Two years ago, Miranda 'Rain' Howerty sent the gossip mill into a frenzy when she married the elusive Duke of Winterbourne, Marcus Dashcombe, a mere two months into the Season. But what was meant to be a dashing love affair turned sour already on th...
Author's note: This was originally shared on my ko-fi page but as the Howerty universe is now exclusive to Wattpad, I wanted to share it with everyone. It's a scene I originally wrote but decided didn't quite fit the narrative, so the book version works out differently. The scene takes place after Marcus has found out about Nora and he's asked Rain and her guard Mr Russell to join him in his study to fill them in about everything.
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When Marcus returned home a few hours later, he looked forward to seeing his wife. Spend some time with her. And—unfortunately—have to tell her exactly who had supplied the opium that had poisoned her. Mr Russell also needed to be informed. If whoever had threatened Nora could do it to one servant, there was nothing stopping him from trying the same with anyone else in Marcus's employ. Hopefully, they all knew to come directly to him with any such news. Nora had only worked there a handful of months while most other staff had been with him for years. It might be worth speaking to the butler and housekeeper to spread the word, however. He did not want to take any chances.
After sending word to the kitchen that they could prepare the picnic, he made his way to his study to put a few pieces of paper away. As he opened the door, he froze. There was a monster on his desk!
"Marcus!" Rain came hurrying down the hallway with Mr Russell behind her, and instinctively, Marcus held his arm out to keep her from entering the room.
"Wait," he said. "There is a beast in here."
"A beast?" A slight line appeared between Rain's eyebrows, and she leaned in to look inside. "Oh! Not to worry. That is Ignacio."
He blinked. "Ignacio?" he repeated dumbly.
"Yes." Taking advantage of his confusion, Rain ducked under his stretched-out arm and entered the study. Walking up to the large lizard on his desk, she reached her hand out and petted it. "One of Dash's friends travels with it on his ship. Apparently, it's called an iguana. He picked it up in the West Indies. They usually live there when not on the ship. He had business back in England, but didn't want to leave Ignacio alone on the ship. Dash suggested that I care for it. It's only another day or two."
"Right." He tried to sound like he understood, but he wasn't sure he did. Eyeing the enormous lizard, he wasn't quite sure he trusted it. Lizards shouldn't be that big. It wasn't natural. The iguana stared back at him, its pink tongue coming out as if to lick its lips. "What do they eat?"
"Oh, vegetables mainly. Some fruit."
Maybe it wasn't licking its lips as much as it was laughing at him. Marcus ran a hand through his hair. "Another day or two, you said?"
Rain looked back at him and smiled. "Yes, I hope you don't mind. I thought he could live in the conservatory."
He raised an eyebrow. "Would it make any difference if I minded?"
"No." She grinned. "I will get him back to the conservatory. He usually likes to follow me."
"Of course he does," Marcus muttered. Remembering her wording, he frowned. "Another day or two? How long has he been here?"
"A couple of weeks." Rain shrugged. "He is usually quite happy in the conservatory, where it's nice and warm, and I have set up a little bath for him there for when he gets too dry. I don't know why he left today. Perhaps he got bored, as I did not come to see him the last couple of days."
How was it possible that an enormous lizard had lived in his house without him realising? Was he truly that preoccupied with his work? He turned his head to Mr Russell. "Did you know of this?"
Russell nodded, his eyes not leaving the iguana. "Aye. She's gone to see him sometimes when I've been watching."
They both stood aside as Rain left the room, followed by the reptile, its claws skittering against the wooden floor as it moved. It followed her like a large—rather scaly—puppy. Not even lizards appeared to be immune to Rain's charm. It turned its head and flicked its tongue at them. Almost as if taunting them that he had stolen her away.
"He does rather look like a small dragon, does he not?" Russell said with a slight shudder.
"A little," Marcus admitted. "Would you please follow her? Then if you could both meet me in the garden afterwards. I have something I need to tell you both, then you will be relieved until the morning."
"Yes, Your Grace." Russell sketched a bow before following Rain and her reptile.
Shaking his head, Marcus put the papers away in a locked drawer in his desk before going out to the garden. A few servants had set up a large blanket in the grass, complete with a bottle of wine and glasses, plates and a whole spread of food. Cold cuts of chicken, cheese, bread and strawberries, among a variety of other bits and pieces. Marcus thanked the servants as they went back inside, leaving him alone with the picnic. Was this a terrible idea? Would Rain laugh at his feeble attempt at being romantic? He did not know.
Not much later, she arrived with Russell and, looking at the picnic, a smile spread across her face. "This is lovely, Marcus."
With heated cheeks, he only nodded. Clearing his throat, he decided to forge on. "I know who gave you the poison now."
Rain's eyes widened, and she took a step towards him. "Who?"
Trying to keep it short and simple, he explained about Nora and the blackmail. Mr Russell and Rain both listened quietly, taking it all in.
~~~~~~ Author's note: Well, Rain had to have an iguana at one point, right?
Ignacio the iguana is inspired by my friend lisa_london_ 's pirate adventure romp, IGUANATOPIA. It's a hilarious novella about a pirate ship that finds an iguana floating on the ocean, and somehow he ends up their captain. (Thanks to a little bit of magic and a clever girl on the ship that the men won't listen to... unless her words come from the mouth of an iguana, apparently!)
