Page 7

“Apologies, Your Grace. My name is Juliet Gainsborough, daughter of the Earl of Clarkston. I apologize for the late hour and the intrusion, but the matter is urgent.”

Juliet. A beautiful name.

A deeper part in his mind remarked that it suited her.

“So you say,” Adam replied, making sure that his gaze did not dip past her neckline a second time.

He had not realized how weak a man years of abstinence had made him.

Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward her. She did not step back, but watched him approach her. The only tell of her nervousness was the way her throat moved as she swallowed.

And even that caught his attention. Why had this woman captured him so entirely?

Damnation.

“It is a bold thing,” he said, “to come to a man’s house alone, at this hour, in that condition, with no chaperone in sight.”

“Yes,” she answered, her gaze unwavering. “I know, Your Grace. As I said before, it is an urgent matter, so you must forgive my impudence.”

Adam stopped a foot away from her, if only to maintain some semblance of dignity. “So, what is it that you want from me, Lady Juliet?”

He watched her take a deep breath, the action drawing his gaze back down to her generous bosom. His jaw ticked once before he pulled his eyes away again, although his lower half had decided to react.

By God, he did not need this right now. “I don’t have all day.” He snapped then, and her brows furrowed.

“Technically, it is no longer the day,” she pointed out, all prim and proper, and Adam narrowed his eyes at her.

“All the more reason why you should not be wasting my time.”

Lady Juliet then took a long breath, and with a swift exhale, the words fell from her mouth at an impossible speed.

“I need you to marry me, Your Grace.”

Adam blinked at her for a lengthy second before he replied. “Are you out of your mind, Lady Juliet?”

Her words seemed even more absurd in light of the fact that she was wearing an expensive wedding dress.

Had she dressed this way on purpose?

Shock flashed in her eyes for a second before it was quickly replaced by that determination. “I promise you that I am not, Your Grace. If you let me explain, I can prove why.”

“Prove why?” Adam arched a brow. “Why what? Why I should marry you?”

Lady Juliet nodded enthusiastically, her expression bright with an earnestness that made him take a step back. “Yes, Your Grace. You see, our families had⁠—”

“No.” He cut her off, his tone flat.

“I…I beg your pardon?” She drew in a breath, shock and despair warring for expression on her face almost immediately. “I…I would not have come if I had another choice.”

“The answer is no. I do not care about what drove you to come here with such a ridiculous proposition. We are both strangers, and I am not beholden to whatever else you intend to say to ‘prove’ anything.”

Lady Juliet did not back down. No, in fact, her lips curved. “But… what if you are?”

His frown deepened. “What do you mean by that?”

Lady Juliet held out the paper she held in her hands, her expression even more determined than before. The paper was browning at the creases and looked like it had been folded quite a lot of times.

“Please, read this.” That was all she said, her blue eyes twinkling in the firelight.