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“What is that?” Lord Bancroft asked.

“Miss Crawford goes to London as your betrothed.”

Isla’s stomach lurched, and she reached for the arm rests, digging her fingers into the polished wood even as Lord Bancroft glared at his sister.

“I certainly hope you are jesting,” he said.

“Not at all. Neither am I being overbearing. I am thinking through our options in a calculated—and might I even say wise—manner.”

“No,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “In this instance, you may not use the word wise.”

“Steady, Bancroft,” Lord Maidstone interjected. “I believe we should all hold back judgment until Martha has had a chance to say her piece.”

“Thank you, Hugh.” Martha met Lord Bancroft’s glare without wavering. “Simon, you know full well that if you attend this dinner party without an attachment, Lady Monteagle will ensure that several other unattached young ladies are also in attendance. She will have you circulate the room and talk to every one of them. You will also doubtless be seated between two of her favorites at the dinner table. She will not seat two ladies together, which means Miss Crawford will be separated from me. Hugh’s rank will have him sitting near the head of the table, and Miss Crawford’s lack of rank will place her nowhere near him.

“In addition to that, if you wish to see Miss Crawford more than once or twice during the fortnight that we shall be required to be in the city, Society tongue-waggers will require that you have a compelling reason for making those calls. If not, they will surely create one of their own.”

“You can’t be serious.” Isla looked from Lady Maidstone to Lord Bancroft. “The only way I can sit beside Lord Bancroft at dinner or be seen with him outside that party is if we are engaged to each other?”

“Or married,” Lady Maidstone said. “But in this instance, that would be taking the charade a little too far.”

Lord Bancroft’s jaw tightened. “I am glad you think so.”

“But that’s crazy!” Isla said.

Lady Maidstone inclined her head. “Call it what you will; it is the way of things in this century.”

“And what happens to this supposed betrothal after November 5?” There was an edge to Lord Bancroft’s voice that Isla hadn’t heard before.

“If Miss Crawford disappears as quickly as she came, we could claim that she succumbed to the plague,” Lady Maidstone said.

“And if she does not?”

Isla’s grip on the arms of the chair tightened. If she never returned to the twenty-first century, what would become of her?

“You can have a change of heart and call off the betrothal.”

With a groan, Lord Bancroft ran his fingers through his hair. “Do not gloss over the implications of that disastrous act, Martha.”

“Why would it be disastrous?” Isla asked.

“Neither of us would be viewed in a favorable light following a broken betrothal, but whereas you might be granted some clemency due to a lady’s prerogative to change her mind, I would be hard-pressed to escape the stigma of committing a breach of contract.”

“So, Miss Crawford must be the one to sever the arrangement,” Lady Maidstone said.

This conversation was beginning to take on the fuzzy and ludicrous properties of a dream—or rather, a nightmare.

“Is all this really necessary?” Isla asked.

“If you wish to have ready access to my brother’s assistance with whatever lies ahead in London,” Lady Maidstone said, “it is all but imperative.”

“I believe Martha has the right of it, Bancroft,” Lord Maidstone said. “I realize that it is easy for us to say that, not having to live with the consequences of this pretense ourselves, but if we do not do everything in our power to ensure that Monteagle receives the warning letter, our entire nation is at risk.”

Lord Bancroft released a slow breath. And then he turned to Isla, his troubled eyes meeting hers. “Are you willing to enter into this mock betrothal with me, Miss Crawford?”

“Do you think we can manage it?” she asked.

His smile was thin, but it was something. “I do. As Martha said, you have time to learn a great deal before we arrive in London. Indeed, by then, you may not need my aid at all, but if you desire it, I am willing to provide it.”