“Miss Talbot. Glynnis.”
“Yes?” She turned to him.
“After the Prince’s birthday masquerade, what are your plans?”
Her plans?Did he not know about her supposed fiancé? She hadn’t discussed it with him but assumed James must have told his friend.
“I might be returning to Wales,” she said honestly. “My life is not entirely in my own control.” That was the truth. It was not a fiancé but finances which controlled her.
“But you’re not against staying in Brighton, are you?” Lord Payton asked. “It sounds as though you aren’t longing for someplace else, such as London. Might you as easily be satisfied with a home by the sea, at least for part of the year?”
His words reminded her of James. He was the one who desperately wanted to return to London. She could be happy just about anywhere ... with the right person.
“So far, despite nearly drowning and having my reticule stolen,” both of which she’d already told him when they were having their carriage ride, “Brighton has been entertaining,” she said.
“I had heard you were engaged,” he admitted bluntly. “I know I should respect such a contract. But I’ve observed you without your fiancé, and you seem no worse for it. Is it possible you have no true affection for the man?”
“It is possible,” she allowed, not wanting to elaborate on her lie.
“That was what I had hoped.”
“And do we get along as well as you do with your fiancé?”
Again, she could tell the truth. “Most definitely, my lord.”
Lord Payton took hold of her upper arms without warning, drawing her close. With even less warning, he kissed her.
Glynnis breathed him in, and he smelled ... wrong. Not unpleasant, just not the way she now expected the man kissing her to smell. And he tilted his head in the opposite way to what she’d come to anticipate.
These were small things, and when she was familiar with Lord Payton’s kisses, they would become entirely expected. She had only to get used to him.
Raising her arms, she put her hands on his shoulders. This mild kiss was acceptable, she determined, albeit wishing that place between her legs would pulse merely a little.
Even her heartbeat felt calm.
“Payton!” It was James.
As she and Lord Payton broke apart quickly, her heartbeat certainly sped up. They turned as one to see not only James but also two of the musicians and a lady from the party. They had all witnessed the kiss!
“You know what this means,” James spat out, arms fisted at his sides.
Lord Payton nodded solemnly. “Of course.”
Glynnis’s head was spinning. This was exactly her plan, and it had always seemed like a good one, too. Obviously, it worked like a magical charm. However, she hadn’t thought about how mortifying it would actually be at the moment one was discovered. A single woman of good upbringing should not be in the clutches of a man who was not her husband. Not in public, at any rate.
Her cheeks were hot, even though only the lady was still staring at her, clearly horrified. To spare her the embarrassment of her ruin, however, the men all kept their gazes firmly upon the man who had ruined her.
“Although it isn’t my place to call you out, Aberavon isn’t here,” James continued, looking, if possible, even grimmer.
“You don’t have to call me out because I will marry Miss Talbot and with pleasure,” Lord Payton said. “That is, if she will have me and if her fiancé will give her up. I shall go tell Prinny the happy news now, and this evening can become another type of celebration.”
“Don’t tell Prinny,” James said. “You must leave her fiancé a little dignity. When Aberavon arrives in town, Miss Talbot should break it off with him first, and then you can announce your engagement. Anything else will cast her in a bad light.”
Glynnis wished one of them would address her directly, but she had a feeling she could slip away and they would keep on arranging matters just the same. Besides, since no fiancé was, in fact, coming to town, waiting for one could put her in a precarious position.
“I accept your proposal,” she said to save face, even though no one had asked her. All eyes turned to her, the lady’s with pity and the men’s with a mixture of distrust, anger, and joy depending on whom she looked at. She decided to keep her gaze fixed upon her future husband.
“Perhaps Lord Aberavon has been held up. If he hasn’t come by the time of the Regent’s birthday masquerade, I believe we should announce it. As far as I know, my fiancé has abandoned me.”
