Chapter 5 #2
“But you will be. And this will allow you to do as I have instructed you.” Her mother gestured to the door. “Thirty minutes should be more than sufficient. Now, remember what you need to do—I do not intend to let this chance slip through our fingers.”
Before Vivian could say another word, her mother had flung open the drawing-room door and pushed her inside, closing it behind her.
At the sound, Lord Elington turned to face her. He had been standing near the window, and as he turned around, the sunlight streamed across his face.
He was even more handsome in the light of day.
His chiseled jaw was powerful, like a Greek statue.
His blue eyes seemed to take in everything around him as though the world was a book that was his to read.
He arched an eyebrow at her, canting his head toward her as the corner of his lips quirked upward.
A kiss, Vivian. Her mother’s words filled her head, and she swallowed, forcing her gaze from his lips to his eyes. She tried to remember what her mother and Henrietta had said as she moved further into the room and dropped into a curtsy.
“Lady Vivian.” Lord Elington swept into a low bow. “I apologize for calling on you at such short notice, but with the papers writing about us, it seemed best I speak to you and your family as soon as possible. I trust it has not inconvenienced you too much?”
“Oh, of course not. I doubt that a visit from you could ever be an inconvenience.” She attempted to flutter her eyelashes at him. “I would say it is rather the opposite.”
Vivian watched Lord Elington’s face, hoping to see some sign that he had heard her compliment, but he gave away nothing.
He nodded and looked toward the door. “How gracious. I suspect your parents will not be quite so forgiving. After all, this is not how I planned on breaking the news of our engagement.”
“My mother was a little surprised, but I doubt she will hold it against you. After all, it was not as though you leaked it to the press yourself.” She tilted her head toward him, and a lock of hair fell across her face.
“Besides, you are a marquess, and that affords you some leniency as far as my parents are concerned.”
“Still, I do not like it when things do not go according to plan.” Lord Elington curled his hands into fists. “I will make sure this does not happen again; you have my word.”
“I am sure you will do everything in your power to see this fixed.” She batted her eyelashes at him again, raising the pitch of her voice slightly as she let her hand rest on her chest.
How do people do this?
Lord Elington’s brow furrowed. “Is something the matter with your eyes, Lady Vivian? You seem to be blinking rather a lot.”
“No, I… Never mind.”
Is it possible to die of embarrassment? She swallowed and straightened, gesturing to the tea set on the table. “Would you care for some tea… Thomas?”
She managed not to wince as she said his name, her insides roiling at the familiarity. She saw his eyes widen and thought the corner of his mouth quirked upward.
“I had not realized we were on quite such familiar terms.” His voice was silky.
“Well, we are getting married, are we not? I assumed the level of familiarity was a given.” Vivian tried to sound more confident than she felt, ignoring the way her hand shook as she poured the tea.
“Was it not you who said we should at least seem to be in love if we are to make my previous fiancé jealous? Calling you by your Christian name would help sell the illusion.”
“I can see your logic, though there is no one currently here to pretend to.” He gestured around them. “Not even a chaperone.”
There was an edge in his voice that Vivian could not quite place. Given the way he had maneuvered her into confessing her trick at the ball, she had little desire to push things further.
Imagine admitting that my mother has orchestrated this time alone so that I might—no focus. If she thought too hard, her face would flush so deep a scarlet that the whole game would be given away.
“Practice makes perfect. Besides, you have a very…” Vivian tried to think of something flattering to say about his name. “Pretty name.”
“Pretty?” He took a step toward her and canted his head. “I do not think anyone has ever said anything about me was pretty.”
Damn it, can I not do anything right?
“I mean, handsome. No, strong. You have a strong name. A powerful one.” Vivian forced herself not to move away from him, even as the smell of amber washed over her. “Like the rest of you.”
“Flattered as I am by your… unusual compliments, we should return to the matter at hand.” He gave her a smile that made her heart swoop.
How is he so handsome? Would this be easier if he were not?
“Namely, our wedding. Now that it is in the press, we need to act quickly. A special license would be the best course, and I have a connection to the archbishop that should make obtaining one easy.”
“Oh.” A special license would speed things along, meaning she would have less time to try to win him over.
Thomas continued speaking. “We will still marry in a church, but this will give us the option of choosing a time that suits us, and it will speed things along. The wedding breakfast will be at my London estate, unless you object?”
“Of course not.” Vivian saw his eyebrows arch just slightly and wondered if it was the wrong thing to say.
Should I object? Is that what he wants?
“Good. I expect you will wish to have a new dress commissioned for the wedding, and of course, you will charge me for the rest of your bridal wardrobe.” He ran a hand through his short black hair.
