Chapter Ten
Fate, A Heartless Bitch
“Lord Ezra Alansia for you, my lady.” Caldwell bowed as he stood in the doorway to the sitting room.
So, he’d kept his promise.
I flicked my gaze from Caldwell to the impeccably dressed Ezra.
He’d clearly come dressed to impress today, just as I’d suspected he would.
His crisp white shirt, navy cravat, and matching navy waistcoat were framed by a black coat slung over his shoulders.
The gold detailing on the waistcoat and his outercoat was as exquisite as I’d expect from the House Alansia, and I could barely believe this man was both heir to the most powerful dukedom in the empire and a black-market mage.
It blew my mind.
It also blew my mind that the handsome devil was single.
Something had to be wrong with him.
“Thank you, Caldwell,” I said, smiling warmly as I stood to greet my guest. “Lord Ezra, it’s an honour to have you visit. I’m sure you must be very busy.”
“I’m never too busy to see you, my lady.”
Well, that was a load of bullshit, and he knew it.
He took my offered hand and kissed my fingers with as much care as he had on the terrace at the ball. “I believe it is I who must thank you for sparing me your precious time.”
Smooth.
Caldwell eyed him suspiciously, but I caught Bella’s light blush at his slick words.
“In that case, you’re most welcome. Please have a seat, my lord.” I sat down and looked to Bella. “Pour the tea and leave us.”
“Yes, my lady.” She did as she was instructed after daintily pouring two cups of tea.
Caldwell hovered for a moment, but ultimately gave in and shut the doors.
He was absolutely listening on the other side of them.
So was Bella.
I didn’t care.
I cleared my throat. “I hope the tea is to your liking, Lord Ezra.”
“I’m sure poison would be to my liking if you served it to me, Lady Alicia.”
I stared at him. “I shall remember that.”
He laughed, stirring sugar into his cup.
“I have what you asked for here.” He held up a brown paper envelope, and I reached for it, but he yoinked it out of my grasp.
“Although, before I give it to you… My father informed me that the marquess reached out to him regarding a potential marriage discussion. Am I to assume that’s your blackmail, my lady? ”
I shook my head. “I can assure you that it is not. My father saw us together at the ball and approved of you as a suitor. It has nothing to do with me knowing all your dirty little secrets.”
“Hmm. I still wonder how you know about them.”
“Unfortunately, sharing that information with you would put me at a great disadvantage. I also rather enjoy the fact that I know something Illusion’s infamous guild master doesn’t.”
“Then perhaps I won’t hand this over.” He waved the envelope. “It seems as though it’ll work in my favour if your father approves of me as a son-in-law. No need to complicate things by letting other men grab your attention.”
I sipped my tea. “Calm yourself, Lord Ezra. He’s also contacted Duke Trelawney regarding Lord Leon, so you’re hardly running away with the competition.”
Ezra leant forward. “Ah, that’s right. Didn’t you also catch the eye of both the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke at the ball? You’re in high demand, my lady.”
“I would rather be caught by a raging beast than catch their eyes,” I answered honestly. “Are you going to hand that information over or not?”
He toyed with the envelope. “Did you get my letter regarding payment?”
“I did. I also noted your interesting clause about getting a full refund should we get married.”
“It’s only fair. It wouldn’t be right to take my wife’s money, not when I’d be benefitting so much more than you would be out of such an arrangement. You could use it to, I don’t know, buy dresses or something.”
“I’d be more likely to use it to hire someone to quietly kill my insufferable spouse.”
“In that case, our marriage would be short but beautiful.” He grinned. “A risk I’m willing to take.”
He was cocky.
And rightfully so. House Alansia would be my father’s first choice, and Ezra knew it.
I moved the cushion to my right and pulled out the money pouch Bella had hidden there earlier. “This is twenty percent. You’ll get the rest when that’s in my hand.”
Ezra took the pouch from the table and opened it. “I’ll take the rest depending on who you marry.”
“How generous of you.” I held out my hand. “Your turn.”
He dutifully passed the envelope over to me.
I reached for the letter opener and sliced it open.
It was quite the thick stack of papers, but the top sheet had a shorthand version of all the names inside.
As he’d said, he’d included himself as the number one prospect and Lord Leon as the second.
The rest of the list was filled with other perfectly acceptable marriage candidates, and they all fit both mine and my father’s parameters perfectly.
He ran an infamous information guild for a reason, it seemed.
I slipped the papers back into the envelope.
