Chapter Eight
He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Hadn’t meant to let Amelia fall asleep on him. And certainly had not meant to wrap his arms around her protectively while she dozed.
But it had happened, and it had given him the oddest feelings.
She was the responsible one. Dutiful. Poised. Overly concerned with her image and reputation. A slave to the ton.
Exactly the same as another blonde he had known too well. Had let into his life. His heart.
Yet holding her in her sleep felt natural, as though his arms had been made to hold her all along. As though everything his arms had been doing thus far in life was only in preparation to hold her.
She was the kind that took care of herself and everyone around her.
Just considering the lengths she was willing to go for her sister exemplified that.
But here in the carriage, the space had become his domain.
Somehow he had become the protector. And surprise of all surprises, for some reason she had conceded to him by first crawling into the hiding space, and then finding refuge in him as she slept.
Though…what refuge it really was, he couldn’t reassure her.
His dreams had been vague, but the heat—and stiffness—in specific parts of his body didn’t lie. The dreams involved sheets. A large bed. Tumbling around. And holding Amelia with an altogether different purpose.
Thankfully he had been jostled awake before her so he could compose himself before she witnessed his state of arousal. That would not do. He was here for her sister.
“We’re here?” she mumbled in response to him rousing her from her slumber.
“Yes.”
And in an instant, whatever vulnerability, all shreds of submissiveness, and every last tiny trace of familiarity toward him vanished.
“You must be on your best behavior,” she said while fixing her hair.
“You think I would do otherwise?” he asked, slightly affronted that she was implying he would act otherwise.
“I don’t know you.”
He grunted at that, but whether she heard or not, she continued on in what appeared to be a prepared speech.
“We are here to ensure you and my sister suit. Yes, she is entrenched in a scandal, but I will not have her live a life of misery over one poor choice. If I were willing to do that, I would just let my father—never mind. The house is staffed with less servants to give us more privacy. Only those trustworthy remain. We have one week to see if you and my sister are a match. Though really, it’s less of seeing that you are a match and more of seeing that you’re not a terrible one—”
“Wait. You plan on returning me if your sister doesn’t enjoy my company?”
Her wrinkled nose conveyed slight displeasure while she shifted in her seat.
“You must listen to me closely, Duke. I know this won’t be a love match.
But it won’t be a misery match. She, more than me, is capable of getting along with nearly everyone.
So this is more likely to work than not, I’m just preparing you for the worst-case scenario. ”
Rocks were piling up in his stomach. Each line she fed him felt like it was tied to another rock. Sometimes a pebble. Sometimes a boulder. And each line he was forced to swallow increased the jumbled mess inside of him.
He should have felt good about this whole thing.
He was here to defy the ton and rescue a woman caught in scandal both at the same time.
He didn’t think Amelia could find a better candidate for her sister.
Then again, based on his developing protective feelings for Amelia, he was of the mind that perhaps she could find a better man for the young one.
“Don’t be too cocky around her—wait, don’t interrupt me. There’s more. She likes a confident man, but not one who’s always running his mouth—”
“Do I come across as that type?”
“I’m just giving you the best chance with her.”
“Wouldn’t you rather I just be myself to ensure it’s a match?”
Her nose wrinkled again, attempting to go to war with her eyebrows, they were so scrunched together.
“Be yourself,” she started tentatively, “so long as you think it’s good for her.”
“And when, pray tell, should I show her my true self?”
She tapped her chin in thought. “Never. I’m under the impression that most men don’t feel inclined to reveal that level of transparency to their wives.”
“Well, I’m not like those kinds of men.”
“How would you know? You’ve never been married. You don’t really know how you’d act.”
Damn. She didn’t know. Not that he really thought she would. Well, he didn’t want to open that can of worms with her right now.
“Any other advice?”
“If at any point you want to bow out of this, tell me immediately. Don’t break her heart, or you’ll regret the day you met me.”
“You mean today?”
“Well, yes.” She straightened her skirts and reached for the door.
Admittedly, after that qualification, he wasn’t too ready to take her threat very seriously. But he admired her for it all the same. She was loyal, if not just plain stubborn. And she was a force to be reckoned with in her own right.
“There are only a few hours until morning. Then I’ll introduce you to my sister.” They were walking toward the front door along the moonlit path. “Get some sleep.” A butler took his coat and was already leading him away.
But Benedict truly doubted that he would get any additional sleep in the next couple of hours. Mostly for fear of closing his eyes and envisioning Amelia on his bed again.
That would not do.
Not at all.