Page 34 of A Scarred Wallflower for the Duke
“I know you are afraid of losing Lydia,” she said gently. “I am afraid to see her married to the Duke too. But please know I am doing everything I can to put things right.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “I am sorry you are being forced to carry on this sham of a courtship. I know—”
And the answer came to her suddenly. She drew in a breath. Making this plan work would mean being far more open and honest with Lord Renshaw than she had ever planned on being. Because the Baron, she realized suddenly, was the key to making this plan work.
She got to her feet and began to pace. “My Lord, what I am about to tell you must remain between the two of us.” She fixed him with a pointed stare. “Under no circumstances are you to tell Lydia. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
His lips parted, and he looked up at her, woefully uncertain. “But Miss Wyatt, Lydia and I tell each other everything.”
“You cannot tell her this,” Georgina said, far more sharply than she had intended. “You must promise me.”
Lord Renshaw nodded, taken aback. “Very well. I promise.”
Georgina closed her eyes for a moment, then inhaled sharply and began to speak. “My Lord, I believe the reason I have not yet been able to scare the Duke away is that… he has something of an interest in me.”
She swallowed heavily, hardly able to believe she had spoken the words. A part of her expected Lord Renshaw to burst into laughter, or insist she was mistaken. Instead, he looked up at her with wide gray eyes.
“I see.” His voice was small. “And…” He hesitated. Georgina nodded, urging him to continue. “And is it that interest shared by you?” he asked tentatively.
“That is of no consequence,” she said shortly. She sat back on the bench, angling herself to face the Baron. “The Duke is an incurable rake. I am sure that whatever interest he is showing me, he is doing it purely because he does not yet believe there is anything serious between you and me. I am afraid he sees the whole matter as something of a game.”
Lord Renshaw nodded, understanding beginning to dawn in his eyes. “He believes I have no intention of making you my wife.”
“That is right.”
The Baron sighed. “Perhaps I have not been as convincing in my role as I might have been.”
Georgina lowered her eyes shamefully. “And perhaps I have not been as forward as I ought to have been in rejecting His Grace’s advances.”
The Baron rubbed his shorn chin, giving her a shy smile. “The Lord and Lady Greenford’s ball is this Saturday. We shall have to take the opportunity to ensure the Duke believes you and I to be hopelessly in love.”
Georgina gave him a faint smile. “Exactly. Hopefully, then the Duke will lose interest in our family once and for all. And you will be free to marry Lydia.”
Lord Renshaw’s smile faltered lightly. “Miss Wyatt, you must allow me to tell Lydia of our plan. If she sees you and I express ‘our love’ so openly, it will… it will cause her such pain.”
“No,” Georgina snapped. “You cannot tell Lydia.” She shook her head vehemently. “Lydia knows of the plan. She knows what is between us is all for her benefit. You promised you would not tell her a word of this.”
Georgina knew how much her younger sister looked up to her. She could not bear to think what Lydia would think of her if she found out about this perplexing tryst between her and the Duke.
Lord Renshaw nodded dejectedly. “Very well. I shall do as I promised.” He pressed a hand to Georgina’s forearm. “Forgive my objections. I am very grateful to you, Miss Wyatt. For everything.” He caught her eye. “Particularly for being so open with me.” His smile brightened. “I look forward to convincing the ton you are to become my wife.”
* * *
Georgina stared down at the scrawled columns of numbers Marcus had entered into the ledgers. His handwriting seemed to be getting worse by the day. Best she just start the whole thing again.
As she turned to a fresh page and dipped her quill in the ink, her brother appeared in the doorway of the study. There was a grave look on his face.
“Marcus? What’s wrong?” Georgina had not seen him look so horrified since he had told her about the bet he had lost, relinquishing their lands around the refreshments table.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him in silence. He sighed heavily. “Georgie, I am afraid I have some bad news.”
Her stomach knotted and she got to her feet, dropping her quill. Ink splattered over the ledgers. “What’s happened? Is it Grandmother? Is she unwell?”
Marcus took her arm and led her gently out from behind the desk. He eased her toward the two armchairs in the corner of the room. “Perhaps you ought to sit.”
Georgina shook her arm free. “Marcus, just tell me what is going on, you are scaring me.” She perched on the edge of the chair as her brother sat opposite.
“It is Lord Renshaw,” he began.
“Lord Renshaw? Is he all right?”
