What a ridiculous predicament! She would never have believed it. Lavinia had become a prankster indeed, but this was bolder than anything Edwina imagined her capable of, and she couldn’t quite believe it was truly happening.
She was about to object, but the bidding had begun. Lavinia wasn’t even looking in her direction anymore. She was fielding bids from her guests.
Edwina looked at Matthew. “Did you know about this?” she demanded.
“No, I didn’t.” Matthew looked angry enough that Edwina couldn’t disbelieve him. “I would never have done something like this. I want to see you married, but not like this. This is a carnival sideshow, not a courtship. I would never have chosen to see my sister involved in something like this.”
Edwina thought that was a bit extreme. It was an outlandish thing to do and would be a waste of everyone’s time, but there was no real harm in it. Still, she was glad her brother was on her side insofar as seeming to agree that this wasn’t a good idea—but that didn’t change the fact that Lavinia was still accepting bids. “Can’t we go and stop her?”
“I don’t see how. Not without turning this into even more of a scene than it already is. Let’s see who wins the auction. If it’s someone unobjectionable, you can go on the dates with him, andthat will be that. And if it’s someone I object to, I’ll pay him his money back and send him away.”
“You would have me actually go on these dates with someone?” Now, it began to seem like less of a joke.
“Be calm, Edwina. Let’s see what happens.”
Edwina couldn’t bring herself to be calm. She was anxious at the idea that something like this could happen and that she could do nothing to stop it. That not even Matthew could stop it! How could that be true? She knew he saw how foolhardy all this was, and yet he was choosing to allow it to go on!
And the bids continued to come.
Edwina had to hand it to her sister—at least her charity would profit from this. If she hadn’t been so nonplussed about it all, she might have laughed or at least smiled in approval of Lavinia’s antics.
“Sold!” Lavinia crowed suddenly, causing Edwina to sit bolt upright. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even noticed who had placed the final bid.
She found herself hoping that it would be someone dreadful—someone so awful that Matthew wouldn’t be able to tolerate him and would get her out of this.
“Sold,” Lavinia repeated, “to His Grace the Duke of Harbeck!”
Edwina’s heart sank. Allan Millington, the Duke of Harbeck, was a dear friend of Lavinia’s husband Seth, and since the wedding, he had also become closer with Matthew. He was well liked and trusted by their entire family.
In other words, no one would think he was too dreadful to be allowed to associate with Edwina. No one, that was, except Edwina herself. She was the only member of her family who had seen through his charming act.
He would be allowed to have his five dates.
It could have been worse, she tried to remind herself. After all, he wasn’t someone unknown to her. He was someone she had spent time with in the past. And he wasn’t unpleasant to look at. In fact, with his thick wavy hair and bright blue eyes, his height, and his strong jaw, she found him rather handsome.
But looks weren’t everything. He was a known rake, forever charming ladies only to move on to the next pretty thing that caught his eye. That was fine with Edwina—she didn’t want anyone to commit to her any more than he seemed to want to commit to someone. But it wasn’t something she had a lot of respect for. She knew he had left a lot of broken hearts in his wake, and gentlemen who behaved like that were a large part of the reason she had chosen spinsterhood in the first place.
Now, she would be forced into his company.
Five times.
He was on his feet, making his way to the front of the room with a delighted smile. Lavinia congratulated him on his victory, and then she called for Edwina to come to the front of the room as well.
Edwina seriously considered getting up and walking out.
She could do it. No one was going to restrain her.
But she didn’t. Doing so would disgrace her sister, and in spite of the frustration she felt at Lavinia’s antics, she simply couldn’t bring herself to do that. She loved Lavinia, and it wouldn’t be right. She owed it to her sister to see this through now, even though she felt she should have been consulted before the auction. She should have been asked what she thought about it all.
They knew I would say no to it. That’s why nobody asked me.
She walked to the front of the room, refusing to make eye contact with her sister or anyone else. She would handle this moment with dignity.
Matthew looked bothered, but he didn’t move from his seat.
“Lady Edwina,” the Duke said with a smile. “Well worth the exorbitant price. Lovely as always.”
“I’m glad you felt so free to put a monetary amount on how much I’mworth,” Edwina grumbled through gritted teeth.
