He made himself comfortable and looked up at her. “It is precisely because we were in a public room, my dear. Anyone was free to see you approach me with no hesitation, and lead me immediately into a private conversation. Wicked minds need little encouragement to draw the worst and most damaging conclusions even from innocent behavior.” He stopped and stared at her for a moment. “You know, when I came into this room and saw you against the backdrop of the fire, I certainly wondered why you were not married. No doubt I will discover the reason soon enough.”
He was smiling at her! Was he teasing her? She could not tell.
“And since calling you madam seems to offend you, despite the politeness with which I have offered it, I will remind you that I actually have no idea what your name is. Should you grace me with that information, I will be able to address you as such.”
She smiled at him. “Grace, my lord.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“My name is Grace, Lady Grace.” She spoke each word slowly.
He looked at her in the oddest fashion and then they both burst into laughter, letting go of the tension that surrounded them.
“My lord,” she said, trying once again to look severe, “this is getting us nowhere. We must consider how to go on. And we must be quiet about it. As you now know, these walls are very thin and the entire inn could hear our conversation.”
He had a wicked glint in his eyes as he asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Grace Endicott and I am taking my sister to London for her presentation this Season.”
“Endicott?” he asked. “Where do I know that name? Who are your parents?”
“My mother passed away some time ago. My father is Robert Endicott, Lord Pennington.” She was surprised when Lord Weston covered his eyes with his hands and began to shake his head.
She jumped when he growled, “Great guns! I have compromised the daughter of an earl!”
“Do not be absurd! You have compromised no one. Just tell me how we may extricate ourselves from this and we need never see each other again.”
He looked at her in a peculiar way. She stood still as he rose and came to stand before her. “Never see each other again? I am afraid, Lady Grace, that far from never seeing me again, you will soon be my wife!”
He lifted her chin with his finger and turned his most dazzling smile on her. “I believe we will take London by storm.”
“My lord, are you never serious? Could you please speak sensibly for a few moments?” Her frustration was palpable, yet while they were far from being out of danger, he had to admit he was beginning to like her even though he had only known her this hour or more.
He was brought back to the subject at hand as she stood staring at him with her arms akimbo. “My apologies,” he said, falsely contrite. “Lord Pennington...the family seat is in Essex, is it not? He studies rare tapestries and something else I cannot think of at the moment.”
“Perhaps we will get to the problem at hand tomorrow!” she said nonchalantly. “You are the most frustrating man. Oh, what is the use? The estate is in Ware, more specifically, and my father is interested in artifacts, but his particular interest is suits of armor. My mother was the one who loved antique tapestries. They used to travel extensively, but he rarely leaves the estate anymore.” She bit her lip and he could almost hear her mind at work. He waited for the inevitable. “Do you know my father, sir?”
There! She was finally beginning to understand there was more to this situation than playacting. Their positions in Society meant that any news of an engagement between them could not be brushed aside or ignored. If he did not unravel this mess as soon as possible, they were all doomed to serious repercussions.
“Your father and I have never met, but we are members of the same club. I have read several papers he has published. I believe his last was on the Elgin Marbles.” He mumbled as an aside, “Will that debate never end?”
“Good,” she said, relieved. “If you do not know him, there should be no problem in that regard.”
He did not tell her that, on the contrary, it might complicate matters tremendously.
She began to pace and wring her hands again, a habit he now recognized as signaling her agitation. “I did not have time to formulate a particularly good plan.”
“Ah, I see understatement is your forte,” he said with a straight face.
“I only thought to keep an innocent man from being forced into marriage.” He could not restrain his laughter at her description of him. She continued in spite of it. “I can see now that I...misjudged the victim.”
“My dear woman, I wonder how you suppose I got to be the age of five and thirty and unwed without your help,” he said in wonder. “I have been avoiding scheming chits for the last fifteen years, and now I am in the basket because I had help! You must allow me a slight vexation.” His look dared her to deny him.
“Sir,” she began quietly, “you are the most insufferable man I have ever met!”
“We shall start a list, shall we? Each time you think of a new description of me, we will write it down and keep it handy.”
She put her head in her hands and groaned.
“I know! Stubborn might be the next one.”
“My lord,” she said through clenched teeth, with fists at her sides, “obviously, I misheard the part of the conversation that indicated you were such a catch! Indeed, that hordes of women are actually trying to marry you!”
He grinned. He believed he might have finally met a woman with whom he could match wits!
“My sole thought was to approach you before that woman could get you alone with her. I thought to explain what we had heard, and warn you to beware of her. How was I to know you go about kissing the hands of complete strangers?”
He sat back down and smiled.
She paced again. “Lydia warned me to leave well enough alone. Did I listen? No, and now I am talking to a madman.” She put up her hand to stop him from speaking. “No! Do not talk about a list. Just tell me why you said we were betrothed.” He noticed her blush as she remembered their very slight intimacy, and was again touched. She was a determined champion of chivalry one moment and a green girl the next. But he would be who he was...it was most entertaining.
He steepled his fingers and added, “I am afraid, my lady, that I did overstep my bounds with the kiss to your hands. I should have been more circumspect, especially with the knowledge that my actions were in plain view. And yet everything would be fine had Charlotte Marchmont not witnessed the scene. The Marchmonts have been on the Town for two or three Seasons. They are not only on the catch for a rich, titled husband for Lady Charlotte, they are also the biggest gossipmongers in all of London.
“The minute I realized she had witnessed our exchange in an out-of-the-way inn, I had no choice in the matter. I had compromised your reputation. So I indicated we were betrothed, for your protection.”
He stopped and looked into the fire pensively. “Hard to believe, I know, but even the rake in me could not hurt such a green girl.” He could not tell her the ramifications this day might cause. She’d thought she was helping him, but with one sentence, he may have jeopardized all he had worked for the previous two years.
Brandon’s wild escapades had been curbed considerably over that time, as his mentor gave his life real purpose. Lord Langdon had become more like a father to him than his own, and his lordship might withdraw his support and his voice in high places should Brandon