Page 52 of Tempted By the English Marquis
While he stared at those very same lips, his mind was begging her to take those terrible words back. To laugh it off as a jest. To promise him it wasn’t true.
Silence settled all around them. Even the ever-effusive Augusta held her tongue. When his sister moved past them and made her way out into the main arena, Gideon gave silent thanks for her discretion.
“When is the betrothal to be officially announced?” he asked.
She gave a sigh so sad and deep, it struck at his soul. “Donna Francesca has arranged for me to have a fitting for a new gown tomorrow. My mother informed me that the formal ceremony is set for early next week. That will be when the marriage contracts are signed. I shall receive a gold ring, and then the betrothal will be sealed with a kiss.”
It was dangerous to even think such a thing, but Gideon’s heart was determined to have its way. “And what if you change your mind? If you decided after the ceremony that you didn’t wish to marry this gentleman. What then?”
Serafina withdrew her arm from his and took a step back. Her posture shifted and a hardness came over her as she straightened her spine. “There is no changing of minds. What I want does not figure in this matter. My father has settled on this union, and I am compelled to go through with it. For his sake and for my family’s honor. Once the ceremony is complete, I am as good as married.”
Serafina followed Augusta out into the Roman sunshine, leaving Gideon to ponder the question of what he was going to do. It had been less than a day since they had been reacquainted with one another, and before that had lain a year and a half of near silence. The only communication they’d had was when he’d added a short note at the bottom of Augusta’s letters or when Serafina had made kind mention of him in her missives.
She had asked him for this day, and despite his reservations about what her mother would make of it, Gideon was determined that Serafina would have her wish.
But what if he could offer her more days like this? Give her a life that wasn’t entirely set in stone? One where she did have choices?
You would have to be the one brave enough to make the first move. To give her the strength to stand against her father. To be there when the bill for such defiance falls due.
Gideon tracked after the two girls, his heart and mind full of renewed purpose. He would give Serafina every day between now and the betrothal ceremony. And when the time came for her to say no, he would be standing right alongside her.
I will not have you marry another man.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
As soon as she reached the walkway which separated the seated tiers of the Colosseum, Serafina began to search for Augusta. There was no sign of her friend.
It was only when she moved farther around, passing between the circle of archways and what had once been the lower tier of seating for Rome’s elite, that she finally came upon her quarry. Augusta was seated on the ground, back against a stone upright, her head resting on her knees.
“Are you alright?” asked Serafina, racing to her side. Had her friend taken a tumble on the rubble-strewth path? There were rocks and broken pieces of ancient brickwork scattered about the place. Added to that was the light covering of moss in many parts of the Colosseum, something which served to make walking a slippery and dangerous pursuit at the best of times.
Augusta nodded. “Yes, I am perfectly alright. I just need to sit for a bit. These boots are killing my feet. You and Gideon can go on ahead without me. It’s not like it is my first time here.”
Serafina glanced at the clearly worn in leather boots which Augusta wore and frowned. She could have sworn those were the same boots which had made it all the way across to Saint Peter’s Basilica and around the streets of Rome only yesterday.
The crunch of boots on the stone path signaled Gideon’s arrival. He bent and placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Are you hurt? Should I carry you home?”
Augusta patted his hand. “As I have just told Serafina, I am fine. My boots are rubbing the back of my ankle just a little. I am going to sit here, enjoy the sunshine, and wait while the two of you go and explore this wonderful place.”
Her words brooked no argument. Gideon rose to his full height. “Promise you will stay here and wait for us?” He turned his back to them, taking in the arena. “There doesn’t appear to be many visitors here this morning, so you should be alright. But if you need me, just call out.”
Augusta grumbled and Serafina stifled a laugh. “Anyone might wonder how I could have possibly survived the past six months in Rome without the protection of my overbearing brother.”
Gideon spun on his heel and pointed a finger at his sister. “I see that your travels have not cured you of your impertinent nature, Lady Augusta Kembal.”
He was grinning as he spoke, waving away Augusta’s huff of feigned outrage with a flick of his hand. But as he turned, Serafina caught the sudden change in his countenance.
* * *
Leaving Augusta and her ailing feet to their own devices, Serafina ushered Gideon back along the walkway in the opposite direction. She had good reasons for doing this; it not only put distance between them and the young Englishwoman, but it also took them out of sight of her bodyguards.
“I’m sorry about Augusta. I’m not sure what she is playing at,” she said.
Gideon gave a grim-faced nod in response. “I have my suspicions. And I don’t expect either of us appreciates what she is doing. Or the price it might cost us.”
The faint hope that Gideon might want her for more than just a friend died in that moment. Augusta was playing Cupid, and he was embarrassed by his sister’s behavior.
Hot tears pricked at her eyes. “Your sister is so sweet; please don’t be angry with her. She means well,” whispered Serafina.
