“Lady Hawley told me your parents are to announce your betrothal tonight.”
Her smile wilted. She didn’t want to talk about this with Sam. She wanted to remember their time together without a discussion of her betrothed.
“Tell me you aren’t marrying the Marquess of Dolan,” he pleaded.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
He cursed and leaned against the wall. She didn’t understand why he was so upset. What did he want? Did he think they could be something more? Could they be? A small sliver of hope sprung in her chest. It would be scandalous. Did it matter?
“Please, Clara, pick anyone besides him. You can’t marry him. I won’t allow it. How about Sinclair or some young buck?”
And just like that her hope disappeared, and in its place, she was filled with fury. Not just at him but at everything she couldn’t control. Who was he to make demands of her when he, himself, provided her no other realistic options? She wanted to rage and scream. Intermingled with her anger was embarrassment that she had thought Sam would offer himself. Why did it hurt so much that he didn’t?
“You have no place to tell me who to marry.”
“I’m telling you now that he is wrong. Anyone but him,” he said pushing himself off the wall, stalking over to her. “Don’t do this.”
“It’s done. There is nothing to be done about it.”
Clara didn’t understand him. Sam wanted her to marry anyone, well anyone but Dolan or him. She didn’t know why it infuriated her so much, but it did.
“I’m marrying him, and your opinion means nothing to me. We are done with these odd little encounters. It was a fun dalliance before marriage, but I won’t have time for them once I’m married to Dolan. He is the epitome of respectability, and you are, well, we both know you are a common scoundrel.”
He looked like she had just slapped him. Clara instantly felt guilty and opened her mouth to apologize. “Sam.”
The remaining words died from her lips when she looked into Sam’s eyes. They were cold and hard. She couldn’t think of a time she had ever seen him that way.
“No need to go into detail, Lady Clara. My apologies. Consider our friendship over,” he said in a clipped formal tone before bowing and leaving the room.
Clara fell against the wall and covered her hands with her face. Why did she do that? Sam was her friend, her only one. She placed her hand on her heart where the searing pain was permanently lodged.
~
Sam strode from the room, back into the ballroom. He grabbed a glass of champagne and gulped it down. His hands were shaking, but he forced a smile to his face. The rage boiled in his body. He knew Clara’s tongue was sharpest when she felt the need to defend herself, but it still stung to hear such words from her. He was well aware who he was, even without Clara’s honest remarks. He was a scoundrel playing the part of a gentleman.
“Where have you been?” his sister Annie asked him.
He scowled at her.
Annie stared at him incredulously. “What has you in such a foul mood? You’re not the one being pranced around like a prized mare.”
He smiled at that. She was lovely in her emerald-green ball gown and had apparently started a trend among all the young ladies. Annie had suffered a horrific incident when she was young that left scars down one side of her body. To hide them, she wore long sleeves and high collars on all of her gowns. All the other ladies had recently started to emulate her style. Any other lady would consider it a success, but not Annie. She was horrified by it.
“Has anyone caught the mare’s eye?”
Annie snorted. “Yes, all I want is one of these dandies to marry me because I am the Duke of Peyton’s sister.”
“Where is our sister?” Sam asked.
Annie rolled her eyes and nodded toward the dance floor where Sophia was dancing and laughing. “Normally you would be out there as well,” she said.
He ran his fingers through his hair, tempted to tell Annie everything in the middle of the ball. He stopped himself and forced himself to smile. “Sorry. I’ll be back to my charming self soon.”
She nodded and winked at him. “Be sure you do. There is only room for two broody siblings, and that’s me and Jack.”
He loved his sister and just speaking with her calmed him down. He should let it go; as Clara said, it really had nothing to do with him. Still, he couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her. Clara re-entered the room, making her way back to her parents and Dolan.
Everyone in the room watched them, waiting for the moment the announcement would be made. Sam told himself to let it go.
