Lady Nicola Howerty has never backed down from a challenge, and she's not about to start now.
Being blackmailed into marriage by an old friend. Hiring a private investigator. Kissing said investigator... Okay, it might be a bit much, but she can han...
"Are you in trouble?" she asked. "Is that why you're so adamant about marrying me?"
A muscle twitched in his jaw. Ignoring her question, he repeated his earlier one. "Have you considered my proposal?"
She shook her head. "You know my answer, Henry. I will not marry you. If I marry—and at this point, that's a big if—it will be for love and nothing else. And I will choose my husband. No one will badger me into marriage."
He groaned. "You're forcing my hand, Nick. I will have to speak to your brother."
Placing her hand on his arm, she gripped it harder than necessary. "You fool," she hissed. "Nathaniel will never believe you."
"Are you so certain? Even when I tell him about the birthmark on your hip?" When she blanched, he smiled patronisingly. "I didn't think so."
He turned on his heel to make his way to her brother. Nick stared after him for a moment, panic bubbling under the surface, threatening to erupt like a geyser. He wouldn't actually do it, would he? She needed more time to figure out what was going on. If he told Nathaniel, her brother was as likely to challenge him to a duel and kill him as he was to force them to marry. Neither option was something she wanted. Blast it!
Hurrying after him, she tried to keep up in the crowded ballroom. "Henry!" she hissed. "Don't do this! There must be another way!"
"Yes," he replied calmly as he kept walking. "You can marry me."
"Other than that!" she snapped, pondering if she could just clobber him over the head with something heavy. This obsession with marrying her was ludicrous. And annoying. Very annoying.
They found her brother in the music room where he stood talking to Lord Wortham and Gabriel. Her humiliation apparently knew no bounds. Glancing around the room, she tried to appreciate how many others were present to view her imminent demise. No more than a dozen. Could have been worse.
It took a moment for her brother and his friends to notice them, and Nick rather wished they hadn't. She was still trying to come up with a plan to fix this. To somehow stop Henry from going through with this farce. There was no way he actually wanted to marry her and it was up to her to save them both from a future neither wanted. She just needed to figure out how in the next few moments.
Nathaniel raised his eyebrows questioningly as he caught sight of them. "Nick. Lord Wyndon." He nodded his head in greeting. Perhaps he saw the panic inside her because his eyes narrowed slightly. "Is something wrong?"
"I was hoping to speak with you regarding an important matter," Henry said with a backward glance towards her. "It's to do with your sister."
Her brother threw her an uneasy glance. She couldn't blame him, she'd caused enough mischief through the years for him to be wary. This was beyond anything she'd previously done, and she couldn't let it continue. There must be a way to stop Henry from saying those words aloud. If Nathaniel thought she had been ruined, there was no telling what might happen.
In a moment of desperation, she grabbed hold of Henry's arm again. "Henry, I've told you!" she said urgently. "I cannot marry you."
"He's asked for your hand?" Nathaniel stared at them and she almost felt offended by the incredulous look on his face. Surely it wasn't that far-fetched that a man would want to marry her?
Ignoring her brother's question, she focused on the current threat. "I cannot marry you, Henry. So don't even ask my brother for my hand. It's no use."
"Actually—" Henry tugged on his arm, but she held on, her grip like a vise. "I wanted to talk to him about—"
"I can't marry you because I'm already engaged to someone else!" She almost released him to clasp a hand over her mouth. That hadn't been the plan. It was, however, surprisingly effective as all four men stared at her in shocked silence. Oh, this was bad.
"What?" Henry growled. "You didn't tell me this! Why?"
She swallowed, praying the answer would come to her. "I— It's a secret." So secret she didn't know it herself. She choked back a burst of panicked laughter. At least she had diverted his attention away from the falsehoods he wanted to feed her brother.
"You're lying. Who are you engaged to?"
"Yes, Nick." Her brother's voice was deceptively soft. "Who are you engaged to?"
"I— Um..." Her eyes skipped between the four men while her mind raced through her possibilities. There was no one. The Season had only just begun. Henry stared at her, his eyes hard. Nathaniel's expression was one of gathering thunder. Her gaze fell on Gabriel. He looked as calm and unaffected as he always did. Glancing at the fourth man, Lord Wortham, she noticed he seemed rather amused by the whole thing. Well, he would be. He loved watching drama unfold, especially if he got to tease his friend about it later.
"Who are you engaged to, Nick?" Nathaniel repeated.
Blast it! She had no idea. The men she'd met so far during the Season were all dull and interested her about as much as which ribbons she should purchase for her hair. Her gaze strayed back to Gabriel, their eyes meeting.
"To... To Lord Winter!"
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