"Yes, a marquis will do quite nicely. You'll go as my uncle, although some may question the family resemblance." He forced back a laugh. "Do you think you can handle the accent? Anything will do, so long as it'snotEnglish."
Tobias was incredulous. "A marquis? Now, I know you're mad! It won't work, it just won't work! Even if your scheme had some merit, there's not enough time to accomplish everything. The get-together for Barrington is tonight! Only a few hours away!"
"Precisely so, my friend. But you've forgotten how arrogant the English can be." He smiled coldly. "I intend to make certain the Barringtons are aware of the arrival of Sir William St. James, newly arrived from Macau." He savored the title he'd bestowed upon himself.
"Yes," he said with great satisfaction. "A title and a little deception will get me exactly what I want."
His thoughts returning to the present, he sobered. "And in plenty of time to attend the special occasion of the engagement of young Lord Barrington."
"Barrington will have people there who will no doubt tell him there is no William St. James."
"And by that time, I will have accomplished what I want, and disappear."
* * *
"Elyse, my dear, you disappoint me," Jerrold Barrington whispered discreetly, as he smiled congenially at the grand duchess.
"I had hoped to see you wearing the gold satin. Was there something wrong with the gown? Perhaps Madame Juliette and her seamstresses were negligent," he suggested, an annoyed tone at his voice.
Elyse laid a gloved hand on his arm in what must have seemed to others an intimate gesture. "I'm sorry you're disappointed." She smiled up at him. "Madame is not to blame. Her work was perfect, as always. I chose not to wear the gown. It seemed... " she paused, searching for the right word. "Extravagant."
"Extravagant? My dear, of course it's extravagant, as I wanted. You must remember that, once we're married, you will be a titled lady with all the social recognition that accompanies such a title. It is expected of you."
Her reply hid the irritation that always seemed to dominate their discussions lately. "I already have that," she reminded him. "And Iwillwear what I please."
A muscle worked at his clenched jaw. "Of course. It's just that the Barrington name carries a great deal of importance. People in society look to us to maintain certain standards."
"Do you find my standards lacking?" she coolly asked. His fingers tightened around her arm.
"Elyse, darling," he added the endearment almost as an afterthought. "You're beginning to draw attention."
She fastened him with a look of wide-eyed innocence. "But I thought you liked attention."
His grip tightened, bruising beneath her long gloves.
''You're hurting me."
His fingers immediately relaxed, the expression on his face suitably contrite. "I'm sorry, my dear. It's just that you have the most irritating habit of challenging me at the most awkward moments." His hand slipped to her waist, pulling her against him. "But I suppose that is why I desire you so completely."
Desire. Is that what it was, she thought. Lately, he'd become much more demanding of her affections when they were together. This was not the first time Jerrold had made certain she was aware of his feelings. Her gaze lowered as she brought her churning emotions under control.
She should have been flattered. Instead, she found hisattentionsas bothersome as his criticism of her selection of a gown.
What was wrong with her for God's sake? After all, in less than two months they were to be married.
Elyse pushed that from her thoughts with almost silent desperation, as she had done numerous times over the past year, as if she could will it away by ignoring it. But in her heart, she knew it wasn't that simple. With each passing day. she was fast approaching that moment when they would be husband and wife.
She smiled as she put what would be considered a respectable distance between two unmarried people. "We must be careful, someone may be watching."
She reached up a gloved hand, touching his cheek, trying to feel some essence of the desire that leapt into his eyes, masking her own disappointment as her fingers curled into a fist.
"Elyse, my dear."
Her grandmother approached and she fixed a smile on her face. This was, after all, something her grandmother had campaigned for.
"You and Jerrold must come along and greet your guests. Lucy Maitland has been looking for you. She mentioned something about a guest newly arrived from Macau. I believe the name is St. James." Regina smiled, trying to lighten her granddaughter’s mood. She turned to Jerrold.
"It seems he's an acquaintance of your family."
