Page 63 of An Arranged Betrothal with a Rogue

The tension in the carriage as it conveyed Andrew and his mother to Cresingdale Manor was all but suffocating. The dowager baroness had, very reluctantly, agreed to attend his engagement ball. Andrew was sure it was only for the sake of appearances. If she didn’t attend, she knew thetonwould surely gossip about it. But she had not said a word since the carriage pulled away from their home.

Just as Andrew was beginning to think his mother had suddenly become a mute, she spoke curtly.

“I am only attending because I must,” she said, confirming his suspicions. “Do not take this as a sign of acceptance ofthat woman. I will never accept her as part of my family.”

Andrew rolled his eyes.

“You have said all this, Mother,” he said. “Could you please at least try not to make tonight utterly miserable?”

The baroness shook her head.

“I shall keep up appearances,” she said. “Nothing more.”

Andrew sighed. He supposed that was as much as he could expect from her. Still, he had hoped she would learn to come to terms with his choice of bride.

He knew about Rowena’s supposed spinster status, and his mother had explained to him the scandal from years before that followed his bride-to-be. But why should being jilted by some bounder sully Rowena’s name? It was grossly unfair in his book. And he just couldn’t fathom why it mattered so much to his mother. He was getting married, and he was growing increasingly angry that she wouldn’t be satisfied with that.

When they reached Cresingdale Manor, Andrew was happy to escape the tense atmosphere in the carriage. He helped his mother alight, then practically dragged her up to the door of the mansion, where the butler waited. The man led them inside, and Andrew silently led Lady Elsbrook to the drawing room to wait with the other guests, turning away wordlessly as he went to wait at the bottom of the grand staircase for his fiancée to be ready. If his mother intended to behave coldly toward him that evening, he would return the favor. Appearances meant much less to him than they did to Her Ladyship.

Determined to not ruin the evening for either himself or Rowena, Andrew forced himself to take a few deep breaths and relax. He pushed back his own doubts about the marriage and his mother’s attitude to the back of his mind.

Even if he did feel as though he should call off the wedding, it was too late. The night of their engagement ball was upon them, and the banns would be read for the last time the following day. Andrew knew that he and Rowena got on well, even though he struggled to ignore his feelings for her. He had to believe that they could make a tolerable marriage with what they had.

But when Rowena stepped into view and began her descent down the stairs, accompanied by her maid, Andrew had to catch his breath. All notions of ignoring his feelings for her vanished as he stared at her in her lovely blue ballgown. Long, loose tresses of her dark hair shone like silk in the candlelight from the chandelier above them.

As she drew closer, Andrew could smell her lavender perfume. His knees became weak, and he had to place a hand on the railing to keep his balance. By the time his fiancée reached him, his heart was trying to take flight and burst through his chest, and his head was swimming with the intoxication of Rowena’s presence.

“Good evening, Andrew,” she said softly, her cheeks turning pink.

Too tongue tied to speak right away, Andrew gently took one of her gloved hands and planted a soft kiss along her knuckles. A fresh wave of lavender washed over him, and he drew in a sharp breath. He reluctantly released her hand and gave her a silly grin.

“Good evening, Rowena,” he said, struggling to catch his breath. “You look so beautiful.”

His fiancée blushed furiously, but a big smile spread across her face. She looked up at him bashfully through her lashes.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “And you look rather dashing in your midnight-blue suit.”

Only in that moment did he realize that they, once again, had managed to coordinate their outfits by sheer accident. He also realized that he, too, was blushing from the sincerity of her compliment. He had to force himself not to look away as he linked arms with her.

“You are too kind,” he said humbly. “Are you ready for me to escort you into dinner?”

Rowena glanced toward the hallway, clearly noticing, as he had, that the guests were making their way to the main dining hall. She looked back at him and nodded, still blushing.

“Certainly, my lord,” she said.

Andrew dipped his head and began walking toward the line of guests. He kept his pace slow, telling himself that it was so that the rest of the guests could go on to the dining hall ahead of them. In truth, however, he simply wanted to stare at Rowena for a few moments longer before their guests and the party pulled his attention away from her.

She didn’t seem to mind walking slowly, glancing up at him shyly and then looking away again. He had told her she was beautiful, and he had meant it. But what he had wanted to say was that she was the most beautiful woman in all of London. Because, to him, she was.

They entered the dining hall just as their guests had finished filing in. To his surprise, and to Rowena’s apparent relief, they were greeted warmly, with everyone bestowing kind words of congratulations on their upcoming nuptials.

No one would ever know that, just several days prior, people of thetonhad been staring at them as though they were oddities in the window of a curio shop. Now, it seemed that kindness was being offered by all the party guests. All, that was, except for Lady Elsbrook, who stood frowning and staring straight ahead, clearly refusing to acknowledge her son and his bride-to-be.

Once everyone was seated, the first course of the meal was served. Lady Cresingdale rose, smiling at her guests, settling on Rowena last, gazing at her with deep affection.

“I am so happy that you could all attend the engagement ball in honor of the marriage of my dear sister, Rowena, and Lord Elsbrook. I would like to formally welcome you all to my home. I sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful evening.”

All the guests applauded, then began dining. Andrew noticed with relieved pride that the women who sat to the right and front of Rowena both began complimenting her on her beautiful dress. He could not recall the women’s names, but he was sure they had been amongst those who had looked so scornfully at the couple over the past few weeks.

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