“Very well.”
“Or that I requested you break our arrangement.”
He would never have betrayed her in such a way; if her father were the kind of man to disregard her wishes to such an extent, he would not think twice about hurting her.
“I understand,” he said.
She rose and curtsied again. “Then I am indebted to you.”
“That is unnecessary,” he said as she walked to the door. He rang for Hopkins. “Forget that you are indebted to me. You had no wish for marriage; we are even. Do not think on the subject again.”
Her eyes were deep and dark, and almost painfully lovely. Color filled her lips from where she had been chewing them. He did his best to notice neither; he failed in both regards.
“Very well, Your Grace,” she said finally, meeting his gaze in a way that made his stomach clench. Her pupils flared. “I will forget everything about you.”
Maxwell strode into Lord Gilford’s house as the sun rose, ignoring the outraged squawks of the staff, in particular the butler, whom he tasked with raising Lord Gilford from his bed.
This would have been his wedding day; he was not prepared to wait any longer to cancel the event. Lord Gilford could survive without a few hours of sleep.
Although Maxwell had been in dealings with the lord for several weeks, making all the arrangements, he had little love or even respect for the man, and when he entered the small parlor with his cravat askew and his waistcoat shoddily buttoned, Maxwell felt little but irritation.
“Your Grace,” Gilford said, bowing very slightly. As an earl, he was less highly ranked, but evidently thought his age made up for the difference between them. “What brings you to my abode so early in the morning? I have only just retired.”
His breath stank of brandy and wine. Maxwell flinched at the smell of it.
By day, Gilford could be charming, but in this insistence, he was not at his best. The older man swayed a little, still inebriated.
His daughter would have been getting married in a handful of hours, and the man was still drunk.
“I came to inform you that I must break our agreement,” Maxwell said calmly. “I am honored to have been offered the opportunity to marry your daughter, but an alliance between us is impossible.”
Gilford’s chest swelled. “Impossible? My daughter? You cannot end our arrangement now. Everyone knows you are to be married today.”
Maxwell placed a large moneybag on the table. “I understand this is an inconvenience.”
“An inconvenience? This is a bloody disgrace!”
“I’m afraid I will be retiring from London, and I am in no position to take a wife at this time. We can cite family differences.”
Gilford eyed the money. Although he wanted Lady Thalia disposed of in marriage, he was by nature a greedy man. “I require considerable compensation considering the mess this will make of my reputation.”
“Rather more mine than yours.” Maxwell leaned forward and opened the bag, revealing the sovereigns inside. “I trust you will explain to Lady Thalia that I was unable to keep my appointment due to family reasons.”
“Well, I daresay some excuse can be found.” Gilford picked up a sovereign and bit into it as though he were a shrewd street trader. Maxwell contained his disgust as best he could. “Yes, I imagine an excuse can be given. She will endure the humiliation.”
The Earl picked up a handful of coins, then let them trickle back into the bag slowly.
Plink, plink, plink.
“I will put a small notice in the papers today.” His business concluded, and with no desire to remain in Lord Gilford’s company, Maxwell rose. “And after, I will retire from the city. You will have no reason to see me, and I will not be taking another wife at present, so you need have no concern on that front.”
“A handsome sum,” Gilford muttered. “A handsome sum indeed.” He waved an absent hand. “Yes, do what you must. And of course, Thalia will understand completely. This situation is not her fault.”
Maxwell gave a grim smile. “Not in the slightest.”
“There will be other offers. All I need to do is find someone else willing to take her off my hands… A handsome sum indeed…”
Maxwell did not bid the other man goodbye. As he strode through the house, he felt a prickling between his shoulderblades, and when he glanced behind him, it was to see a pair of chocolate eyes viewing him from the upper floor. He touched his hat in her direction, then glimpsed the swishing of draperies as she turned and fled.
