Page 17 of An Unwitting Alliance
Cassandra leaned in close to her sister’s ear and whispered, “It’s him, Megan!”
“It’s who?”
“The man from Lady Kellen’s ball who humiliated me and ruined my chance with Mr. Gibbons!”
Megan stole another look at Mr. Harwood. “Are you certain?”
“Completely.” She was still processing the revelation herself. “I need a private word with him. Please.”
“Very well, but I will be watching, so wave if you need me.”
Cassandra gently squeezed Megan’s arm. “Thank you, but I hope to get to the bottom of this here and now.”
Megan moved away toward their brothers, and Cassandra marched back to begin unpicking the tangled threads fate had ungraciously sewn. When she faced Mr. Harwood, his smug grin unnerved her.
“Did you plan all of this?” It was difficult to keep her tone even with so much at stake.
“To get us alone so soon after being properly introduced? No, that was you. And might I congratulate you on your effective methods.”
His words stoked the fire building inside her. “You know what I mean.”
He had the gall to shrug. “I do not care for elaborate plans. I am more of an idea person. A man of the hour.”
Unbelievable. “How did you discover I was here? Wait—I am not certain I care to know the details. I won’t be able to sleep tonight as it is.”
“Your parents sent the address and my horse led me here. It was quite simple and hardly the stuff of nightmares.”
Cassandra stepped around a shrub until she was but a foot from Mr. Harwood. “I do not know why I was your target at Lady Kellen’s ball, but your games are not needed here.”
“I have no desire to play games.” Mr. Harwood straightened, and his smile disappeared. “We are on the same team, Miss Vail. There is a perfectly good explanation for what happened at the ball. It started when—”
Cassandra held up her hand to silence him. “I won’t believe any of your lies. I naively listened when you said we had been introduced before. But believe me when I say that even if we are forced to marry, we will never be on the same team.”
His lips pulled up on one side. “We can disagree on all counts except for this one: neither one of us wants this betrothal.”
She had trusted him before and had learned her lesson. He was out for a conquest, but to what avail? Would he jilt her and leave her with a tarnished reputation merely for sport? “You won’t fool me twice. No charming smile can make me believe there is a gentleman behind it.”
“At least you see something in me worth praising.”
When he titled his head in that flirtatious way, making his blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight, something in her middle fluttered. She put her arms around her stomach and squeezed tight to fight the sensation of attraction. How weak could she be?
“Listen.” Tom stepped around the bellflowers. “I know what you want.”
“How can you pretend to know what I want?” He knew nothing about her, except that apparently she made an easy target. She took a step backward, wondering why there was not more air circulation when there was clearly a breeze.
“Your letter told me all I need to know.”
He was up to something. Was he pretending to be on her side so he could tear down her walls? Society loved to exploit the weak. While her family was not up to snuff in some circles, she was not going to make any of them more vulnerable by opening herself up to a baron’s conceited son who liked to humiliate people as a way of passing the time. She raised her brow and studied him, searching for a sign of his guilt. Instead she saw more of his annoyingly friendly smile.
“I am right, am I not? You are as against this arrangement as I am,” he pressed, ignorant of her inner battle. “Wouldn’t it be far easier to end this contract by working together?”
Could he possibly be sincere? She blinked away the foolish thought. He was getting to her again. “Is not a wedding enough of a joint venture for you? You can work out your problems, and I will work out mine.”
He folded his arms across his chest, and his sleeves pulled tight, reminding her of the strong arms that had spun her around the dance floor. The same arms that had purposely embarrassed her.
“Will you be this stubborn when we are married?”
Her calm broke and her eyes narrowed. “I will be far worse.”
