Page 40 of Gentlemen Prefer Heiresses
“I believe, Rex,” his mother said, “you’ve answered that question yourself. The why doesn’t matter, but the girl’s reputation is ruined and he will marry her.”
“No,” Andrew said forcefully, “I won’t.”
His mother looked at him as though she no longer recognized who he was. Disappointment filled her eyes as she slowly rose and walked over to him, her gaze scanning over his face as she searched for an answer she wasn’t going to find. Never in his life had the success of a good bluff mattered so much. He had to give the impression Gina meant nothing to him, that his words weren’t flaying his heart.
She stopped less than a yard away. “You compromised Gina.”
“She is still a virgin.”
“Do you think anyone is going to believe that when she was unmasked at that scandalous place? Why will you not marry her?”
“I may be the second son but I’m not going to be someone’s second choice. I’m not going to be the one for whom someone settled. Marrying me will not make her a countess, or a marchioness, or a future duchess. It won’t even give her the title of viscountess. She is in want of a title; she is deserving of one.”
“No peer is going to marry her now,” Rex said.
“I’ll make it right. I’ll speak with Somerdale. She fancies him. I’ll explain it was a prank or a dare. I’ll ensure he understands she is untouched.”
“And why would he marry her?” his father asked.
“Because he has squandered a good bit of his inheritance and will soon be in need of the funds marriage to Gina will provide.” And he was planning to ask for her hand anyway. She’d implied she would accept. Somerdale would need only a little nudging to look beyond the scandal.
“Does he love her?” his mother asked.
“I do not see how he cannot.”
“What were you thinking?”
Gina sat on the bed, in her nightdress, with her back pressed against a mound of pillows. The duchess had insisted she bathe and then the woman had brushed her hair soothingly. Which, unfortunately, had caused Gina to burst into tears, remembering all the times her mother had brushed her hair when she was younger, before her mother died, and Tillie had stepped into the maternal role. “I wanted to see it. I thought it would be an adventure. And I know that after I marry, I will have to be a good and proper wife and not do things I ought not.”
And she’d wickedly hoped that once there, Andrew would want to do more than just show her the place, that he would demonstrate exactly what transpired in the bedchambers there. She’d planned to seduce him, completely and thoroughly. She’d been well on her way to having that happen. His eyes had reflected such desire, such longing.
“I thought my scandal was bad,” Tillie said. “Yours will be so much worse if the rumors are not put to rest quickly. A hasty marriage is called for. Andrew will need to get a special license—”
“I’m not marrying him.”
Tillie looked at her as though she’d gone mad. “Sweeting, you don’t have a choice. No one is going to believe you are still an innocent.”
“He has no wish to marry. He’s made that abundantly clear, and while I don’t agree with his reasoning, I must respect his decision. I will not force him to marry me, nor will I allow you or anyone else to force him. He would resent it, and in time he would come to hate me.”
Tillie sat on the edge of her bed and took her hands, squeezed. “Gina, you’ll not be welcomed into homes. Everyone will give you a cut direct. I’ve lived with that sort of ostracism. It is not pleasant, dear sister. Even when you know you are in the right, it can hurt unbearably.”
“Then perhaps I shall return to New York.”
“I thought you loved England.”
“I do, but I have no fondness for being the object of scandal. On the other hand, neither do I relish the thought of being chased away. I’m not certain what I’ll do yet, but I do know I shan’t marry Andrew.”
“On the one hand, I think you’re being very admirable. On the other, very foolish. Life for you is going to be quite unpleasant, no matter how much I try to shield you.”
“You don’t have to shield me, Tillie. It was my idea to go there. I’m fully capable of facing the repercussions on my own.”
Her sister gave her a sad smile. “When the deuce did you grow up?”
Somewhere between a brothel and a house for assignations. Although she wasn’t certain she’d matured as much as she’d fallen in love.
Chapter 13
“Will you honor me by becoming my wife?”
