Chapter 44: Duty’s Call

The study in Lord Aldridge’s estate was a room of quiet authority, lined with towering bookshelves and filled with the scent of aged parchment and polished wood. A single candle flickered on the grand mahogany desk, its glow casting long shadows as the evening deepened.

I sat across from Lord Aldridge, my hands clasped in my lap, my expression unreadable. I had known this conversation was coming.

And yet, now that it was here, it felt like a noose tightening around my throat.

"I will not waste time with pleasantries, Hastings," Lord Aldridge said, his voice as measured as ever. "You are a man of standing, and your reputation is without blemish. That is why I have decided that you shall marry my daughter, Charlotte."

I stilled.

It was not a question. Not a proposal. A decision.