And still he said nothing.
Her stomach roiled, threatening to rebel right there on the ballroom floor. Thoughts from the very pit of hell swirled in her head like so many bats. Had Edmund known all along this would be the announcement tonight? Had he purposelyled her to believe otherwise? Spoken so intimately—actedso intimately—only to secure her as his mistress before taking a wife? It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe a man of material conquest would carry that trait over to his personal affairs. That’s what the powerful and wealthy did, didn’t they? Yet he’d seemed so different from men like the viscount and other rich patrons she’d met over the years. Had she been so captured by his practiced charisma that she’d fallen victim to it?
But no. No! She wouldn’t—couldn’t—believe such lies. For that’s what such thoughts were. Vile, cancerous lies. Edmund couldn’t refute the viscount’s proclamation because to do so would be a stake in the heart of his candidacy. If he didn’t comply with Lord Bastion’s wishes, his chance at becoming a member of Parliament would be over before it began.
And she was the one standing in his way.
Hot tears burned in her eyes as she turned and fled, not caring who she shoved out of her way.
26
Edmund stood gut punched. Fists clenched. Jaw rock-hard. He hadn’t been this stunned since the day he’d been dismissed from college for allegedly cheating on a test he couldn’t even read. And yet this was worse. The confusion on Ami’s face. The horrified parting of her lips. Surely she didn’t believe—
She turned and dashed through the crowd.
“Ami,” he whispered, stepping toward her retreating figure.
And getting yanked back just as quickly.
Violet wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling up at him. A snake swallowing a rat couldn’t look more victorious. “Oh, darling, isn’t it wonderful?”
Wonderful!Bile rose up his throat.
He peeled her off and wheeled about to face the viscount, his whole body shaking. “I must speak with you, my lord. Alone.”
“Not now, man.” Lord Bastion grinned. “Enjoy the moment with your betrothed.”
“She is not my betrothed!”
Silence fell like shattered glass, so sharp it cut the ears and made them bleed. Everyone gawked, save for Violet. She slapped her hand to her chest as if she’d been shot.
“Of course she’s not.” The viscount chuckled and pinched hercheek. “You are so much more than that, aren’t you, my dear?” Without missing a beat, he whacked Edmund on the back—too hard to be considered friendly. “Ever the jester, eh, Price?”
Before Edmund could get in a word, the man flung his arms wide and circled the gathered crowd. “And now, friends, if you would be so kind as to make your way to the dining room, you shall find a sumptuous feast where we will toast the happy couple momentarily.” Under his breath, he said, “My study, Price,” before he stalked away.
Edmund followed. Or tried to. Once again Violet grabbed his arm and tugged him back.
“Surely you know the dining room is this way, darling.”
“I am not your darling,” he ground out as he wrenched from her grip.
Ignoring the well wishes and raised brows of skirts and suits alike, he shouldered his way through the horde and, once he reached the stairs, took them two at a time. What a nightmare! He couldn’t wait a minute more to set straight this whole debacle.
The second he set foot inside the viscount’s lair, the man turned on him. “What the blazes was that all about?” Venom laced his tone.
“You tell me.” Edmund slammed the door, giving vent to his fury. “You were supposed to announce my candidacy tonight.”
“And I will as the pièce de résistance at the end of the evening.” Spitting out a curse, Bastion paced in front of his desk, a tiger on the prowl. “What has gotten in to you?”
Edmund planted his feet, arms folded. How dare the man turn this back on him! “I never agreed to wed your daughter, my lord. In fact, I told you the very opposite when I clearly stated I wasn’t ready for marriage—andyousaid you understood.”
The viscount spun toward him, nostrils flaring. “No man iseverready for marriage. That is what I understood, not that you were slapping away Violet’s hand. My sponsorship was based solely on you taking my daughter as your wife.” His lips thinned into a sharp-edged sneer.
“Do you think this is some sort of game?” Edmund flailed his arms. “Marriage is not a bargaining chip to be played so casually. It’s a lifetime commitment. A vow before God. I will not be manipulated into such a union, nor do I think your daughter would thank you for a loveless marriage.”
“Love has nothing to do with it.”
“Love has everything to do with it!” Edmund sucked in a breath. Looking back, he marveled at the transformation within. After witnessing his parents’ dismal marriage and suffering through the whole Louisa debacle, he’d perceived love as a weakness. Not anymore. He understood now just how wrong he’d been. Love was the strength of marriage. Faith played a huge part, as did hope, but the greatest of thesewaslove.
