“Until I met you.”
A few ticks of time beat by before Lord Archer sat back in his chair and laughed. “That’s very funny, Miss Hart. Now, tell us your plan.”
Valentina felt as if she’d been backed into a tight corner, her only option to fight her way out. She held Lord Archer’s gaze and said, “I don’t have to.”
“She has you there, Arch,” said Lady Delilah.
Valentina sensed a possible ally.
“Oh, come now,” said Lord Archer.
For reasons entirely unknown to her, Valentina relented. “My plan is—was—to work my way up to singing for theton.”
The frustrating man nodded, as if considering her plan. “You do have the talent,” he said slowly. “So, to be clear, your plan is to get into a room with Lord Nestor.”
“A public one.” A vital piece of the plan.
“Then what?” asked Lord Archer, serious. More serious than she’d thought him capable. “Ask him very nicely to return your father’s money?”
Discomfort stole through Valentina, her footing slightly less firm than it had been a moment ago. It felt as if Lord Archer were setting her up. “I won’t be nice about it,” she said, defensive, which she didn’t like.
“Again, to be clear,” began Lord Archer, somehow intruding into her space from all the way across the table. Such was the intensity of his gaze. “Your plan is to publicly shame and humiliate a lord in front of his peers?”
Valentina nodded. “He will have to return our money.”
She’d thought this plan through and knew it to be perfect, but the four pairs of eyes staring at her seemed to havereached a very different conclusion. She thought she might even see pity.
Of course, it was Lord Archer who would open his mouth to point out whatever fatal flaw she’d missed.
Valentina braced herself.
Archie glanced around the room. “Everyone leave.” When Miss Hart made to stand, he said, “Not you.”
What he needed to say was for her ears only. He had no desire to cause her embarrassment.
As Delilah exited the room, she said over her shoulder, “Whatever plan you’re hatching, Archie, make sure I’m part of it. Nestor is a nasty piece of work.”
Now that he and Miss Hart were alone, he could observe her in the daylight. As beautiful as she’d been in the shadow of night, it was nothing to her beauty in the full light of day.
But he hadn’t cleared the room to do what he usually did when he found himself alone with a beautiful woman—namely to set about seducing her.
He was here to help her.
Nothelp himselftoher.
“Here’s what will happen,” he began, his voice steady and utterly serious. “After you throw your accusations around in front of all theton, the room will go dead silent. You will never have heard a silence like it. Then Lord Nestor will rise to his feet in the stately manner he perfected while still in leading strings, and with a confused smile on his face, he will say he’s never had dealings with this woman—you—in his life. Which you will have to admit is true, because you, dearest Contessa, are a terrible liar.”
“Now wait a minute,” she protested.
He held up a staying hand. “We both know it.” He continued. “Lord Nestor will ask the room to listen to the ‘contessa’ speak.She’sno contessa, he will say.Her accent is pure English countryside.Then he will deliver the death blow to your plan. He will accuse you of being the fraud in the room and of trying to extort money from a peer of the realm.”
A dusky pink blush stained Miss Hart’s high cheekbones as her face transformed with pure outrage.
Before she could open her mouth to give it voice, Archie continued. “The room full of peers of the realm won’t take kindly to the accusation, and it’ll be off to the Old Bailey with you. And you’re too lovely for a place like that.”
Miss Hart’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly. She truly hadn’t thought her plan through. Archie admired her fire and passion and didn’t like that he’d been the one to dampen them.
Why had he added the last bit, though?
