Page 54 of A Tenuous Betrothal
“Yes, the robbers were a menace. A man cannot picnic with a dear friend without being accosted.”
The others who had arrived with Lord Carmine grumbled, and conversation about highway robbers began as they moved away to a nearby table. Lord Carmine’s eyes remained on Marc until they sat.
“Well, he’s serious; that’s good news, right?” Marc turned to his brothers.
“How can you say that? She would not be happy with such a man,” Henri all but huffed.
“How canyousay that? All men behave like idiots with other men. In front of her, he’s a regular gentleman.”
Kristoff shook his head. “Are you hearing yourself?”
“Yes, of course I’m hearing myself. The fact is I was there, in a dangerous situation, and you weren’t. I didn’t hear them until it was almost too late. I was wholly unprepared—and scared, shaking, Brothers. She’s under my skin in a dangerous way, for the both of us. I can’t do my job with the woman I love in my life.” He stilled, realizing what he’d just admitted.
“So you do love her.” Kristoff nodded.
Henri frowned. “Does she love you?”
“She trusts me. Beyond that, I think her heart is still free. It’s time to get it engaged to someone else.” He glared at Lord Carmine. “Someone worthy.”
Chapter Nineteen
Rhi sat at a smalltable in the tearoom off Hyde Park. Sophie sat at her left. They’d gone for a walk and then stepped inside for a quick refreshment. Another woman had joined them, Lady Annabeth. And Rhi could only wish they’d just kept walking. The woman did not stop talking, and she had yet to say something kind.
“And then, of course, you could tell from the state of her dress that she would be one ofthosewomen. You can’t expect everyone to marry their first Season.” Lady Annabeth sipped her tea.
“Too true.” Sophie’s responses were getting shorter as the time went on, but Lady Annabeth did not seem inclined to pause.
“How many Seasons have you had?” Rhi wondered if the woman had special circumstances and had waited to have her first Season as well. She seemed to be Rhi’s age or older.
But the question did not go down well. Lady Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “I am particular. I cannot marry the first three to come asking, can I?” She sniffed. “And not all of us have large wagers or close relationships with princes to help us find a match.”
Rhi laughed, assuming the woman to be making an odd joke, but Lady Annabeth didn’t join in the laughter. Her gaze was oddly accusing.
“Are you serious? Who has a large wager?” A cold pit grew in Rhi’s stomach.
Lady Annabeth looked from Sophie to Rhi and back. “You don’t know? The whole of thetonknows and you don’t?” She tsked and shook her head, then adjusted her skirts until Rhi was about to shake her.
“What don’t I know?”
Lady Annabeth let out the smallest sigh, and then, with a wicked smirk on her face, she shrugged. “I don’t know if I’m the one who should tell you, but I suppose you should know. I would want to know if I were the most talked of debutante in all of London. The wagers are totaling at nearly eighty thousand pounds.”
Rhi’s throat constricted. “What is the bet?”
Lady Annabeth leaned forward. “That Lord Carmine will be able to win your hand in three weeks’ time. He boasts he can and claims he is well on his way.”
Sophie’s face had gone white. Rhi had no idea how she herself appeared, but she felt... dirty. Cheap. Even with so high a sum, knowing her worth was tied to a price made her feel like she was worth nothing at all. And this price felt very different from a dowry or a typical marriage settlement. This price felt like a sale. She stood. “Thank you for telling me. The Londontonshould know I am not for sale, in case you’re talking to anyone else about it.”
Sophie stood with her, and the two left a smug Lady Annabeth sitting alone at the table.
Rhi’s heart raced and her breathing kept pace. “Did you know? Of course you didn’t.”
Her friend shook her head. “I don’t even know how to respond to something like this. Men are betting about whether or not you will agree to marry Lord Carmine? I’m at a loss. I know things like this happen. I suppose they happen all the time. The men are always wagering this or that, but to bet on a woman’s hand...” She rested a hand on her stomach. “I feel ill.”
“I might be ill as well,” Rhi said. She was not able to speak for her anger.
They clung to each other, hurrying home. Rhi’s other hand clenched at her skirts, her knuckles white with the tightness of her grip. Every eye that glanced in their direction was now a new suspect. Had each of them also placed an amount on the wager? Were they watching and waiting to see whether Rhi would be won?
“I’m so sorry. What a thing to happen. First the robbers and now this.” Sophie squeezed her closer. “We need to go straight to the library, wrap ourselves in blankets, and ask for some of Cook’s best cake, chocolate, and whatever else we feel like eating. I feel strangely attracted to meat pie at the moment.” She shook her head. “And we shall read gothic romances until it is too late to think straight.”
