“Wait. We need to talk. May I speak with your father?”
“What?”
“To ask him for permission to court you,” he clarified.
The words, so unexpected, had the power to make her senses snap to attention. He wanted to speak to her father? Oh, that’s right, because he didn’t know she was already his fiancée.
She frowned. He didn’t know she was his fiancée, and yet he had kissed her. Expressed intention to court her. Did that mean that this engagement meant so little to him? That he was willing to throw her over for a mysterious lady he found in the garden? How was it possible to be hurt and flattered at the same time?
A nervous chuckle burst out at the absurdity of her feelings. Maybe she shouldn’t have hidden her identity. He might be furious when he found out. Or not. He was the kind who couldappreciate a joke. One of his haughty brows rose at her chuckle, reminding her that, while good natured, he was not someone to trifle with and she had not answered his request.
“There’s no need to do that,” she replied.
That was the wrong thing to say, obviously, and earned her a frown.
“Oh? You refuse my courtship after kissing me senseless?”
“No. That’s not what I meant. You’ll see. All will be made clear when we are introduced later tonight.”
She scrambled to get off his lap, and he helped her stand, but then held on to her hand.
“Are you not free?”
All traces of the playful lover had vanished, and she got a glimpse of the steel underneath his charm. His eyes flashed with green fire.
“I am.”
Relief washed through his features. “Then when will I see you again? Who is your family? I must know, my Titania. The time for games is past. Tell me your real name.”
“You will see me again soon enough,” she said, evading him and skipping toward one of the maze tunnels. “At dinner tonight. And then my identity will be revealed and you’ll see why there’s no need to talk to my father.”
CHAPTER 4
The“intimatefamilydinner”his mother promised turned out to be a grand affair that included over twenty people. And the most aggravating fact was that “Titania” was not among the guests yet. It irked him that the made-up name was the only one he had to call her. Had she been able to get out of the maze safely? What if she was lost…? No, that was unlikely. He had searched the maze before exiting and had found no trace of her.
What if she didn’t appear? How would he ever search for her if he didn’t know the first thing about her? Well… that was not true. He knew her eyes sparkled with laughter and mischief. And that she crafted complex scents designed to fit the wearer. He knew her blushes indicated she was a bit bashful, but the way she had flirted and challenged him belied a bold spirit. And the way she had kissed him? She had been a creature of passion and fire in his arms.
He cleared his throat and took a sip of sherry, his face scrunching up as the sweet tanginess of the wine hit his palate. Sherry was not his preferred drink.
He had to stop thinking about that kiss or risk getting an erection in the middle of his mother’s drawing room. He looked around again. Was she really one of the guests? He should have insisted on her real name. What an idiot he was. He had finally found a lady worth wooing, and he had immediately misplaced her.
He kept replaying her words in his mind, attempting to decipher their meaning, but it was useless. He was about to approach his mother to inquire about the guest list and whether it included a young blonde beauty when his brother waylaid him.
“Good evening, Michael. Father tells me you are finally willing to settle down and take a wife.”
Michael barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Of course his father would have shared that bit of news with his brother. He had merely told his father he might have found a lady he wished to court. In part because he was still riding high on emotion after the encounter in the garden, and in part to get the duke off his back. But instead, the old codger had taken up the cause with enthusiasm.
“I may have found a lady I wish to pursue. But talk of marriage is premature. In any case, my betrothal is not the topic of the moment. Yours is. When are we going to meet your esteemed bride-to-be?”
“You will probably meet her at the same time as me. Whenever she deigns to appear.”
Michael turned to his brother in shock. “You mean to tell me you haven’t met the woman you intend to marry?”
“I have not. And it doesn’t matter. It’s an arranged marriage.”
“But, Henry, you are going to have to live with this woman. You’ll be tied to her for the rest of your lives. What if you don’t suit?”
“That’s what mistresses are for.” At his look of incredulity, his brother, the arrogant arse, simply shrugged. “What? It’s the way for people of our class. Wives are for begetting heirs, securing the lineage, and building alliances. Mistresses are for fun and warmth. I expect that after producing an heir and a spare, we’ll go our separate ways.”
