Page 61 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
Still watching his gaze, unable to blink herself, she saw the way his jaw clenched. It was impossible to miss the frustrated expression that passed over his face, though it was gone in an instant, as though he had been trying to hide it from her.
“If I tell you, I must be assured that it goes no further,” Lord Sinclair said after a moment of silence, closing his eyes as though just saying the words was painful to him.
Skin crawling, unsure as to whether she wanted to know the truth, Priscilla said, “You have my word.”
Curiosity burned away all the anger that she had been feeling over the last few days and she remained before him, holding her breath even as he loosened his grip on her wrists. Taking hold of both her hands gently and holding them between them, he opened his eyes and gazed into hers as he explained, “It was Max.”
Shock threatened to overwhelm Priscilla so violently that she took a step backwards. “Mr. Parr? You honestly expect me to believe that sweet, shy Mr. Parr is the one who has been defiling Lady Caroline’s reputation?”
Lord Sinclair visibly recoiled at her words, and if she had not been so angry, she might have actually felt some sympathy for him. Instead, she pulled her hands from his grip and clasped them in front of her, bracing herself for what she was about to do.
“My lord, I think it's best that you leave. I cannot for the life of me understand why you think I would believe such a thing when you have already promised yourself before Lord Montgomery.”
“Good Lord, Miss Lloyd! You are the most infuriating woman I have ever met!” Lord Sinclair announced harshly, making Priscilla flinch. “I am trying to explain, and yet you are barely allowing me to get a word in edge wise.”
Priscilla’s instinct to bite back was only tamed by the realisation that perhaps he was right. All this time, she had been jumping to her own conclusions. Ever since she had stood in Mr. Parr’s drawing room, she had assumed that she knew everything that she needed to know. And yet, it was clear from the pained expression on the viscount’s face that it wasn’t the case.
“Then explain,” Priscilla said through gritted teeth, forcing herself to remain absolutely still even though her insides were battling to be away from him entirely… or to step right into his arms and never leave. “Quickly, before we are caught in this most inappropriate manner.”
As she spoke those final words, she glanced around the viscount to the distance lantern light of the manor, only able to hope that nobody else had followed them out into the gardens.
“When Lord Montgomery confronted me, I was entirely caught off guard. I had no idea what he was talking about,” Lord Sinclair explained and then, with a deep sigh, he added,
“But when I saw my cousin’s pale expression and how horrified he appeared at it all, I quickly came to guess what had happened. You see, he and Lady Caroline have become quite close over the last few weeks, what with my lack of attention in her and my cousin’s need to try and keep tensions between our families at a low level.”
“So you are saying that Mr. Parr was sneaking out to meet Lady Caroline on your behalf?” Priscilla exclaimed, even more disgusted with every word that he was speaking. “My lord, if you are trying to prove your innocence to me, then you are hopelessly failing!”
“No!” Lord Sinclair snapped back, though it was clearly out of horror than anger. “I had no idea of the depths of my cousin’s dalliance with Lady Caroline until her father came to confront me, having mistaken me for the man that she was meeting. And when I saw my cousin’s face, I… I could not bring myself to put him in the line of fire.”
Priscilla’s heart sank at the emotion on the viscount’s face and she had to bite the inside of her lip to stop from immediately sympathising with him.
This has to be lies,she told herself forcefully. She would not be persuaded quite so easily.
As though he saw the disbelieving expression on her face, Lord Sinclair added, “You said yourself how shy and quiet my cousin is. Can you imagine how he might have handled the pressure Lord Montgomery was putting on me?”
Just thinking about it for a moment, Priscilla imagined how easily Mr. Parr might have crumbled. “Then, when you finally calmed Lord Montgomery, did you finally explain everything? Is that why your engagement has not yet been announced?”
The hope that flared in her chest betrayed her and she had to tighten her hands into fists, forcing her expression to remain as impassible as possible.
The second that Lord Sinclair dropped his gaze, a deep sigh escaping his lips, Priscilla knew it was not that simple.
“Upon the face of my cousin, I also saw his terror at the thought of marrying Lady Caroline,” he explained, and when his gaze turned up again, he appeared to have a hard time of meeting her eye. “I could not subject him to something that I feared he would regret.”
Priscilla’s stomach twisted harshly and suddenly she felt as though her knees were going to buckle.
“Then… then you are to marry Lady Caroline in his stead?” Priscilla asked, barely able to get the words out, because in truth, she was terrified of what the answer would be.
As though he, too, was struggling with it, Lord Sinclair dropped his gaze again and nodded. Silence overwhelmed them both for several moments, until Lord Sinclair was finally the one to break it.
“I was always destined to marry a noble lady, and she is the one my parents had picked out for me. Though I have never seen myself as a married man, I knew it would come one day whether I liked it or not. It is time I finally embraced what was planned from the moment of my birth.”
“Why must you suffer for the mistakes of others?” Priscilla protested, closing the distance between them because she could no longer stand to be away from him.
A sad smile crossed the viscount’s face, and he held out his hands to her, a sad kind of hope glistening in his gaze. For several seconds, Priscilla thought that she could see tears in his gaze. But he blinked and just as suddenly, they were gone.
“I always knew that the likelihood of my marrying was high for the fact that I am my father’s only living son, though I had hoped to find something more than this,” Lord Sinclair admitted, shaking his head. “I always knew it would come to this and I shall not force my cousin into the same fate just because he was unmanned by a beautiful woman.”
It was in that moment that Priscilla realised she had placed her hands back in his. Holding them in one hand, he used his other to reach up and stroke a stray strand of hair from her face.
