Page 68 of Regency Whispers: Scandalous Matches

‘I do not know the woman well. I came across her a few times whilst her husband was still alive. She’s beautiful and I assume she is used to getting the things she wants.’

‘Undoubtedly.’

‘And she couldn’t have you.’

They both remained silent for a minute. Tom had regretted the decision to take Mrs Burghley to the theatre ever since that fateful night.

‘What has she said?’

‘She has told everyone that after your trip to the theatre she accompanied you and Miss Ashworth to a friend’s house. Whilst there, you and Miss Ashworth sneaked off into the garden and she found you entwined and kissing in the darkness.’

Tom let his head fall into his hands. It was a very accurate retelling of what had happened. She hadn’t embellished it at all, which made it all the more plausible.

‘She hasn’t said who the friends were, although I assume it was Lucy and her husband.’

Tom nodded. At least they hadn’t been pulled into it, branded as a couple with loose morals.

‘It could be a disaster,’ Lady Mountjoy said. ‘If you refused to marry Jane—but I think you will do the right thing.’

‘Of course,’ he said stiffly.

‘A quick wedding, and a show of being together in wedded bliss, and the ton will soon find something else to gossip about. In a couple of months, no one will even remember the circumstances of your marriage.’ She scrutinised him for a moment. ‘You do not look convinced.’

‘Of course I will marry Miss Ashworth,’ Tom said slowly. ‘I respect her too much to do anything else. I got us into this mess, and I will do the right thing and get us out of it.’

‘That sounds an awful lot of duty and not much romance,’ Lady Mountjoy said with a sigh. ‘I know you care for her.’

Tom remembered all the times Jane had swooped in and helped him with Edward. He remembered the quiet, unassuming way she listened to him and made him laugh when he didn’t think there was anything to laugh about. The way she’d looked at him before they had kissed and the way he had felt that irresistible pull towards her, that need to be with her.

‘I care for her, but I cannot offer her the sort of marriage she wants. She will have my name as protection, she will have a comfortable lifestyle. She will want for nothing material.’

‘What about affection?’

He sucked in a raspy breath. Of course he cared for her, but he couldn’t offer her love. If their arrangement was more practical, it would be easier to keep the boundaries that kept her safe. He couldn’t trust himself always to put her needs first—he had shown he couldn’t be trusted when he had abandoned his sister. He would be better able to protect Jane if she knew the limits of their marriage.

‘I cannot offer her love,’ he said, supressing the part of him that was shouting protestations inside his head.

Lady Mountjoy smoothed her skirts. ‘I do not pretend to be able to read minds, but I think I can see when one person cares for another, and you care for Jane.’

‘That is why I cannot risk her heart,’ Tom said softly. ‘This way will be better. She will be my wife in name, and free to pursue whatever path she wants without me tying her down.’ He shrugged, trying to brush off the weight that was pressing down on him, trying to suffocate him. ‘We will both benefit. I will gain a mother figure for Edward, and she will avoid the scandal of the gossip that is circulating.’

‘I do not believe your true feelings are so practical, Tom.’

He shook his head, refusing to let out the storm of emotion building inside him. It was better this way, better for both of them. There was no way of avoiding the marriage, but he could still protect Jane.

Jane was pacing up and down when Lucy knocked on the door and entered immediately.

‘You look frantic, Jane,’ Lucy said, catching her by the arms and forcing her to stop moving for a second. ‘Take some deep breaths.’

Slowly Jane obeyed, feeling some of the nervous tension flow from her.

‘This is a nightmare,’ she said, clutching hold of Lucy and looking at her imploringly, as if there was something her friend could do to stop it.

‘I agree it is hardly ideal,’ Lucy said slowly. ‘But is it really a nightmare?’

Jane looked at her as if she had grown a second head. ‘Yes.’

‘A scandal is not what any of us want, but all it really does is speed things along.’