“Already?” the duke teased. “But I was only beginning to grow used to your company.”
She turned to shoot a retort towards his direction, but before she could do so, a knock on the door startled her.
Maria jerked from the screen as the door opened. The duke’s head turned sharply. He did not reach for his coat.
Violet stepped into the room and then stopped as if she had struck glass. Her hand tightened on the knob. She took in Maria first, then the man beside her: shirt open, sleeves to his forearms.
“Maria?” Violet whispered.
They were seen.
Maria’s stomach fell away, and with it the ground. Ruined, she thought, cleanly, and shut her eyes.
CHAPTER 3
“What am I seeing here?”
Maria was at least grateful that Violet did not take this moment to yell, which would attract even more attention. Instead, she was standing in front of the two of them with her arms folded out in front of her.
Her expression went from shock to concern, and then a lingering curiosity. Violet was waiting for an answer.
“I...” Maria tried to explain herself, but then the words caught in her throat, and she trained her gaze instead to the ground.
“You should ask Miss Havenford,” the duke replied. “It is her evening.”
The sound of Maria’s name in his mouth made her throat tighten. She could not meet Violet’s eyes.
She swallowed and tried again. There was no point in lying; she did not think her chest could bear the strain of inventing a better story than the one that had just happened.
“I made a mistake.”
“What mistake, sweetheart?” Violet’s hand whitened on the latch, but she kept her voice gentle.
“It is my fault. only mine.” Her heart was pounding, and she made herself look at Violet, because cowardice would not help now. “I thought this was Mr. Morton’s room. It is not. I am sorry. I… I did not mean…” She gestured helplessly at the scene around her.
The Duke of Verwood had the gall to let his mouth curve. He did not laugh. Maria could not have borne it if he had laughed.
“Peter’s room,” Violet said. She looked at the duke. “You exchanged chambers.”
“We did,” Stephen said.
“Why,” Violet asked, “would you do that?”
“I have already explained to Miss Havenford here,” Stephen shrugged his shoulders. “But I get the sense that is not the most important thing to discuss at the moment.”
“Why would you risk yourself like this?” Violet turned to Maria now. “I cannot imagine why you would willingly walk into someone’s chambers like this, wanting to be discovered.”
“It was only Peter…”
“Still, why even Peter? Why anyone?” Violet was truly worried now. “Do you understand that it puts you in a very challenging situation?”
Maria did not know how to respond. In earnest, she did not fully understand the consequences of her own actions.
“Maria,” Violet was pacing now. Maria had never seen her so worried before. “What have you gotten yourself into?”
“I was only…”
“Do you understand the scandal such a thing will create?” Violet asked before Maria could complete her thought. “If Nicholas is to find out, then he would surely challenge Stephen to a duel. Being discovered in a gentleman’s chamber like this carries dire consequences for a lady. Surely, you must be aware of them.”