Page 14

"Tell me your name," he said.

"Lady Olivia Shirley. My father is the Viscount Shirley in London," she said.

He took a step forward and said, "Olivia, my future duchess."

She wondered what sort of man could speak of marriage with such calm certainty. She had expected arrogance from a duke, perhaps a little pomposity and an impressive collection of opinions nobody had requested, yet James seemed almost annoyingly reasonable. That made him more dangerous, not less. A foolish man could be dismissed, a clever one required considerable caution.

She adjusted the blanket around the baby and glanced at James.

"There is one thing you should understand," she said, lifting her chin. "If I agree to this extraordinary scheme, I shall not become some decorative duchess who spends her days arranging flowers and smiling at people I dislike."

His eyebrow rose. "I had not imagined you arranging flowers."

"Good. Because I have no talent for it."

"What are you talented at?" he asked.

Olivia hesitated, then smiled despite herself. "Getting into trouble."

James’s mouth curved. "That, I had already observed."

She gave him an offended look, though amusement tugged at her lips. Then she looked down at the sleeping child, and the humor faded. Whatever happened during the next three days, she would not allow this little boy to be forgotten.

She had promised Louiza they would never abandon one another. Somehow, impossibly, that promise had grown to include him.

Chapter Five

By the time Olivia came down to breakfast the following morning, she had already decided that the day was going to be dreadful. She had slept badly, if the few scattered hours of staring at the ceiling could be called sleep, and had spent most of the night thinking about a baby, a duke, a marriage proposal, and the fact that she had somehow managed to steal the duke’s horse before knowing he was a duke. It was an impressive collection of disasters even by her standards. And all without being able to discuss it with Louiza made it all the worse.

Unfortunately, she had scarcely taken two sips of tea before a familiar shriek sounded from the hall, announcing that Lady Charnley had discovered another reason to be furious.

"How could my sister have lied to me?" Lady Charnley demanded as she swept into the breakfast room, her dressing gown trailing behind her with all the grandeur of a royal procession and none of the dignity.

She glared at Olivia. "She told me one of you was sensible and promising, and instead I have acquired two hopeless young women, both of whom are a menace to common sense and a disgrace to their family."

Olivia calmly buttered a piece of toast. She had discovered long ago that eating while her mother raged was an excellent method of preserving one's sanity. It also made it considerably harder to interrupt her.

"Do you know," Lady Charnley continued, planting both hands upon the table, "how important yesterday’s ball was? Do you have the faintest notion how impossible it is to explain that a young lady has simply disappeared from such an occasion, particularly when she was meant to be introduced to Lord Boulton?"

Olivia lifted her eyes from her toast. "I never agreed to meet Lord Boulton."

Her aunt's nostrils flared. Olivia recognized that particular expression. It meant she had just stepped neatly onto a battlefield.

"You never agreed?" Lady Charnley repeated incredulously. "What does agreement have to do with it?"

Olivia stared at her. "I should think it has something to do with marriage."

"You are living beneath my roof," she snapped. "You will therefore behave according to my wishes. This is not a joke," she said sharply. "We owe Lord Boulton a great deal."

"I do not," Olivia replied.

"You do," her aunt insisted. "You both do. This family has accepted his generosity, and he has asked for a bride. He will have one."

The words fell heavily over the table. Olivia's stomach tightened, but before she could answer, Louiza entered in a simple maid’s dress and stood in the threshold.

There was something different in her sister this morning, something Olivia recognized immediately. Louiza was frightened, certainly, but beneath the fear was determination.

"He asked for me, not Olivia" Louiza said, "I am the one who owes him. Olivia will stay out of this."