He studied her. “You are an astute judge of character, Miss Spencer. Never trust Lord Cavendish. He is ruthless and without morals. He will not hesitate to destroy anyone who stands in his way.”
“Why do you dislike him?” Evie asked.
“How do you know I dislike him?”
“I watched you that night at Hugh’s.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I do.” His honesty surprised her.
They stared at each other, and then he spoke.
“Miss Spencer, I think we can help each other out if you will allow it.”
“In what way, Lord Hamilton?” Evie wasn’t sure what to expect, but she clenched her hands tighter in her lap.
“I need a fiancée to deter my aunts from their pursuit to marry me off this season, and you need a fiancé to deter Cavendish and allow your younger sister to find a husband.”
“You are not serious?”
“Deadly. We will become engaged, then you will retire to the country at the end of the season, calling off our engagement, which will be my fault entirely, thereby casting no cloud over your family or you.”
She opened her mouth, but he continued talking.
“But there will be no more Mr. Renee, Miss Spencer. I cannot allow you to take such risks again.”
“But—”
“I must insist on this.”
“I need the money,” she said bluntly. “I am exceptionally good at gambling, and it really has nothing to do with you what I do.”
He smiled at that. “Ah, but as my fiancée I must argue that point.” He leaned forward, which put him suddenly a great deal closer to Evie. “You will never again dress as that man and leave your house.”
The carriage rolled to a stop as she was formulating another reply. Lord Hamilton opened the carriage door.
“I will call on you tomorrow, and we shall discuss the matter further. Good evening, Miss Spencer.”
“Oh, but—”
“Tomorrow,” he said urging her out the door. He then closed it, and the hackney rolled away, leaving her standing on the street.
“This can’t be happening,” Evie muttered as she headed up the path to the front door of her family’s lodgings. It wasn’t until she was in her night dress and lying next to a slumbering Prue that she allowed herself to think about what he’d proposed.
A fake engagement until the end of the season. Could she? It would deter Lord Cavendish, but then it would also deter anyone else from making her an offer. But wouldn’t her engagement to Lord Hamilton promote Prue up the favorable ranks of debutantes in the eyes of men?
He was a rogue, but still titled.
Could she do it?
Her eyelids began to close, and Evie thought that tomorrow was soon enough to make sense of the mess she’d made of her life.
Chapter Fourteen
After snatching afew hours of sleep, Anthony rose and dressed, all the while wondering what the hell he had been about proposing what he had to Miss Spencer.
Calling for his horse, he was soon trotting through the streets of London, wondering if he was losing his mind, even as he knew that what he’d proposed would benefit them both. If they could pull it off.
But her, of all people. Prickly, opinionated, and he was sure those were her finer qualities. The woman would not be easy to spend time with, which he would have to do if she became his fiancée.
