Page 48 of The Scoundrel and the Lady

“You didn’t actually ask me anything. You simply made a statement,” she said.

“I took advantage of you,” he said. “We should marry.”

“For only that reason?” she asked, then regretted it the moment the question left her lips.

“No other reason would matter,” he said. “Your reputation has been tarnished, and I am a man of honor.”

She grabbed the coverlet and pulled it to her chest as she sat upright. “You are demanding that I marry you?”

“It is the sensible thing to do.”

“I care not if it is sensible. Those are not compelling reasons to marry.”

“You wish me to recite a love poem? I thought you more practical than this, Iris.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable,” she snapped.

He shook his head, confusion clear on his face. “I do not understand. I thought this was how it was done.”

“Marriage proposals? Perhaps for some, but it is not what I am looking for.”

“You cannot afford to be so selective.”

Anger surged through her, and she came to her feet, taking the coverlet with her as she went. “How dare you! Simply because I am unmarried with no prospects does not mean I cannot still say no to a proposal I deem unworthy.”

“That is not what I meant,” he said, his voice calm again. “Iris, someone recognized you the other night at the theater. I received a letter demanding funds or they will expose your secret.”

“What?”

“Marriage will protect you. Protect your reputation from any rumors or would-be scandals. I can protect you.”

“Wait.” She sorted through all his words and actions since he’d arrived that evening, and it was as if he’d pulled a chair out from under her. She grabbed the back of one now to steady herself. “You did this on purpose. You came here to seduce me so that you could compromise me and force me into marriage.”

“It is not force, my dear. Practicality, perhaps,” he said.

“Practical? Why not simply come here with the proposal in hand?”

“You would have said no had I come in and told you I was being blackmailed and should marry you to salvage your reputation. You cannot tell me that isn’t true,” he said. “Can you?” He rose from the bed and walked to her.

She refused to acknowledge his nakedness so she looked elsewhere. She exhaled slowly. “It matters not what I would have said, because you simply decided to come over here and deceive me.”

“Iris, you are being ridiculous. Would it be so bad to be married to me?” He pulled her to him. “We desire one another, last night proved that. And we are good together. Marriages have been built on far less.”

“Perhaps, but my marriage will not be.”

“You would risk ruination rather than marry someone who…”

“Doesn’t love me? Yes, I would.” Especially when it was so obvious that he didn’t. She’d been so afraid to love someone and then lose that person that she’d missed the real heartache—unrequited love. She’d never considered how much it could hurt to lose someone who hadn’t died. How devastating it would be to know that she simply wasn’t enough for him. She pulled free from his grip. “Now, if you will kindly dress and leave.”

“We are not finished with this discussion.”

“We are. I have said no, and I meant no.” With that, she left the room. She wrapped herself in the coverlet and closed herself in her dressing chamber. Then she slid down it onto the floor in a heap of tears, with his scent still wrapped around her.

Chapter Eleven

It had been two days since he’d first proposed to Iris. Three days since the article on Iris’s band of merry crime fighters had run in the Daily Scandal. An editor from the Times had paid him a visit yesterday, requesting to reprint the article and run it in their paper. Merritt had waited a long time for that sort of recognition, yet the success felt oddly empty.

Though he’d never used anyone’s name in the article, it still posed a threat he hadn’t accounted for when it had gone to press. Knowing that more of London would be reading about the anonymous escapades of Iris and her friends, he felt even more strongly about convincing her to marry him. Now more than ever she needed his protection. Not only that, but the article running in the Times meant that there was a greater chance that Iris would see it.

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