Page 29 of The Viscount's Unwanted Bride
Sure enough, Nicholas was sprawled on a brown leather chair in the small room with white marble flooring, a handful of candles providing a little light, and faded brown columns in the Roman style. There was a decanter beside him along with two small glasses, indicating that his brother had been waiting for him.
Theo poured himself a drink and dropped onto the nearest chair.“Do people genuinely believe I murdered my wife in cold blood?” he asked before draining the drink and immediately wishing for more. He didn’t refill it, though. However tempting it might be, getting drunk wouldn’t fix what ailed him.
Slouched low in the chair, Nicholas looked over, squinting as if even the small amount of light in here was too much for him. “What happened?”
Theo turned the glass around in his fingers. “I went to offer marriage to Lady Katherine Drake.”
Nicholas grimaced and sloshed more brandy into his glass. “Sorry. I can still—”
“She didn’t say yes.”
Nicholas’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“First, Longley told me that it was his sister’s decision.”
“Good for him.”
“And then Lady Katherine said she wasn’t sure and that she wants to get to know me. I have the impression that she thinks that if she accepts the offer, there’s a possibility I may strangle her while she sleeps.”
He didn’t want her to agree to marriage. He’d even hoped she might turn him down. But he couldn’t deny that it wounded his ego to have her be so openly anxious about the possibility of marrying him.
He wasn’t a monster.
“My reputation must be dark if she isn’t jumping to accept,” he muttered, turning the glass again and debating whether one more drink would hurt.
“Well, it certainly isn’t good,” Nicholas said tactfully. “But I didn’t think it was all that bad either. Most sensible people know that the rumors about you are nothing more than gossip. Did you agree? Will you court the chit?”
Theo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t see that I have much choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” Nicholas disagreed. “I’ve offered you a way out, but you’re too self-sacrificing for your own good.”
“You make that sound like a bad thing.”
“It can be if it’s to your own detriment.” He paused. “I’m so very sorry, Theo. I never intended for any of this to happen. I just wanted to help you, and I didn’t know how.”
“I know.” Theo exhaled sharply, his shoulders slumping. “I just wish…. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. Anyway, to answer your question, I’ve told Lady Katherine that I’ll call on her tomorrow.”
“You should take her to the opera,” Nicholas suggested. “It’s a place to see and be seen, and you’ll have the opportunity to converse with her more, but there won’t be so much pressure to engage with others as there might be if you were to venture elsewhere.”
“I’ll think about it.” It wasn’t a bad idea, but considering the trouble Nicholas had gotten him into, Theo wasn’t in a hurry to take any of his advice.
“So.” Nicholas tugged his chair around so they were facing each other. “What did you think of Lady Katherine?”
Theo frowned, caught off guard by the question. “What do you mean?”
“She struck me as the sort of lady you might find interesting.”
Ah. This was more of Nicholas’s ill-guided matchmaking efforts.
“She was quite reserved,” he said tactfully.
Nicholas lowered his gaze to his glass. “Odd. She seemed unconventional when we met and not exactly a wilting violet.”
Despite himself, Theo chuckled. “Oh, she definitely isn’t a wilting violet. More like a cool white rose. Elegant and rather thorny.”
“Oh ho.” Nicholas arched his eyebrows. “Did you do something to offend her?”
“I believe you did plenty enough of that when you fled and left her for the gossips to tear apart.”
