She’d never love Lord Franklin. She loathed the humorless, mean-spirited little man. Her life would be filled with misery. Unfortunately, Stone was so worried she would be taken in by some unscrupulous suitor, that he was determined to see her married by season’s end. Ashley’s scandal had scared her brother into becoming an overprotective jailer.
“Then let’s try to ascertain a man Blackstone would approve of,” Ashley added, refusing to give up, bless her.
Rockwell’s face flashed in Farah’s mind. While she understood he was a rake, a wanderer, always off exploring the world, he was kind, handsome, and life would never be dull. There was only one problem with her idea. Rockwell had no intention of marrying anytime soon. In fact, he would be off onanother of his expeditions in a month. That was why he was the perfect foil to help her create a small scandal. Franklin would cry off with just a scent of the improper. He was such a snob.
Rockwell would leave the country, anyway. By the time he returned, he’d be forgiven, while she would be living in her cottage in Cornwall. The money she’d saved from the sisterhood investment club would help her purchase such a hideaway.
“I have another option,” Farah told her friend. “Now that Rockwell has rescued my funds from the bank in Ireland, I have the money Tiffany earned for me through her investing. I could simply slip away and buy myself a little cottage somewhere no one knows me. I have enough to live off if I’m careful, and Tiffany keeps investing for me.”
Ashley looked at her in amusement. “And that’s going to stop Stone from finding you and dragging you home and marrying you off to anyone who will have you? If you can’t say no to a marriage proposal now, how are you going to stop him from saying where and how you’ll live?”
And that was where the scandal came in. If she gave in to impropriety, she knew Stone would likely banish her, given how he treated Ashley. And while she’d lose her brother, she hoped in time she could make him forgive her. Besides, she’d lose him if she married Franklin. They’d move to Cumbria, and she’d likely hardly ever see him.
But she couldn’t bring herself to tell Ashley that she would rather create a scandal than deal with her own brother. Ashley had been party to her own disgrace and had said nothing about it to any of them. Farah didn’t want to tell anyone, either.
So, instead, she replied, “The chance of finding another man interested in marriage within the next few days is unlikely.”
“I don’t know. Rockwell might come to the rescue if you ask him nicely.”
Farah’s gaze flew to the stairs where Rockwell was descending into the ballroom with Lady Joanne on his arm. Joanne was a lovely widow, a few years older than Rockwell. Was she his new mistress? Her nerves pulled tighter.
“He doesn’t appear to need a wife,” Farah replied before turning away from the sight of them both. How could she use Rockwell in her plan if he were embarking on a new liaison? Her night was getting worse by the minute, because coming across the floor in her direction was Lord Franklin himself. “Oh, no.”
Ashley looked up and, spying the man approaching, grabbed Farah by the arm and hurried them in the opposite direction. Farah kept looking over her shoulder and saw Lord Franklin lengthen his stride. “He’s still coming, ooh…” Suddenly, Farah hit a solid chest. She looked up into Rockwell’s handsome face and her heart stuttered in her chest.Why couldn’t it be you?
Before she could catch her breath, she heard Ashley say, “Save her, Rockwell. Dance with her.”
Rockwell’s smile died as he too spied Franklin. He turned into her real-life hero as, without a word, he led her to the floor for the next dance, which just happened to be the waltz.
“Why are you still encouraging the odious little man? You deserve better.”
“Someone like you perhaps?” Goodness, did she say that out loud? Thankfully, he didn’t look at her in horror but just laughed.
“Is that what the note you left in my bedchamber was all about? I’m sorry to disappoint, but marriage, even to you, is not in my immediate future.”
Should she deny the note? This was the moment that would seal her fate.Courage favors the bold. You can do it…She pushed closer and his arms automatically tightened around her. “I missed you.” She looked up at him through half-closed lashesand saw a moment of fear flash in his eyes. But then the rake took over.
“And did you dream of me?”
Her mouth dried. He remembered the words of her note. “Of course.”
She couldn’t think of anything else to say as he twirled her about the floor.
“Am I to be your plan to thwart Franklin?”
She almost gasped. She hadn’t expected it to be this easy. “Would you help me?”
“Well, I know talking with Stone is useless. I’ve already tried that. Your brother is determined to see you married. He thinks that something similar to my sister’s situation might happen to you, and it will ruin your life. He’s worried you’ll be taken advantage of after the Conte. But personally, I think your life would be unbearable married to Franklin. Besides, I think Ashley would vehemently disagree that her life is ruined.”
“I could kiss you for saying that.” And Farah meant it. She’d wanted to be held in his arms and kissed for a long time. She wanted her next kiss to be with him. Maybe she wanted only kisses from him, and that was a scary thought, for she doubted he’d want to kiss only her once she set her plan in motion.
“And I’d let you, if we were somewhere more private.”
“I thought Lady Joanne might be the woman stealing your kisses at the moment.”
This made his grin widen. “No. She is taken by another.” At her confused look, he added, “Lord Burberry was running late, so he asked me to escort her to the ball on his behalf.”
Her heart wanted to sing.
