He cursed under his breath as those last dregs of conscience came to life.
“Let us walk,” he said, taking the books from her arms. Damn his conscience, and damn the girl for reminding him of Madeline.
Damn Madeline for ever allowing him to seduce her. She should have known better. Even then, before his course had been set, he was the vilified younger brother of a marquess who despised him.
“Do you know who put the engagement in the paper?” he asked.
“No, not yet.” She bit her lip, and he decided it would be better for his sanity if he didn’t look at her mouth. “Nathanial—that is to say, the Duke, is going to make enquiries.”
“Not that it really matters now,” he muttered. If Helmsley had been spreading rumours about them in order to ruin her, the damage was already done to her reputation.
“No,” she agreed. “I suppose it does not.”
“What outcome are you hoping for?” he asked her abruptly. “You’ve already said you don’t want to marry me, but if people believe you were in the gardens with me, marriageisyour only solution to avoid scandal. And I have already toldyouI am not the marrying sort.”
“At least give us moretime.” She cast him a pleading glance. “Say nothing to contradict the engagement so we have longer to discover a way out.”
The way out for him was simple: he would not marry her and to hell with the consequences.
“A way out?” He gestured impatiently. “You say you do not want to marry, but marriage is your only solution.”
Her jaw set, but to his surprise, she said nothing to argue with him.
“What, precisely, are your objections to marriage?” he asked. “Do you dislike the institution, dislike men, or merely find yourself unable to form meaningful attachments?”
Her mouth fell open with a pop. “I am not incapable of forming meaningful attachments.”
“Then why?”
“Myobjectionis that I have yet to find a gentleman who might offer me the life I want.”
“And what is that?” he pressed.
She sent him a dour look. “I doubt you are that gentleman.”
He flashed her a sharp smile. “I never claimed to be a gentleman. Now, the question?”
He could see her reluctance in the way she looked at the ground. They strolled slowly along the road, looking for all the world like a promenading couple. Given their engagement, and the presence of her footman walking just behind, no one would think anything amiss.
The idea came to him in a flash: a ludicrous, preposterous idea. One that, though he tried to shake it off, followed him with the tenacity of a shadow.
It would both ensure history did not play out againandthat he would not end up having to marry this girl.
“How about another question,” he said when she didn’t answer. “What if I were able to find you a gentleman you preferred? That would hardly be a difficult task, I think. Would you marry him then?”
* * *
Annabelle gaped at the Marquess. When she had asked for his help finding a solution, she had hoped said solution would involvenohusbands.
“Another gentleman?” she repeated.
“Well,Ihave no intention of marrying you.”
The very thing she had been trying to avoid all Season. But if the Marquess, whose hobbies included ruination, gambling and quite possibly murder, could think of no other alternative, it struck her there probably was none.
“Here’s my suggestion,” he said as though coming to a decision. “I will not say anything against the engagement. In fact, I will actively court you. If nothing else, that will pique Helmsley. No doubt he never thought I would actually marry you.”
Annabelle gave a wry smile, though the thought of Helmsley brought back the nausea. “If someone had not written toThe Times, you would not have done.”
