Page 44 of One Night of Scandal
He turned to face Viola. She’d only turned her head and now blinked at him, her beautiful blue eyes sad.
He reached into her lap and took her hand. “Why?”
“I never meant to force you into marriage. We don’t have to go through with it, regardless of what my grandmother says. I’ll move to the country if I must.”
“You aren’t moving anywhere. Except to my house, I suppose.” His bachelor house. It wasn’t that it was small. It just wasn’t where he’d imagined living with a wife and children.Children?What on earth was happening today!
Jack took a deep breath to try to stop the sudden racing of his heart. It matched the world around him, which seemed to be moving at an alarming pace. He’d barely come to grips with the idea of marriage—and truly, he still hadn’t—and now he was to wed in a week?
And yet he looked at Viola and thought of all the wonderful things that could mean. For once, he wouldn’t have to suffer through days when he didn’t see her or wonder when he might encounter her next.
He’d also be able to kiss her whenever he liked. Hell, he could do more than kiss her.
They could discuss books and politics—anything they wanted—at all hours of the day. Spending time with her, he realized, was the thing he liked most.
“We don’t need to wed,” Viola repeated. “Truly.”
“I disagree, and I don’t wish to argue about it. I refuse to allow you to suffer the scandal.”
Her eyes narrowed, showing him more of the feisty woman he’d come to know. “You refuse to allow me?”
“Viola, I don’twantyou to. How can that be wrong of me?”
“Are you worried about scandal for yourself?” she asked. “Grandmama is right. You have a promising future, and I may have ruined it. Although, I’d still argue that I perhaps saved it by providing you an alibi for last night.”
“My alibi came at the cost of a scandal, whether we’re worried about it or not.” he said wryly. “But no, I’m not overly concerned about my future. I won’t lie and say it didn’t even occur to me, but I am far more concerned about you.”
“And I’ve told you not to be. I’ve suffered worse.”
He arched a brow at her. “Has anyone ever told you you’re stubborn?”
“Only my parents, my grandmother, my brother, my maid on occasion, probably Blenheim—our butler. No, not Blenheim. He would never. But I’ve seen it in his eyes.”
Jack tried not to laugh and failed.
She smiled in return. “I’m glad you aren’t angry anymore. I truly am sorry for what happened at the park.” Her smile faded, and she angled her body toward him. “Can we assume Caldwell and Sir Humphrey are behind the letter I received?”
Jack had thought about that on the walk over from the park and had come to the same conclusion. “They appear to be somehow involved. But how did they know I was at the Bull and Fox last night? I was careful to look around, both when I arrived and when I left. I didn’t see them or anyone else I knew.” He paused. “That’s not precisely true. I knew some of the men at the meeting. Some of them go to the Wicked Duke, but I don’t think they’re associated with Caldwell or Sir Humphrey. I’ve never seen them together, and they would have no reason to seek the other’s company.”
“Except they’re all together at the Wicked Duke. Maybe they went there after the meeting last night and saw Caldwell and Sir Humphrey.”
“Who just happened to ask if I was at the meeting?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m trying to puzzle this out. Did you go to the Wicked Duke afterward?”
“No, I went home.” It had been a rare occasion, and now he wished he’d gone. “I’ll stop in tonight after I visit my father.” He needed to tell him in person about the betrothal.
“I’ll meet you there.”
He should have seen that coming. “Viola, I don’t think it’s wise for you to continue as Tavistock, especially now that your grandmother knows the secret.”
“Why? She didn’t tell me to stop.”
He exhaled, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. For now. He intended to put an end to Tavistock for her own safety. “I can’t meet you there until ten at the earliest, and perhaps even eleven.”
“I will arrive around ten, and I’ll try to wait for you. Hurry.”
She actually didn’t have to ask. He was already counting the minutes until he’d see her again.
