He didn’t know. He didn’t know what to think. All he knew was thatsomethingwas different. Somehow, she had been convinced.
And rather than feeling glad about it, Seth felt something eerily close to heartbreak.
“Lavinia,” Lord Newford said, “I don’t know what this has all been about, but you need to think about what you’re doing. You know that Lord Hennington is going to propose. Now, you said yourself that his proposal is not yet final. You seem to think that gives you the right to do whatever you want in the meantime, but you are so close to having everything you wanted, and you’re going to ruin it if you continue to behave like this.
“You must know that if Lord Hennington were to discover what had happened out here tonight, he would withdraw his offer. And you’re right that I’m not going to tell him—but you’re still being far too reckless. You don’t know what could happen. You might be caught by someone else if you keep this up.”
“This was the last time,” Lady Lavinia said.
Her brother raised his eyebrows. “The last time?”
“The only time,” she amended.
“You’re not going to do anything like this again?”
“No, I’m not.”
“I don’t mean to reprimand you, Lavinia, truly. It’s just that I want you to be happy, and I worry for you. I worry that you’re not taking things seriously. You want to marry. I know you do. You want to be married to someone who’s going to treat you well.”
“And that’s what’s going to happen, Matthew. I’m going to marry Lord Hennington.”
“Then why kiss the duke?”
She looked away. “I don’t have an answer for you.”
“You can’t do things like this without even knowing what your reason is for doing them.”
But she hadn’t said she didn’t know what her reason was, Seth thought. She’d only said that she didn’t have an answer to give to her brother. He had a feeling that Lady Lavinia knew exactly what she was doing, even if her motivations were currently lost on him.
Suddenly she was so eager to marry Lord Hennington.
She must have learned something from that kiss, gleaned some information. But what?
“This is the deal I’m willing to make,” Lord Newford said. “As long as Lord Hennington comes through with his proposal, I’ll look the other way on this. We can pretend it never happened—that I never saw it. Everyone makes mistakes, and I certainly don’t want my sister’s reputation tarnished. But if Lord Hennington doesn’t propose—for whatever reason—then you must do so, Your Grace.”
“I already told you that I don’t want to marry him,” Lady Lavinia insisted.
“And that’s all well and good while you have another choice. But if he withdraws his offer, you’ll find yourself without an engagement, and then what are you going to do? This is a good opportunity to make a backup arrangement. If Lord Hennington doesn’t propose, the duke must do so.”
“There’s no way you can force him to, Matthew, and no way you can force me to accept.”
“Father will accept on your behalf. Eventually you’ll come to realize it’s the right thing,” her brother told her. “And as for you, Your Grace?—”
“She’s right,” Seth said. “You can’t force me into a marriage. I would do it to preserve her dignity, but if she doesn’t even want it, I see no reason to go along with this charade.”
“I’ll be on you like a hound for the rest of your days,” Lord Newford swore. “You will always be looking over your shoulder for me.”
Seth sighed. He supposed it was meant to be intimidating, but the truth was that the only thing he could manage to feel right now was sadness. He hadn’t intended for anything that had happened between Lady Lavinia and himself to go the way it had, and now he felt as if something good—something wonderful—had abruptly come to an end.
He ought to be happy that she was able to say that she didn’t want to marry him. He knew that. He didn’t want to marryher, so what good could it do anyone if she wanted to marry him? Why did it feel so upsetting to know that it was no longer something she wanted?
He couldn’t explain it, and he knew that he needed to reject those feelings. He had advised her to move on, and he needed to do the same thing.
He turned and left the garden, walking back up toward the manor, determined not to allow himself to be drawn into any further interactions with Lady Lavinia. Things had already gone much further than he ever should have permitted them to, but from now on, he would be more sensible. He would leave her be.
CHAPTER 32
“Well!” Lord Feverton said, “I’d have to say that was a resounding success, Lavinia. Wouldn’t you say so?”
