Page 20 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
“Drink this.” Amstead clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s obvious you have a plethora of things on your mind, and you need to relax.”
Taking a sip, Niall watched as his sister and Amstead sat together on the settee.
He followed suit and sank on an armchair, exhaustion settling on him like a debilitating cloud. Sleep abruptly beckoned to him, but it would have to wait. Flora had questions, and she would not rest until they were answered. Propping a leg on his knee, Niall balanced his glass on the armrest and waited for her to commence her interrogation.
“Niall,” Flora began, taking a sip of her drink before pinning him with her hard emerald stare, “I need to know how this happened.”
“Lady Lindsay and I danced the waltz, and her broach snagged my coat. When we separated at the end of the dance, her gown ripped.”
Visions of the rosy expanse of her skin he’d glimpsed before the countess had shielded herself haunted him no matter how hard he tried to banish them from his thoughts.
“If the two of you were dancing at an acceptable distance apart, I doubt such a mishap would have been possible. Was her broach overly large?” Amstead asked, his head cocked to the side.
The prat.
“It was a fairly elaborate broach,” he mumbled, staring at his glass.
The room was silent for a heartbeat, and Niall caught Flora and Amstead glance at each other for a pregnant moment, before they burst into laughter.
Gritting his teeth, he tried not to be offended.
“Come now, Niall.” Flora wiped a tear from her cheek. “You have no reason not to be honest with us. Do you feel you cannot tell us what happened for fear of offending us? You do remember how we came to be together? If you don’t want to marry her, we’ll help you weather the storm of the broken engagement.” Flora sobered. “Your role as Prime Minister would last for a few years, but marriage is forever. Do you want the first so very badly, you would risk the second?”
Swallowing, Niall looked away. He didn’t know. He might have extricated any number of friends from delicate peccadillos, but now that he was in a similar position, he felt out to sea.
Yet the idea of marrying Lady Lindsay, of having her at his breakfast table debating politics with him, or at his side in some ballroom making him laugh with her sharp wit, and in his bed every night…well, it held an appeal he could not ignore, no matter how aware he was that she was not the sort of bride his career needed.
Knowing his sister expected a response, he cleared his throat. “I made a promise to Lady Lindsay, and I intend to keep it.”
Flora nodded, but Amstead considered him with a shrewd light in his dark eyes. “Do you believe she trapped you?”
“She seemed absolutely flabbergasted when I announced our engagement to the crowd.” It burned Niall’s tongue to admit it. “If she was intent on becoming the Marchioness of Inverray, surely she would have affirmed my announcement the moment I made it.”
Amstead nodded, but did not look up from his glass. He continued to swirl the dark liquid, studying the brandy as if it contained tea leaves that could tell the future. How Niall wished for a glimpse of what was to come.
Tossing the rest of his liquor back, Amstead sighed. “I suppose there’s nothing for it but to follow through with the wedding.”
Flora scowled and smacked his arm. “Surely there’s another alternative.”
“And what would that be, my love? Your brother is clever and well-connected. If he feels marrying the Countess Lindsay is his best option for surviving this scandal, should we not listen to him? He is the one with his future at stake. Not you or I.”
Flora huffed, then speared Niall with her piercing stare. “If you tell me right now that the incident with Lady Lindsay was an unfortunate accident you wish to handle yourself, I will leave you be. You have never needed anyone to save you from trouble, and I won’t presume to do so now.”
Niall dropped his head to the seat back, scrubbing roughly at his jaw. “It was an accident. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t appreciate your help. I need this engagement to proceed in a respectable manner. Although considering your own hasty wedding, perhaps you’re not the one to speak about respectability,” he finished with a dry tone.
His sister’s answering chuckle was merry and not at all offended. “I cannot argue with that. If you’re looking to lend some respectability to this union, I recommend conferring with our sister. And since Juliana was present when the incident took place, I’m sure she’s already lobbying on your behalf.”
Christ, but he hoped so.
“Did you visit the countess today?” Amstead asked as his fingers played idly with the fine hairs on Flora’s neck, a strangely intimate move.
Niall fidgeted slightly at the sight, but he couldn’t deny that it eased his mind to see how devoted Amstead was to his fiery sister.
Only when the pair stared at him with raised brows did Niall remember the man had asked him a question. “I didn’t visit Lady Lindsay today. Perhaps I will tomorrow.”
“Niall!” Flora smacked a palm against her thigh, upsetting the liquor in her glass. She ignored it. “You must visit the countess as soon as possible. She has probably been inundated with visits from theton’s most horrid busybodies, and you cannot leave her to fend off their waspish words and innuendos on her own.”
Regret curdled in his gut. Heshouldhave visited Lady Lindsay, if only to give credence to their supposed engagement. And perhaps he would feel better about the situation if he actually had a chance to discuss it with the countess, and discover how she felt about an engagement.
