“You may,” Henrietta said, resting her hand on his arm.
Charles led her into the townhouse and Mr. Drew followed closely behind with an annoyed look on his face.
They stepped into the study, and her father said, “You are dismissed, Henrietta.”
“I think not,” she replied, slipping her hand off Charles’s sleeve. “If you are discussing my future, then I would like to be present.”
Her father frowned but eventually nodded his consent. “As you wish,” he replied, “but you will allow me to ask a few questions first.”
“I can agree to that,” Henrietta replied.
Her father glanced between the two men. “May I ask why you two were engaging in fisticuffs in my garden?”
Mr. Drew became very indignant. “I caught Lord Charles kissing Henrietta in the gardens.”
“Is this true?” her father demanded.
Charles didn’t look the least bit ashamed as he replied, “It is.”
Her father muttered something incoherent under his breath and sat down at his desk. “This is most disconcerting, especially given the circumstances.”
“Will you explain to Henrietta that she has no choice but to marry me?” Mr. Drew asked, giving her a smug look.
Her father was silent for a long moment before he turned his attention towards Charles. “What are your intentions towards my daughter?”
Mr. Drew scoffed, but Charles didn’t give it any heed. “I intend to marry your daughter, assuming she will have me.”
“This does complicate matters,” her father said.
Mr. Drew took a step closer to the desk. “It doesn’t matter what his intentions are, since we signed a contract.”
Her father held up a piece of paper and ripped it in half. “We did have a contract, but I have since changed my mind.”
“You can’t do that,” Mr. Drew blustered.
“I can, and I did,” her father declared. “I think it is only fair, since you used disreputable methods to try to trap my daughter into marriage.”
Mr. Drew glanced over at Henrietta with a wry smile on his lips. “She invited me into her bedchamber.”
“I did no such thing!” she exclaimed, barely refraining from stomping her foot in exasperation.
Her father rose from his chair and faced her cousin. “You are no longer welcome in my home,” he said. “Pack your things and leave at once.”
Mr. Drew’s eyes narrowed. “You cannot do this to me. We had a deal.”
“The deal is off,” her father said.
“This is far from over!” Mr. Drew raged. “You will regret this.”
“I don’t think I will.”
Mr. Drew turned his heated glare towards Henrietta. “I will do everything in my power to ensure you are ruined, and you will never be able to show your face in polite Society again.”
Charles moved closer to her. “Why would they listen to you?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “You are a nobody to them.”
Mr. Drew’s hands balled up into fists at his sides. “Do you think you are a better man than me?”
“I know I am,” Charles replied. “I have never had to sneak into a lady’s bedchamber to trap her into marrying me.”
