Page 9 of The Duke's Auctioned Spinster
She was glad her face was angled away from him because she felt embarrassed. It brought her shame to act so spoiled as she often rolled her eyes at women who acted more like children. However, in this instance, she decided that it was just justified because it might make him reconsider.
While the arrangement was enough to allay her parents’ worries for a while, an even better outcome would have been for Edmund to cut their agreement short, so she could lay all the blame at his feet. She could say that she had given it a good go, but that Edmund had been unable to commit. No fault would be hers, and her parents would not be able to say that she hadn’t tried.
And she wouldn’t have to spend more time with Edmund.
But then, Edmund closed the distance between them and placed a finger beneath her chin, tilting her face up. His smile was less amused and more dashing, while he seemed to possess a quality that made his eyes darker and deeper, and she started to feel as though he was peering beyond her flesh.
“I will arrange everything, my lady; it will be my pleasure. I will make you see the world in ways you have never perceived before,” he said.
“Be careful not to promise something you cannot deliver.”
Edmund grinned. “And you must be careful too. Careful not to fall in love,” he said.
There was a smirk on his face that seemed to imply he was being half-serious, but his eyes were not dancing with humor. His finger lingered beneath her chin. It was curled a little and melted against her soft skin. Her breath was halting as this was the second time that they had been in close proximity.
“That will never happen,” she scoffed, although her words did lack the conviction that she might have wanted to display. But then a chill ran down her spine as the smile fell from his face and he pursed his lips. He lowered his gaze, and the words that followed lacked the playfulness and bouncing lightness they usually had.
“Ensure that it does not, because I have one rule, one condition of my own. If you begin to feel more than intended, we end this at once.”
He pulled his hand away and then marched out of the room, his footsteps fading into the distance. She was left in the drawing room, stunned by the harsh words and by the troubling thought that he seemed far too certain her resolve would not hold.
Chapter Four
“Are you sure your mother doesn’t want to come and see the baby? It seems a shame to come all this way to Stonewood Manor and not see the most precious sight,” Lydia asked, cooing over her nephew, Luke. It was a natural sight, and she was bathed in a maternal glow. Margaret was currently spending time with Lydia’s grandmother in another room, while her sister, Charlotte, was with Rose and Lydia.
“Oh no, she’s never been particularly fond of babies or small children. She finds them quite peculiar,” Rose said. They exchanged small talk for a little while, and then Rose shared something that had been on her mind. “I had a visit from Edmund yesterday.”
“Oh?” Lydia replied, not looking up from the baby.
“Would you prefer me to leave you two to speak privately?” Charlotte asked. Lydia did look up at this, but she did not want to let go of Luke.
“No, of course not. I am sure Lydia has told you about the situation. Perhaps Edmund has, too,” Rose said.
Charlotte smiled. “My brother does not confide in me about such matters. We have always had different opinions about how he conducts himself, though I am sure he will provide you with plenty of entertainment. Lydia told me that you are going to meet five times?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte tittered with laughter. “That is four times more than he usually sees anyone.”
“I don’t understand why, of all the people in London, he would have to choosemyfriend,” Lydia said.
“I am not sure I had much to do with it. I could have been anyone, and he still would have bid on me.”
Lydia sighed and nodded, then glanced toward Rose and offered a sly smile. “Perhaps you could be the woman who changes his ways.”
Rose couldn’t help but laugh before apologizing to Charlotte. “I don’t mean to imply that your brother is unworthy of love. I am just not interested in such things.”
Charlotte offered a knowing smile. Luke stirred and began to cry, a high-pitched wail that seemed much louder thansomething that small should be able to make. Lydia got up and rocked Luke back and forth, walking him across the room.
“I felt the same way before I met Nathaniel. I was so sure that marriage would get in the way of my ambitions, but I ended up having the best of both worlds. And I have Luke as well. I feel blessed,” Charlotte said.
Rose put her hands in her lap and chose her words carefully, so as not to cause offense.
“You do not feel as though you have lost any independence?”
“Of course I have,” Charlotte said with a candor that surprised Rose. “But what I have gained in return is far more valuable. Lydia has told me about your opinions on marriage, and I am certainly not going to dissuade you from them, but as someone who once felt the same way, I know all too well how things can change.”
“See?” Lydia said. “If you ever needed proof, then there it is. There is a happy ending waiting for everyone.”
