A Duke and A Damsel

A Duke and A Damsel--Chapter 9

This chapter is dedicated to GirlBehindTheLens for being such a loyal fan. I hope this upload saves you from doing anything drastic :). I apologize that the chapter is not necessarily the best or most interesting, but I figured something would be better than nothing :P.

I am going to assume that since you've made it this far, you have ready my disclaimer. For those of you who read for the historical aspect, this might be the place for you to stop because this is where the emphasis on fiction comes in, and there will be A LOT of historical discrepancies. I am sorry.

As always, I would appreciate any form of feedback. Please vote and fan if you like it, and comment even if you don't. Thanks for reading!

Above all, thank you to my loyal fans who read, comment, and vote no matter what!!

A Duke and A Damsel

Chapter 9

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Blake rolled his eyes as he watched his friend practically roll on the floor with laughter.

“It's not that funny,” he said, shooting Arjun an irritated glance. “In fact, it's not funny at all. I have absolutely no idea why you're laughing so hard.”

Arjun laughed even harder at this, then took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

“You're right,” he said to Blake, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably. “This is no laughing matter. You've gotten yourself into a downright mess, mate.”

Blake glared at him.

“Way to state the obvious. I know I've gotten myself into a mess, but I sure don't need you to laugh about it. Just try to imagine yourself in my position. I have three weeks to find a bride, and the one girl I would actually consider marrying, I have alienated.”

Though it was quite obvious that Arjun wanted to laugh again, a frown marred his features instead.

“What was it that she told you? That her mother had made up her mind that she was to marry you?” Arjun asked him.

“Yes,” he replied without much enthusiasm. No matter what her mother wanted, it sure wasn't going to work out in their current situation. And it didn't seem like Emma wanted the same thing either.

“And that her mother would be quite upset, not just upset but upset enough 'to kill her,' for that reason if she found out about these rumors that the two of you unintentionally started up?”

“Yes.”

“No matter how much of a catch you are in the ton, that is quite a violent reaction, isn't it?”

“Right, but I don't see what that has to do with anything. It's just another problem to add to the ever growing list. Still, it's a probably just a figure of speech around here.”

“Well, there must be a reason for it. It's obvious that Emma is hiding something. Now you just need to find out what. Then, you can use it to your advantage in fixing the situation.”

Blake laughed humorlessly.

“And how exactly am I supposed to find out? It's not like she would tell me anything about her life even if I were to tell her all of my problems in return. She'd probably just laugh the way you did.”