Ellie rolled her eyes. “Then count me as the first.”
She yanked her arm away from him and stepped out of the shadows and into the pathway leading to the terrace. But when she came to a sudden stop, he moved closer to see what had grabbed her attention. When he recognized the fierce expression of her father, Vincent’s world slowly crumbled around him. It was as though he stood on the brink of a collapsing bridge that would break and take him down into the deep unknown.
The older man’s arms were crossed over his wide chest, but it was the disappointed scowl that Vincent didn’t like. Warning bells rang through his head. Should he run, or at least try to create some kind of excuse to get out of this mess? Although his mind scrambled with plausible excuses to give the duke, his voice refused to work.
“F-Father?” Ellie’s voice shook.
The duke’s glare switched from his daughter to Vincent. The longer the seconds ticked by, the smaller he felt. His chest tightened, making it harder to breathe.
The duke motioned toward the grove of trees. “Shall we have a private conversation?”
His gaze stayed mostly on Vincent during that question. Helplessly, he nodded. A low groan came from Ellie as she turned and strode back into the shadows. Vincent had no other choice but to follow her. His mind scrambled once more to grasp something intelligent to say, yet he had never been in this situation before, and he didn’t know how to get out.
Ellie’s eyes were downcast as she wrung her hands against her middle. Vincent gulped, trying to moisten his suddenly dry throat. This hadn’t worked as he had planned. Apparently,nothingwas going the way he had intended.
“Correct me if I’m wrong,” the duke said quietly, breaking the uncomfortable silence, “but did I just overhear you and my daughter admit to sharing a passionate moment?”
Vincent tried swallowing again, but the blasted lump in his throat wouldn’t budge. “Well, you see, my lord—”
“The truth, Trenton.” The duke’s voice became stronger.
“We did share a kiss, my lord.”
“Just now?” The older man arched an eyebrow. “In this grove of trees?”
“Yes,” Vincent said, and Ellie chimed with the same dismal reply.
The duke’s glare moved between Vincent and Ellie again. His mouth pulled tight in irritation as his nostrils flared. Vincent had never felt so defenseless as right now.
“You do know what this means, don’t you?” Ellie’s father asked her.
Meekly, she lifted her watery gaze to her father and nodded. “I do.”
Inwardly, Vincent groaned. He knew what it meant, too.
“This is what I propose,” the duke continued, linking his hands behind him as he paced in front of Vincent and Ellie. “Lord Trenton will court Ellie for an entire week, taking her out in public so Society isn’t surprised when I announce my daughter’s wedding.” He stopped in front of Vincent. “Does this sound reasonable? I’d rather do it this way than force you to marry my daughter and live through the scandal that will follow.”
“Ye—” Vincent choked on the words, so he quickly cleared his throat. “Yes, my lord. That option does appear the better choice.”
The duke swung around and faced Ellie. “Is this acceptable to you as well?”
She kept her gaze on the ground. “Yes, Father.”
“Splendid.” He clapped his hands once. “Then let us get back to the party now that the dancing has ended.”
Ellie didn’t meet Vincent’s eyes as they walked behind her father. Vincent felt as if he’d been in front of a magistrate and been condemned for his crimes. But living as Ellie’s husband wasn’t exactly torture, was it? His heart argued with his mind. Of course it was. The whole time he would feel guilty about his part in her fiancé’s death. He’d fear the moment when she discovered it and would forever loathe him.
Not only that, he wouldn’t be able to touch her, since she only wanted a marriage inname only. How could he live the rest of his life as a monk?
Inwardly, he groaned. He was doomed.
Chapter Five
Ellie didn’t knowif she was happy or sad.
Her heart danced with happiness knowing that her father wouldn’t force her to marry Augusta’s dreadful nephew, yet at the same time, pain of remorse squeezed her heart at knowing a man was being forced to marry her. That wasn’t what she had wanted. If only Vincent would have accepted her bargain in the first place, they could have entered the marriage on their own terms.
She couldn’t sit still as she waited for Vincent to pick her up for a ride in the park. Her father thought that would make a good start for beginning her week of being courted. Augusta sat calmly on her rose cushioned chair while she sewed on a sampler, but Ellie wanted to scream. She wrung her hands, flexed them, shook them, and wanted to nibble on her fingernails, but she didn’t dare because she would be reprimanded by her stepmother.
