everything.”
Victoria's lips trembled.
“And if I refuse?”
Her father looked down.
“Then we lose everything.”
The room fell silent.
Victoria stared at the marriage agreement.
She hated it.
She hated the situation.
She hated that her family had kept this from her.
But most of all, she hated the fact that she knew exactly what her answer would eventually have to be.
Because despite everything…
She couldn't watch her parents lose their home.
She couldn't watch their entire family collapse.
Victoria slowly picked up the document again.
“When is the wedding?”
Her father looked surprised.
“You're agreeing?”
Victoria didn't answer.
Instead, she looked at the Blackwood seal.
A strange feeling passed through her.
Fear.
Anger.
And something she couldn't quite name.
“When?” she asked again.
“Six weeks.”
Her eyes widened.
“Six weeks?”
Her father nodded.
Victoria gave a small, bitter laugh.
“Apparently the duke is in a hurry.”
Her father looked away.
“There is something else.”
Victoria froze.
“What?”
“The duke has made his own condition.”
“What condition?”
Her father hesitated.
Then he said:
“He does not want this marriage.”
Victoria's heart stopped.
“What?”
“He has agreed because of the family agreement. But he has made it clear that he does not want a wife.”
Victoria stared at him.
For the first time that night, she felt something other than fear.
Humiliation.
“So he doesn't want me.”
“No.”
Her father's voice was barely audible.
“He has never met you.”
Victoria looked down at the agreement.
She suddenly felt very small.
A marriage she never wanted.
To a man who never wanted her.
And yet, in six weeks, she would have to walk into his home and become his wife.
She folded the agreement carefully.
“Then I suppose,” she whispered, “we have something in common.”
Her mother looked at her sadly.
“What?”
Victoria lifted her chin.
“I don't want him either.”
She walked toward the door.
But before she could leave, her father's voice stopped her.
“Victoria.”
She turned.
“There is one thing you must understand.”
“What?”
Her father's expression had changed.
“This marriage is not as simple as it appears.”
Victoria frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Her father looked toward the Blackwood seal.
Then he said something that made her blood run cold.
“Your mother and I have been keeping a secret from you.”
Victoria stared at him.
“What secret?”
Her father opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, someone knocked violently on the study door.
Everyone froze.
Another knock came.
Three sharp knocks.
Then a man's voice sounded from the other side.
“Lord Laurent.”
Her father's face went pale.
Victoria looked at him.
“Who is that?”
He didn't answer.
The door slowly opened.
A servant stood there, breathing heavily.
“Forgive me, my lord,” he said. “But a messenger has arrived from Blackwood Castle.”
Victoria's heart began racing.
The servant held out a black envelope.
“There is a message for Lady Victoria.”
She stared at the envelope.
Her name was written across it.
VICTORIA LAURENT.
And beneath her name was the Blackwood seal.
She took it.
Her fingers trembled as she broke it open.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Only one sentence had been written.
Victoria read it once.
Then again.
Her face went pale.
“Do not mistake this marriage for a love story.”
At the bottom was one signature.
ADRIAN BLACKWOOD.
