“Never mind that,” Sebastian said quickly, sitting up and fixing his friend with a warning look. “Now is not the time for such talk.”
“Is it not?” Lord Ashford furrowed his brow. “I would have thought that with this marriage, now was the perfect time?—”
“Later,” Sebastian spoke over him, widening his eyes as he did.
Helena looked between the two men.
An orphanage in London? What is that about?
She considered the situation quickly. Not that she found any answers.
Sebastian was up to something. Something to do with an orphanage. Not that Helena could even guess what that meant. Stranger still, his eagerness to dismiss the topic suggested he was either embarrassed by it or wary of who knew its details.
Helena opened her mouth to press the topic, only to close it when she caught the warning look Sebastian gave Lord Ashford. Whatever this was, it was not for her ears.
Thus, she chose to drop it. After all the progress they had made, testing the waters in that way was likely not the smartest of ideas. And as things currently stood, Helena was simply glad that she and Sebastian were able to be around one another in a way that felt natural. No more lies. No more arguments. No more hating one another.
Perhaps one day, she would learn the truth of it. That was if she even wanted to. This marriage was not meant to last, and despite the changes taking place, that was not about to change anytime soon. A fact that Helena was more than happy to accept.
“Come on then,” Sebastian pivoted. “Why don’t you tell us what you have been up to this past month? The life of a bachelor, as it is.”
Lord Ashford laughed. “If you insist. But only so I can make you jealous.”
“You can try.” Sebastian gave her hand another light squeeze, and Helena returned it.
CHAPTER 11
Sleep was not going to come to Sebastian tonight, not easily, at any rate.
His mind was muddled, his thoughts fixed firmly on earlier today when his dear friend, Lord Giles Ashford, had visited him. Some of it was about how Helena had behaved herself, and how he had behaved in return.
Happy with how the day progressed, Sebastian could not help but feel a sense of hope because this marriage, which had seemed so fraught with danger and so hopeful to a point of absurdity, finally seemed to have found its footing.
It is turning out even better than I hoped. Such that for the first time since we wed, I am starting to believe that its true purpose might bear fruit. As unbelievable as that once sounded.
As to what that purpose was? That was why Sebastian could not sleep.
Growing restless in his bed, he threw back the covers and started to pace his room. Still unable to find peace, he left his room and wandered through the dark halls. His mind churned, energy flooding him, and he needed to work it off so he might finally rest.
As he walked, he thought back to what Giles had asked him, concerning his goal and the reason he was putting himself through this in the first place.
It was easy to tell himself that he married Helena because he saw in her a quick fix to his dastardly image. He was known among his peers as a schemer and a plotter, a shrewd politician, but the type not to be trusted because there was always a bigger motive at play.
Mostly, that was true, and Sebastian was happy to play into that image of himself. However, when the time finally came for him to want something beyond mere political tricks and favor-making, he found that few trusted him, and all naturally assumed his word to be worth less than nothing.
Thus, a quick marriage was what he sought. When he had stumbled upon Helena in the library, a plan was seized upon, as he was always good at thinking on his feet.
Marriage to Helena was a surefire way to rehabilitate his image and remind the ton that he was more than a sharp tongue and political schemer. That he was worth investing in and being taken seriously.
All I need is more time. A few more weeks, the subterfuge taking hold, and I will finally be able to get what I want. I just need to keep the lie going.
Which he would do, of that he had no doubt. The only impediment to his plans was the bride herself, a problem now solved and sorted.
In fact, Sebastian could not help but smile when he thought about his wife. A woman he had initially seen as a tool, now viewed in an entirely different light.
She was smarter than he had thought. She was more fiery and independent, a force of nature, and as stubborn as she was determined.
Were circumstances a little different…
