His eyes widened. “That is not part of our arrangement.”
“It could be if you wanted it to be. I would be more than happy to—” she began, but he cut her off.
“To what? I do not think you know what you are offering, and I will not take advantage of your naivety.”
“I am not so innocent.” She tilted her chin toward him defiantly. “I know what I am doing and what I want.”
Her voice was surprisingly level, if higher-pitched than she would have liked.
“Do you indeed?” He advanced toward her, and Vivian swallowed. “Shall we put that to the test?”
She stepped away from him and stumbled. She felt him catch her in his arms. Her heart felt like a rabbit caught in a snare. The smell of him made her head swim, and she was all too aware of the warmth of his body against hers as he steadied her.
She looked up and saw how dark his blue eyes had become. It stole her breath. He reached up, his fingers brushing her cheek as he swept a lock of hair away from her face. She shivered.
“You can lie to the rest of theton, Lady Vivian. But you will not lie to me.” Lord Elington held her gaze in his. “You do not want this.”
The sound of her name sent a shiver down her spine, the silky tone feeling like a caress. His eyes reminded her of a roiling seain a storm, and it took everything in her not to flee from it. “I did not mean to anger you.”
“I am not angry.” He blinked and shook his head, gently steadying Vivian on her feet before stepping away from her. “If this arrangement is to work, we must be honest with one another.”
Her head felt clearer now that he was further away from her, and the panic that she had felt faded from her mind. She put a hand on her chest, willing it to calm the steady thrum of her heart.
Thomas was not looking at her. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she desperately searched for something she could say to fix the situation. But she had no idea what she had done.
“I do not understand.” Vivian did not realize she had spoken the words aloud until Thomas looked at her.
He gave her a small smile and shook his head. “I have no wish for you to pretend to be someone you are not.”
“And what makes you think that is what I am doing?” Vivian kept her voice even.
Thomas moved past her toward the door, but as he reached it, Vivian saw his hand hover above the handle. “There are dozens of women who wish to be my wife, who shower me with flattery and praise at every opportunity. I asked you to be my wifebecause of the pragmatism and practicality you showed me last night. You need to show me nothing more.”
Vivian’s chest tightened, but before she could say anything further, Thomas had opened the door and left the room. For a moment, she wondered if she should go after him.
‘You need to show me nothing more.’
It was easy enough for him to say something that sounded so sweet, but she had seen how fickle men could be. Her mother and her maid were right; she had to hold his interest. She refused to be at the mercy of anyone else again.
She had to deliver her future husband an heir—the only question was how?
Chapter Six
“Icannot believe I nearly kissed her,” Thomas muttered an hour later as he climbed the steps toward his study.
When he had gone to his fiancée’s home to discuss their engagement, he had not expected to encounter such clumsy attempts at flirting. It was clear she had no experience in the matter.
He had not realized how pretty she was until her hazel eyes had flashed with defiance. So he had advanced upon her, expecting her to blush a little and for them to put the matter of her trying to flirt with him behind them.
He had not expected to catch her as she stumbled, nor had he anticipated the effect her nearness would have on him. A part of him had wanted to kiss her, to see that delightful flush creep across her face.
‘I did not mean to anger you.’
“How can she be so practical and yet so innocent?” He shook his head, feeling a smile tug at his lips. “Though I suppose I should be grateful that she misread my temptation for anger.”
“And just what are you smiling about, Thomas?” His grandmother’s voice jerked him into the present, and he leaped to his feet.
Agatha Felton, Dowager Duchess of Caverton, was easily a foot and a half shorter than Thomas, but she had a way of making him feel about an inch tall. She strode into the room as though she owned it, her walking stick making a soft clacking sound on the wooden floor.
