What had that been about? How was it possible for a gentleman to be so sullen and silent, yet at the same time, so open and vulnerable?

“Do make some conversation, boy,” said Lord Cartier, evidently forgetting he had contributed absolutely nothing to the table. “Say something, and something the rest of us will actually want to hear, not any of your nonsense.”

Nathaniel flushed, the skin under his beard darkening, and Arabella leaned forward, intrigued.

His nonsense? So, there were topics that Lord Nathaniel happily spoke on—but not ones that his parents approved of. Interesting. What on earth could that be? Was that why her betrothed was so silent? Because he had been told not to speak on certain things before her?

What was Lord Nathaniel Cartier hiding?

“I would be very interested to hear a little nonsense,” Arabella said warmly, trying to laugh as naturally as possible. “I would be interested in anything you had to say, Nathaniel.”

Their eyes met once more, and this time Arabella was certain. He was attracted to her; at least, he thought her pretty.

Yet he said nothing. Nathaniel’s gaze dropped to his plate and he stayed silent.

Lady Cartier cleared her throat. “What wonderful weather we are having, Miss Fitzroy, for the time of year.”

And there we go, Arabella thought sadly as she smiled weakly. The weather. They had reached the very bottom of the barrel and there was nowhere else to go from here. She would need to find something—anything—to talk about.

“What do you think of Christmas weddings, Nathaniel?”

Lord and Lady Cartier both dropped the cutlery they were holding, but Arabella paid them no heed. She was too busy watching their son.

Nathaniel slowly placed down his knife and fork and looked at her. There was a wry, almost rueful look on his face, as though he had warned her not to speak on this topic, and she had chosen to ignore him.

But that was not the case. The man had barely spoken to her enough for her to have any idea what his opinions were on topics of conversation.

And it was time that changed, Arabella thought to herself. Time to ignore the rules.

“I think matrimony itself, much like Christmas, is something to be respected,” Nathaniel said slowly in his deep voice as his parents exchanged worried glances. Arabella could see them out of the corner of her eye, but she was far more interested in him. “And I believe that they should be separate.”

“Interesting,” said Arabella brightly. “So, you would prefer a summer wedding?”

“I would prefer no wedding at all,” said Nathaniel darkly.

Before she could say any more, he pushed back his chair, threw down his napkin, and strode to the door.

“Nathaniel!” Arabella could not help it; though it was far beyond the etiquette and decorum which she had been taught, it was most grievously upsetting to find the man who she had been told would be marrying her so clearly not interested in matrimony at all.

What was the point in her father sending her here, if only to be humiliated?

Nathaniel halted at the door, his hand on the handle, and took a deep breath. Without turning around, he said in his deep voice, “I apologize, Miss Fitzroy, but I believe you have been brought here under false pretenses. As I said when you arrived, any agreement that has been made can be unmade.”

“So, is that what you are doing?” asked Arabella fiercely, rising to her feet, trying to keep her temper down but feeling it rise within her chest, hot and sticky and ready to blast from her lips. “Is this you ending this agreement?”

“No,” said Nathaniel heavily. “Not yet.”

“This is what you meant when you said you were going to see what you liked?” Arabella said, ignoring the astonished cries of Lord and Lady Cartier. “Did it ever occur to you, my lord, that I may be the one who does not like what I see?”

Nathaniel did turn at that, and Arabella found to her own disgust that she very much liked what she saw.

“It did not occur to me,” said Nathaniel lightly. “Something interesting for me to consider. Good night.”

Chapter Four

Arabella managed tofind her way back to her suite. Someone had turned down the bed, placed a bed warming pan in it, and gone through her trunk to find her nightgown and laid it out on the sheets.

She would put up with Lord Nathaniel Cartier for as long as she could, and then she would write to her father and ask—and demand that she return home immediately.