Chapter 4 #2
“Come now,” he chortled. “You do not have to play coy with me. Unless of course, it is how you prefer to play these games.”
A sense of unease deepened. She frowned. “I can assure you I am not playing any sort of games.”
“Are you not?” he countered smoothly, reaching for her.
Sariah shot to her feet, and he followed.
She braced herself, preparing to bring her knee upward if necessary.
It was a method of deterring attention that she had learned from her elder brother some years ago.
While she had not found it necessary to attempt the maneuver before, she was certainly considering it now.
“No,” she said flatly. She slid around the back row of seats, intending to cut their conversation short. She lifted her chin, feeling as though there was a respectable distance between them. “I will remind you to keep your distance, sir, and now I think it is time for you to take your leave.”
“Why? Because you are so virtuous?” He caught up to her in short order and grasped her arm roughly. “After this morning’s article, I would have cause to doubt that.”
Sariah was willing to endure most any insult, but a direct slight to her dignity could not be tolerated.
She faced off with her opponent, prepared to give him a scathing set down before enacting her original intent, but he was abruptly removed from her sight and slammed against the wall, a furious-faced Mr. Carrington pinning him in place.
“It is not very polite to accuse a lady of wrongdoing when she is innocent. Would you not agree?”
As Lord Baltimore’s cravat was tightened fractionally, his eyes bulged and he quickly nodded. “You are quite right. Of course, I meant nothing by it.”
“That better hold true,” his assailant warned quietly. “If I discover otherwise, I will not hesitate to make a personal call to remind you of your promise. Do you understand my meaning?”
The nobleman’s mouth gaped open, but he continued to bob his head until Mr. Carrington released him. Once he was free, he quickly stumbled out of sight.
When he was gone, Mr. Carrington turned to her, concern on his features. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” She crossed her arms. “But I was about to injure him if you had not interceded. I had things well in hand.”
He stared at her for a full minute and then started to laugh. “Unbelievable. This is twice that I have come to your aid and you seem incapable of offering any sort of gratitude.”
“That is because I did not ask for your help. Either time,” she added firmly.
She clenched her fists and started to move away, intent on escaping his insufferable presence.
However, she soon found herself trapped against the same wall Lord Baltimore had just vacated as Mr. Carrington’s handsome face filled her vision.
“And yet,” he said coolly. “You would be in a rather precarious position right now. Would it kill you to express any sort of thanks?”
She glared at him. “I do not know who you think I am, Mr. Carrington, but it is not some wilting female unable to lift a finger to help herself. I do not know the sort of women you are used to dealing with, but there is more substance to a lady than embroidery and watercolors.” She huffed a breath.
“But it seems I cannot seem to convince anyone of that fact but myself as no one bothers to listen to the contrary.”
He hesitated, some of his annoyance visibly dissipating.
“If you think that I do not understand certain prejudices, my lady, then you would be entirely wrong about me. Just as you do not care for the stigma that you are the weaker sex, I have always been known as one of the blue boys, an orphan, a charity case with nothing to recommend my actions than those of a worthless scoundrel or ne’er-do-well.
How can I know anything of import when I did not have experienced tutors waiting on my every call?
In actuality, I am more intelligent than some of the bumbling idiots that throw their money at me hoping to increase their investments.
” He sneered. “I am sure you will consider that an arrogant boast, but it is simply a statement of fact.”
If there was one thing that Sariah could appreciate in a gentleman, it was a willingness to possess a backbone.
It was a quality that seemed to be in short supply among the men she had known.
Most were so eager to please a lady that they were willing to endure ridicule and embarrassment.
She took a deep breath, finding it difficult to draw a full intake of air with him so close.
“I appreciate your candor, Mr. Carrington, and I am sorry if I did not empathize with your situation. It appears we have both misjudged one another.”
His gaze pierced her. “Yes, well, the Brazen Belle has managed to place doubts in many heads in this fair city, it would seem.”
“She is only writing what most of us are thinking,” Sariah said in the author’s defense.
“I realize now that many will believe I have been compromised because of my actions, no matter how it may have seemed at the time. Rumor and gossip will spread until the truth is nothing more than a distant memory and the fabrication will become easier and more enticing to believe.”
“Indeed.” He sighed. “It seems there is only one way to save both of us from the current predicament we currently face. As you say, society is a fickle mistress. Before the implications damage you beyond repair, and my business starts to falter, we must end this debacle.”
She lifted a brow. “And how do you suggest we do that, Mr. Carrington? Shall we write an article to counter the Belle? I believe we will not have the same success as she is quite popular.”
“No. I am not suggesting anything so complicated.” His focus roamed over her face. “The answer is truly quite simple. I think we should embark on a fake betrothal.”