Page 25 of The Viscount's Unwanted Bride
Great, he’d not only ruined this girl without even making her acquaintance, but he’d also wounded her pride.
He took her hand and bowed over it. “Lord Blackwell, at your service.” Letting her go, he nodded to Lady Sophie. “A pleasure, my lady.”
“Shall we sit over there?” Lady Katherine asked, gesturing toward a chaise in front of the empty fireplace.
“Yes, let’s.”
“One moment, please.” Lady Katherine went to the door and spoke to someone through it. On her way back, she murmured something to Lady Sophie, who wandered down the other end of the room, where she could be present as a chaperone without interfering with their conversation.
He looped his arm through Lady Katherine’s and walked her to the pair of chaises that faced each other. She lowered herself gracefully onto one, and he sat opposite.
He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye, once again surprised that his brother had chosen Lady Katherine to speak with over the many other debutantes who’d no doubt attended the ball.
Perhaps it had been as simple as what both claimed—she’d needed air and he had escorted her—but Nicholas had said that he thought Theo might genuinely like the chit. Maybe his brother was more astute than Theo had given him credit for.
With her casual elegance and carefully contained beauty, Lady Katherine was definitely the sort of person who would attract Theo’s interest if he were actually looking for a wife. He’d married a vivacious woman before, and it had ended poorly.At first glance, Lady Katherine couldn’t be more different from Elizabeth.
“Lady Katherine,” he began awkwardly. “I’m sorrier for what happened yesterday evening than I can say. You have my most heartfelt apology for any distress this situation has caused you.”
She interlocked her fingers and rested them on her lap. “I appreciate that, but as far as I can tell, only one action actually requires an apology. Most of this was due to bad timing, but it was incredibly poor form of you to disappear the way you did as soon as we were discovered. If you’d stayed, we might have been able to smooth the situation over, but when you fled, it made us look guilty.”
His jaw clenched. She had an excellent point. Fucking Nicholas. “I understand that, and I apologize. I panicked, and it was wrong of me to leave.”
Her eyes searched his, but based on the way they tightened at the corners, she didn’t find what she was looking for. Probably because he was lying, and she could somehow sense it. If there weren’t so much at stake, he’d be impressed by her perceptiveness.
A short, plump woman with red cheeks and a motherly air bustled into the room and set a tea tray on one of the side tables.
Lady Katherine thanked her and poured them each a cup of tea. “How do you like yours?”
“Black.”
She placed the cup near him, positioned her own, and offered him a biscuit.
“No, thank you.” He didn’t think he was capable of eating anything when his entire future might depend on the outcome of this conversation. “Lady Katherine, I never intended to remarry, but considering the circumstances, I would like to offer my hand in marriage in order to rectify any damage to your reputation caused by my reckless actions.”
CHAPTER 8
Fury burnedin Kate’s gut as she stirred her tea and inhaled slowly so as not to curse at the viscount. Ladies should never utter curses, but especially not when they were directed toward titled members of the aristocracy.
The sheer audacity of Lord Blackwell in offering to marry her when he didn’t even have the decency to recognize her. He was clearly not the sort of man who would make an acceptable husband.
How dare he treat her so poorly?
Yes, he’d done the “proper” thing by coming here to offer for her, but he’d spent several minutes with her last night and had still somehow mistaken Sophie for her!
He’d clumsily tried to cover for himself, but he’d done a poor job of it and Kate saw through his act. He was lucky she’d not taken it upon herself to empty his teacup all over his nice black trousers.
“I will think on it,” she said, knowing that she couldn’t turn him down out of hand. She was upset right now and therefore not likely to make a rational decision. She needed time to weigh her options.
Lord Blackwell’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
She glared at him. “I said that I shall consider your most generous offer. I don’t currently feel able to make an informed decision. After all, I hardly know you.”
“Many have married upon lesser acquaintances,” he said, a furrow between his brows that implied she confused him.
He wasn’t the only one confused.
A couple of days ago, she’d seen a handsome man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and she’d wanted to get to know him. Yesterday, she’d met a flamboyantly dressed lord who’d deserted her the second something went wrong. Today, here he was, the weight back on his shoulders as he attempted to do the right thing.