“A whole wardrobe? I do not need such extravagance.” Too late, Vivian realized that this was not the sort of thing a woman trying to flatter a man should say, but she could not help herself. “A wedding gown will be more than sufficient.”
“If you were marrying a mere viscount, perhaps. But I am a marquess, and more to the point, I am the grandson of one of the richest women in the ton. They will be expecting all the finery money can buy, and I intend to exceed those expectations.” Thomas shrugged as though such extravagance was barely worth thinking about.
It was all Vivian could do not to gape at him. I suppose, at the very least, I will be able to sell some of the dresses if he decides to call the whole thing off. Not that it would be enough to live off.
“That is very generous indeed, Thomas. Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.” He made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Of course, we should probably discuss plans for travel back to the castle, and there are some other matters relating to the wedding that I will need to speak to your parents about.”
His words reminded Vivian that she was supposed to be flirting with him. How much longer until Mother returns?
“There will be plenty of time to talk about the logistics. And as my parents are not yet with us, why not take the time to get to know one another a little more? You could tell me about your interests, your hopes, your de… dreams.” Vivian could not quite manage to make herself say desires, not when Lord Elington was studying her with those appraising blue eyes. “I scarcely know anything about you.”
“As you said yourself, we only met yesterday,” Lord Elington replied.
“You see? Come, please. Tell me a little bit about you.” Vivian took a steadying breath and closed the distance between them, peering up at Lord Elington as she brushed a finger against his sleeve, as her mother had shown her moments before.
What am I doing?
The smell of amber washed over her, making her almost dizzy.
She swallowed as she realized just how close she was to him.
She could see the barest hint of stubble on his jaw and, without thinking, she reached up her hand to touch it.
He caught her hand in his. His eyes were dark as he shook his head, and Vivian felt her stomach twist.
“I thought I had made the terms of our arrangement clear.” His voice was firm as he took a step away from her, letting her hand drop. “This marriage is a matter of practicality and convenience, nothing more.”
“But what about an heir?” Vivian forced herself to ask even as the words sent a spike of panic through her.
His eyes widened. “That is not part of our arrangement.”
“It could be if you wanted it to be. I would be more than happy to—” she began, but he cut her off.
“To what? I do not think you know what you are offering, and I will not take advantage of your naivety.”
“I am not so innocent.” She tilted her chin toward him defiantly. “I know what I am doing and what I want.”
Her voice was surprisingly level, if higher-pitched than she would have liked.
“Do you indeed?” He advanced toward her, and Vivian swallowed. “Shall we put that to the test?”
She stepped away from him and stumbled. She felt him catch her in his arms. Her heart felt like a rabbit caught in a snare. The smell of him made her head swim, and she was all too aware of the warmth of his body against hers as he steadied her.
She looked up and saw how dark his blue eyes had become. It stole her breath. He reached up, his fingers brushing her cheek as he swept a lock of hair away from her face. She shivered.
“You can lie to the rest of the ton, Lady Vivian. But you will not lie to me.” Lord Elington held her gaze in his. “You do not want this.”
The sound of her name sent a shiver down her spine, the silky tone feeling like a caress. His eyes reminded her of a roiling sea in a storm, and it took everything in her not to flee from it. “I did not mean to anger you.”
“I am not angry.” He blinked and shook his head, gently steadying Vivian on her feet before stepping away from her. “If this arrangement is to work, we must be honest with one another.”
Her head felt clearer now that he was further away from her, and the panic that she had felt faded from her mind. She put a hand on her chest, willing it to calm the steady thrum of her heart.
Thomas was not looking at her. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she desperately searched for something she could say to fix the situation. But she had no idea what she had done.
“I do not understand.” Vivian did not realize she had spoken the words aloud until Thomas looked at her.
He gave her a small smile and shook his head. “I have no wish for you to pretend to be someone you are not.”
“And what makes you think that is what I am doing?” Vivian kept her voice even.
Thomas moved past her toward the door, but as he reached it, Vivian saw his hand hover above the handle.
“There are dozens of women who wish to be my wife, who shower me with flattery and praise at every opportunity. I asked you to be my wife because of the pragmatism and practicality you showed me last night. You need to show me nothing more.”
Vivian’s chest tightened, but before she could say anything further, Thomas had opened the door and left the room. For a moment, she wondered if she should go after him.
‘You need to show me nothing more.’
It was easy enough for him to say something that sounded so sweet, but she had seen how fickle men could be. Her mother and her maid were right; she had to hold his interest. She refused to be at the mercy of anyone else again.
She had to deliver her future husband an heir—the only question was how?