Chapter 1 #3
The severity of the situation hit Nicole, and she seemed to crumble before his eyes. He raced to her side and wrapped her in his arms. “I don’t know what nonsense you’ve been told, but you are everything I want in a woman.”
Hands balled, she tried to push him away. He loosened his hold but didn’t let her go entirely.
With a sigh, Nicole said, “Then you are either blind or a fool.
The other girls made that abundantly clear during my first season, that no gentleman would ever want to actually wed a Scot, let alone one who is too tall, too plain, and sits with the wallflowers because no one wants to dance with her. "
"That's not true—"
"It is true!" She whirled to face him, and Felix saw tears glistening in her eyes. "And what is worse is… that when you said we were engaged, when you looked at me like... like I mattered, I actually believed you for a moment."
She whirled around, and with the door ajar, she said, “Stay away from me, my lord." Her voice cracked as she added, "Find another pawn for your games. I'm not interested." Then she was gone, the door closing softly behind her.
Felix stood alone in the library, his head pounding and his heart aching.
He'd confessed his love to the woman he'd been obsessed with for years, and she'd rejected him.
No, worse than that. She didn't believe him.
He crossed to the nearest chair and sank into it, his legs suddenly unsteady.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and his hands…
his hands were shaking. Clasping his palms together, he rested his forehead on the tips of his fingers.
What in the bloody hell had just happened?
The door opened again, and for one wild moment, Felix held out hope that it was Nicole returning to him, but it was Reg who entered, his expression grim.
"I just saw Nicole flee out the front in tears," Reg said. "And Lady Felicity is telling anyone who'll listen that you've been secretly courting a Scottish nobody and were too embarrassed to proclaim your engagement. Care to explain?"
Felix dropped his head into his hands. "I've made a complete mess of things."
"That much is obvious." Reg pressed a tumbler with a generous pour into Felix's hand. "Start from the beginning."
There were no secrets between them, so Felix did as his brother asked; he told Reg everything—the confrontation with Lady Felicity, Nicole's unexpected appearance, his impulsive declaration, and her devastating rejection.
By the time he finished, he'd drained his glass and was seriously considering pouring another.
"Well," Reginald said after a long silence. "You've certainly outdone yourself this time."
"Thank you for that astute observation."
"What are you going to do?"
Fingers pressed to his temples, Felix asked, "What can I do? She doesn't believe me. She thinks I'm using her."
With an irritating shrug, Reg said, "Then prove her wrong."
"How?"
Reg leaned against the booklined shelves, his expression thoughtful. “Hmmm… mayhap we could take advantage of the fact that Lady Felicity has announced your engagement to half the ballroom…"
"How?" Felix repeated, feeling pathetic. He was the older brother, he shouldn’t be the one causing scandals, he should be the responsible one… the one capable of fixing his own messes.
"By tomorrow morn, all of London shall know that one of the Martin brothers is engaged to Miss Nicole Swyft. Are you certain Lady Felicity knew who you were?"
Felix frowned. “I can’t say with absolute certainty.”
A slow smile spread across Reginald's face. "Then you shall simply have to declare it. As heir apparent, it shouldn’t be difficult to arrange for the announcements. Nicole shall be the next Duchess of Strandon.”
"She told me to stay away from her."
“You’ve always wanted to marry her anyway, didn't you?" Reg asked with a smug, lopsided grin. "Woo her, Felix. Publicly, persistently, and with every ounce of sincerity you possess. Show her that you meant every word you said in this library."
Reg, the eternal optimist. Felix shook his head. "She'll hate me."
"She already hates you. What have you got to lose? Think of what you could gain!" Reginald clapped him on the shoulder. "Besides, when have you ever shirked responsibility? You owe her."
Reg was right. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. He rolled the empty tumbler between his palms. Reg and his schemes! It is mad. It is reckless. It will likely end in disaster. The alternative—letting Nicole believe he'd lied, letting her slip away again—was unthinkable.
"All right," he said slowly. "I'll make her fall in love with me and show her I meant every bleeding word I said tonight."
"Wait… the real you or the fake rake?"
"The real me."
Reg chuckled, "This shall be entertaining."
Felix shoved his brandy glass into Reg’s hands and stood. The weakness in his knees was gone, his hands no longer shook, and his heart beat steady, filled with strength fueled by a personal goal. He strode out of the library with a sense of purpose he hadn't experienced in years.
Nicole thought he was using her? That was the furthest thing from the truth. He would show her exactly how serious he was—even if it killed him.