Behind her, Kit let out a low growl. “Is this some kind of prank?”
Lord Thaddeus spread his arms wide, looking from Kit to Mrs. Dove-Lyon. “I am only requesting two weeks. Two weeks for us to get acquainted. Two weeks for it to appear like a normal courtship.”
Two weeks to figure out why I want to marry in a hurry.
“Absolutely not. I will not—”
“Sign it.”
Silence settled between them, and Kit stepped forward, facing her. “Mary—”
“Sign it.” She tried to keep her voice firm, a deep fury building within her. To be so out of control, so responsible for... everything. Time for it to be over. “It is a fair request.”
Kit’s eyes glistened, the muscles in his jaws tightening. “Mary, he could back—”
She leaned forward and whispered, her words harsh. “Sign it. Sign the contract. Sign the amendment. Pay Mrs. Dove-Lyon her fee and his debt. If he reneges, he will owe it to you. That’s already in the agreement, is it not?” She glanced at Mrs. Dove-Lyon.
“It is.”
“Then let us be done with this.”
Kit shook his head. “I do not think—”
Mary’s rage flooded over. “Stop!” She stood, facing her brother. “Since our father died, you have seen me humiliatedat every turn. By that vicar, by your abandonment, by Mother—who has now left us to our own devices—by everything that’s happened, and now I’m a burden to you, keeping you from pursuing your place in government, ‘oh, I cannot do that, I have my sister, I cannot, she needs her season, needs to find a hus—’” She threw her reticule at him, which he caught in a clumsy grasp. “Enough! We have our solution!Bloody sign it!”
Thad stared atMary, astonishment freezing him in place. The fire in her words, which had started with a smolder in those deep-brown eyes, had emerged into a volcanic declaration that seemed to release months of frustration and anguish.
Pain.
The pain of being ignored, of being thought less than worthy, of being thought a burden. An afterthought to everyone else’s life. A pain Thad felt deep in his soul.
In the rigid silence that followed, he stood, reminding himself that a gentleman always stood when a lady did. He then reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out his copy of the original agreement, turned to the signature page, and smoothed it flat on the desk. “Madam, do you...” He gestured at the contract.
Mrs. Dove-Lyon, who continued to study Lady Mary, nodded, then pulled from the bottom drawer of her desk a narrow tray holding an inkbottle and two sharpened quills. Thad reached for a quill, flipped open the top on the bottle, and sketched his name at the bottom of both papers. Then he straightened and faced the lady who had inadvertently sparked something buried inside his heart. His perfect angel had become a magnificent warrior.
The duke and his sister continued to glare at each other. Lady Mary’s fists, clenched at her side, trembled, and her brother’s face had paled except for two spots of red high on his cheekbones.
Thad cleared his throat. “Beg pardon, Your Grace, but may I call on Lady Mary this afternoon at three?”
They both snapped toward him, and Lady Mary blinked first. “What did you say?”
Thad sniffed and straightened his shoulders. “May I call at three, or is that too early?”
She blinked as if emerging from sleep. “I—I do not—” She turned to her brother.
After a moment, the duke muttered, “Oh, bloody hell,” and gestured for the quill. Mrs. Dove-Lyon passed it to him, and he made quick work of signing both pages. He straightened, then looked from Thad to Mary. “Three should be suitable.”
Thad bowed to them, then to the Lyon. “Three it is, then.”
He left the room, squelching a cry of exhilaration until he had exited the club and taken several long strides down the pavement.
That fire!
Those curves . . .
Thad’s steps slowed as his mind lingered on Lady Mary’s sensuous form, with her high, rounded breasts, and hips that could bring a man pleasure for years. He had a sudden image of what it would be like to release her hair from its bonds, to let his fingers drift through the soft strands. What a surprise she had been to his resignation regarding this agreement.
He could not wait to know more.
