Page 22 of The Virgin and the Viscount

“That matters not.”

“Debatable.”

“Also, I’m not your wife.”

“Soon, Freckles, very soon. But I shall spare you any further embarrassment. Besides, I do believe we’ve already caused quite the stir.”

She glanced around them, noting the faces all turned to them as if waiting for some sort of spectacle. “They’re all looking at us.”

“Indeed. But now they’re imagining our great and passionate love and not the fact that you’re a ruined woman.”

She sucked in a breath and her gaze once again became guarded. “I see.”

He hesitated, noting the stiffness with which she now held herself.

“So now everyone thinks we are desperately in love. Am I supposed to thank you for that?”

Ah. So she thought his words were just a ruse? An attempt to get a rise out of her.

For a moment, he considered correcting her, telling her exactly how much he did desire her. But hadn’t he just done that?

She clearly didn’t believe him. Or she didn’t want to.

“No, Freckles, you’re not.” He tried to keep the bitterness from his voice but wasn’t sure if he managed it. “I’m harboring no delusions that you’re pleased about this would-be union of ours. I am well aware your affections lay with another.”

Her nostrils flared. “I’m not certain what you mean. I do know it is most unpleasant to know that your soon-to-be husband is in love with one of your best friends.”

He didn’t bother correcting her assumption about him. He was far too interested in hearing what she’d have to say about Thomas. “What about knowing your wife is in love with your brother?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Thomas. You confessed your feelings, remember?”

She swallowed. “That was years ago.”

He nodded, but she made no further attempt to deny her feelings. Her heartfelt confession could have been driven from a youthful fancy, but he wasn’t so certain. “Suffice it to say, a union between us is a necessity, and we shall endeavor to make the best of it. Yes?”

She looked up at him, met his gaze full-on, and he was lost in a sea of green. So much green. Verdant and vibrant and mesmerizing.

“Yes. We shall.”

Sullivan sat at the desk in his study, sorting through the post that had accumulated. The invitations were too numerous to count and he tossed them in a pile off to the side. One envelope caught his attention, though. It was addressed directly to him with rather flourishing feminine penmanship. He flipped it over to find a wax seal with an elaborate X.

He popped it open and withdrew the letter.

Sullivan Chase, The Honorable Viscount Glenbrook,

It has recently come to my attention that I have something you might find useful. Information that you have been seeking, in fact. I know the truth about what happened the day the former Viscount Glenbrook died.

Sullivan glanced up from the letter, his heart pounding. He went back to the envelope, but found no additional identifying markers, other than the embossed wax X.

I can give you no additional details at this time, but I will extend an offer. A quid pro quo, if you will. I can give you the proof you need in exchange for a favor. I believe your new bride is affiliated with Lady Somersby’s Ladies of Virtue. As I’m certain you’ve surmised on your own, this group trains young women to perform duties that ultimately lead only to pain and danger. I have been working to disband this group to prevent further disasters and harm. Assist me, Viscount Glenbrook. Help me put an end to the Ladies of Virtue. Once we succeed, I shall hand over the evidence needed to prove your brother, Thomas, intentionally disposed of the eldest Chase brother.

Then the letter ended with a way to communicate his answer. And signed Lady X.

He sat back in his chair, studying the page. This was precisely what he had been looking for. Ever since he’d returned home from India to find Roderick deceased and Thomas filling his shoes, Sullivan had known in his gut that Roderick’s death was suspicious. The conversation with David only confirmed that. Yet no one else seemed to doubt Thomas’s story or motives. And he’d asked. Since meeting with David that day, he’d made several inquiries to people who knew both Roderick and Thomas. No one had any additional information. As best as he’d been informed, there’d been no other witnesses.

Yet here was this person, Lady X, who claimed to have proof.

---