She could only chuckle, herself, when he grasped her free hand and led her toward the covered building nearby. “Can you believe this wicked weather, Sophia Babineaux?” His voice held laughter as they dashed across the grass. “Nothing like a little rain to keep things interesting.”
She relished in the warmth of his hand as they neared their destination and could not help but glance over at him. “You’re here!” Until that moment, she’d not known how fearful she’d been that he would fail her.
She had trusted him… but just as she’d trusted her stepbrother… her stepfather… her mother… and Lord Harold… well, she’d grown wary of disappointment.
He stopped, for just a moment, and peered under her umbrella. “Where else would I be?”
It had not been an illusion. This feeling of closeness, of knowing another person’s soul.
She blinked away a few raindrops. The relief she experienced nearly caused her knees to buckle as they walked the rest of the way. “Oh, I don’t know, beside a cozy fire, perhaps, or wrapped in a warm blanket with your dog and a good book.”
“Ha,” he said. “Not me. I’m a military man, remember? The ground is my bed. A pretty lady is my fire…”
And then they were under the shelter. Several shrubs grew all around it, lending them more than a little privacy. What with no one else in the park, it was as though they were completely alone.
They did not have a great deal of time, though.
“My engagement is not at all what I thought,” Sophia began, apologetically.
“I know,” he said.
“How much do you know?” she asked.
“Pretty much all of it.” He took her umbrella from her and set it aside. It seemed the most natural thing in the world when he then embraced her reassuringly.
Sophia felt warm.
Safe.
“And I’ve spoken with Harold. He’s none too pleased, either.”
That was something she’d suspected, but not yet comprehended to be true. “So, it was a performance on his part. And this… payment… It has nothing to do with a grand passion for me.”
Still holding her close, he nodded solemnly. And then he tucked her head under his chin. “It’s all a pretense. You are a decoy. If I’d any idea what was happening, If I’d had any notion at all…
“Your uncle is a powerful man.”
“He’s no power over me, Sophia.”
She nuzzled deeper, inhaling his scent. “So, Lord Harold, he is in love with someone else, with somebody your uncle deems unsuitable?”
Dev stilled. “Yes, yes, I believe that’s the crux of it all. And yet he did nothing to halt his father’s plans.”
“Why me? I am a nobody. Surely, countless marriageable ladies would have readily agreed to such an arrangement.”
“Likely,” he said. And then, answering her question more fully, he added, “Mr. Scofield and my uncle have long been acquainted. They wished for all intents and purposes that yours and Harold’s betrothal appear to be a love match. You have an air of… innocence about you.”
“Such nonsense!” She felt all the wonder of being in his arms, but also all the hopelessness of it. “Nothing can be done now. I’ve thought on it for hours and hours. My mother—”
And then he was just as serious. “There is a way. My cousin, you’ll be glad to know, has more of a spine to him than I’d thought. He admitted to me that he does not wish to continue living as his father’s pawn. He refuses to make a move, however, until Prescott releases his funds, presently in trust. And that transaction will not occur until after your wedding ceremony.” Sophia pulled away to consider his words doubtfully. “We’ve discussed the circumstances at length, and… come up with a plan. If it works, your parents will be safe from legal action. But most importantly, both Harold and you will be free. It’s going to take some time, however. Details need to be ironed out.”
Stunned by his words, she could almost believe him. “You are not joking? You are not teasing me?”
He shook his head. “I am not.”
“Can you tell me more?”
Dev looked as though he would, but then he grimaced. “There are secrets that are not mine to reveal.” He touched her cheek lightly. And although he wore gloves, she could feel the tenderness within him. She would believe all could be set right, for now.