“Is it not to your liking, my lady?” He raised his eyebrows.
“On the contrary, it’s quite acceptable from what I can see,” I replied. “My concern is not what you’ve delivered, but more the situation I find myself in.”
“Which is?”
“Do you remember me telling you that I believed I was to be the recipient of a marriage proposal I do not want?”
He nodded. “One your father would struggle to decline.”
“Indeed. Recent events have… elevated my concerns,” I said slowly, meeting his gaze. “I believe I have less time than I thought to secure a marriage partner.”
Ezra sat back, resting his right ankle over his left knee. “Is that so? Would the spring ball have anything to do with that?”
“Perhaps.” I gently set my teacup down on the saucer. “Therefore, I believe it is in my best interest to pursue an engagement, regardless of its validity.”
“Are you suggesting a contract engagement?”
“That’s exactly it,” I replied coolly. “I would like you, Lord Ezra, to agree to be my fiancé for the next six months.”
He chuckled. “My, aren’t you bold, my lady?”
“You said yourself that Duke Alansia is pressuring you to get married. This would buy us both some time, would it not?”
“I’ve already told you I’m interested in you. How can you be so sure that I’d be willing to let you go at the end of it?”
Ah. Finally, a man who questioned the end of a fake relationship.
In reality, I couldn’t guarantee such a thing. All things considered, Ezra was absolutely the kind of man I could fall in love with, given the right circumstances.
If only that were the situation I found myself in.
For me, right now, Ezra Alansia was little more than a tool to help me achieve my goal of survival. Realistically, everyone around me that I’d created a relationship with could fit into the same box as he did.
Even Vivi.
It didn’t mean I didn’t care for them. I did. Greatly so, in the case of the ladies I’d bonded with since Lady Georgina’s tea party.
But caring for someone didn’t mean I wasn’t using them.
I was using them to survive. I had to use them to survive.
Ezra was not an exception to that rule.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I can’t be sure of that, of course.
Perhaps we will fall madly in love over the next six months or perhaps we’ll be glad to see the back of one another at the end of it.
However, I believe that every relationship serves a purpose, no matter how genuine or fake one is.
There’s no reason that one between us cannot do the same. ”
“You’re quite correct. I must admit that I—”
The doors to the sitting room burst open, and Caldwell appeared between them. He was wide-eyed in a way I’d never seen before, and I froze. He radiated a panic that almost vibrated off him, fizzing through the air like an electric current that prickled at my skin.
“Pardon me for interrupting. Lady Alicia, the marquess would like to speak with you immediately,” he said, keeping his voice steady.
I picked up my teacup. Would he somehow know how my heart was thumping in my chest? “Caldwell, I am otherwise engaged. Please tell Father I will be with him when I’m done with Lord Ezra.”
“He insisted you go to his office now, my lady.” Caldwell bowed his head. “I’m afraid I’ve been instructed to accompany you until you see him.”
“Then at least allow me to see my guest out.” I stood up with a sigh. “I’m terribly sorry, Lord Ezra. It appears there’s a pressing issue I must attend to.”
Ezra stood up without batting an eyelid and followed me out. When we reached the front door, Caldwell opened it, and Ezra took my hand.
“My lady, it was an honour to steal your time this afternoon.” He swept his lips across my knuckles, then pulled me in close, peering down at me with a smirk on his face. “Rest assured, I will go home and discuss what we just spoke about with my father immediately.”
Thank God I blushed, because I wasn’t sure how else to respond to such a bold declaration.
Was that him accepting my proposal of a contract engagement?
Damn it, Caldwell! I just needed five more minutes to seal the deal!
“We mustn’t keep your father waiting, Lady Alicia,” Caldwell said, ushering me away from the door.
I offered Ezra a half-hearted wave as I was swept away by Caldwell. Bella quickly hurried after me after giving Annie strict instructions to ensure Ezra made it to his carriage, and that’s when it hit.
Like a tsunami.
There were few things that would make my father summon me to his office so urgently. Not when I was meeting with an acceptable suitor.
Something was not going the way I wanted it to.
And I feared I knew exactly what this thing was.
I was not going to like what he had to say to me, that much was for sure.
“Lady Alicia for you, my lord.” Caldwell opened the door to my father’s office without knocking. “May we fetch you some tea?”
Father tugged his glasses away from his face and waved his hand, dismissing both Caldwell and Bella. “Sit down, Alicia.”
“What’s the emergency, Father? You know I had a meeting with Lord Ezra just now, and—”