Page 40 of The Marriage Wager

“It does not seem likely that she would lie,” Constance said. “It would be far too embarrassing to be caught in such an untruth.”

He nodded. “Yes. I can understand why you believed her.” He came closer to her, reaching out to take both her hands in his, and looked intently down into her face. “But it is a lie, nonetheless. I am not engaged to Muriel Rutherford. I never have been and never will be. I can promise you that.”

Constance’s hands trembled in his as relief rushed through her. She felt suddenly breathless and lightheaded, as though she might faint, and she moved away, sitting down abruptly on the bench.

“Constance? Are you all right?” Leighton went down on one knee in front of her, gazing at her with concern in his eyes.

She nodded. “Yes. I—” She shook her head, not knowing what to say.

“Do you believe me?” he pressed her. “I swear to you that I am telling you the truth. Ask Francesca. Ask my parents. I have not made Muriel an offer.”

Constance looked at him. His face was grave, his blue eyes dark here in the deep shade of the tree and filled with an intensity that she had never seen there before.

The heavy weight that had pressed upon her chest for the past day was lifted now, and filling the space it had left was an uplifting joy. “Yes,” she murmured, scarcely trusting her voice. “Yes, I believe you.”

Relief flooded his face, and he smiled at her, then raised her hand and pressed his lips to it. “Thank you.”

He sat down on the bench beside her, still keeping her hand in his. He raised it again and laid a kiss upon her palm, cradling her hand against his cheek.

Constance gave in to a moment of weakness and leaned her head against his arm. Then, with a sigh, she straightened.

“Why would Lady Rutherford make such a claim when she could be so easily found out? It would be humiliating to have you deny it.”

He shrugged. “I presume she was hoping that you would not have the courage to ask me outright, that you would assume I had been deceiving you. Or perhaps she was hoping she could force my hand, that if she announced it, I would simply acquiesce. Give in to the pressure.”

“Why would she think that?”

Dominic gave her an amused glance. “Because Lady Rutherford does not know me. She is used to bending others to her not inconsiderable will. Her husband and her children dance to her tune. I know how haughty and ill-natured Muriel is, how much she expects to get her way. But I can tell you that she does not cross her mother. I suppose that Lady Rutherford might have thought she could bully me, as well.”

Dominic sighed and stood up, beginning to pace. “There is no engagement. Or even any sort of understanding between us. But it is my parents’ dearest wish that I marry Muriel. They have been plaguing me with it from the day I became heir to the title. My parents wish it, and Lady Rutherford wishes it, which means that Lord Rutherford wishes it.”

“If all these people wish it, does that mean that eventually you will agree?” Constance asked, her newfound happiness beginning to crumble around the edges.

“No!” he retorted sharply. “God, no! I would as soon take a viper to my bed as wed Muriel. Indeed, there would probably be little difference in the two.”

“But do your parents not realize how much you dislike the match?” Constance asked.

Dominic let out a snort. “My parents do not care what my feelings regarding the matter are. That is not important. All that is important in their eyes is the estate. The family.” He sighed and resumed his seat beside her. “Redfields is a large estate, but the lands have been much encumbered over the years. The family needs an infusion of gold, you see. My father has chosen me as the sacrificial lamb to bring about this happy result.”

“And the Rutherfords are wealthy?”

“Very.” He nodded. “Despite all their pretensions, Lord Rutherford’s title is not an old one, and there is the taint of trade in their background. Lady Rutherford’s grandfather, you see, made a fortune in the wool industry, enough to snare a nobleman’s daughter for his son and a baron for his granddaughter. Now Lady Rutherford is eager to make her daughter a countess.”

“I see.”

“They cooked up the scheme between the two of them, my father and Lady Rutherford. It suits them perfectly, and the wishes of the persons involved do not matter. One must do one’s duty. The family is all that is important.”

“And what of Muriel?” Constance asked, though she was rather sure that she knew the answer to that question. Muriel had made it clear that she considered Leighton her property.

“I think she is agreeable. She is proud and ambitious, much like her mother. She aims for an earl only because there is little prospect of anyone higher. If she thought she had any chance of Rochford, believe me, she would try for him. No doubt I would be far down on her list were it not for the fact that she is beginning to feel desperate. She finds me…lacking in the proper respect for my position.” He quirked a smile at Constance. “But no doubt she feels sure that she will be able to crush all levity out of me once we are married.”

“I imagine she is capable of that,” Constance agreed. “I must confess that I am glad you are unwilling to marry her. I cannot like Miss Rutherford.”

“Neither can I. I knew that my father hoped to force the match upon me at this party. That is why I had planned to stay well away from it.” He paused and looked at her. “Until Francesca told me that you were planning to attend.”

Constance looked at him, then quickly away. The warmth in his eyes unsettled her. She was very glad to learn that Lady Rutherford’s tale of his betrothal to her daughter had been nothing but a fabrication, but she was also well aware that the factors that had made his father pursue the match were still there. The family required an heiress for Dominic’s bride. He was not for her any more than he had been a moment earlier. He had not deceived her; he had not acted the part of a cad. But, still, one day he would have to marry to please the family. Constance knew that it would be complete folly to let herself even start on that slippery slope that led to love.

“But you are not one to shirk your duty,” she said quietly.