“No,” she answered brokenly. “Not at all, but it’s the right thing to do. Even if he wasn’t the best shot at raising funds to support impoverished children, I promised my brother I would make the highest match I could get, to a man he approved of. Cole was hoping for duchess and Raymore is only a marquess, but—”
“Only a marquess,” Giles repeated, not bothering to hide his bitterness and hurt. “How will you suffer the ridicule?”
He’d meant to be sarcastic, but his razor-edged words only succeeded in wounding himself.
A marquess was an acceptable stand-in for a duke.
A coach smith was not.
Hewas the one who would cause her ridicule.Hewas the one whose company could never be endured in public.
Hewas the one she could live without.
“Giles…” Her eyes pleaded for understanding.
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me. And if you don’t change your mind…” He gestured toward the door. “Don’t come looking.”
