Still, he wasn’t without talents or resources. An old friend from India had already offered him a partnership in a lucrative trading venture. And opportunity abounded in American, now that the States had finished their bloody civil war.
All he need was an entrepreneurial spirit and a small stake to get started.
At the moment, however, he didn’t have the funds for a coach ride to the country, let alone fare for a passage to India or America. Besides, he’d spent the last twelve years aching to return home to England. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving so soon.
Marriage. There seemed to be no way around it.A marriage for money.
Restless, he stood and poured himself another drink. Basingstoke was right. He needed an immense dowry. He needed to find a woman so impressed by his war record and impeccable breeding she wouldn’t notice his complete lack of funds.
Though he hated the thought of spending the rest of his life with a woman he did not love, it seemed better than the alternative. He comforted himself with the thought that he could surely find a girl who was both rich and attractive, someone he might come to care for.
Once again, he was brought up short by the reminder that a courtship of that nature would take months to pull off. Months he didn’t have. At the moment, his largest concern was keeping a roof over his head.
He drained his glass, feeling the need to be far drunker that he was. Lost in thought, he poured another drink and carried it to the sofa as he pondered the humiliation of asking Michael or Basingstoke for a loan. Either one would give him the money he needed without question, but his entire soul rebelled at the thought.
Then, suddenly, the answer became clear.
The wager.
Of course. He needed to win the bet he’d made with Jonathan. Two hundred pounds would easily finance a lengthy search for a suitable bride.
What had begun as a mere challenge had become his only chance to save himself.
His conscience balked a bit at the thought of using the girl in such a manner, but he quieted the little voice. He didn’t plan to ruin her. It was just a couple of dances, which would do nothing but raise an eyebrow or two.
He needed to charm Lady Natalia Sinclair. Not an easy task but one he had yet to pursue wholeheartedly. He smiled, thinking of all the unused weapons in his arsenal.
He would put her icy reserve under siege. He would assault it from every side until he wore down her defenses.
She didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of resisting him.
Chapter Five
“Just one dance. That’s all I’m asking.”
Natalia sighed as she stared into Dylan Blake’s persuasive gray eyes. A little more than a week had passed since she’d first met him, and he had made her the target of a very heated campaign. Everywhere she went, he was there, charming and cajoling her into granting him a dance.
Tonight, they’d both attended a costume ball in prestigious St. James Square. She’d come garbed as Diana, the Huntress, but he’d had no trouble seeing beyond her disguise.
Of course, she’d also recognizedhim. Dressed as a desert sheik in flowing white robes, he wore a turban and a gold demi-mask.
Even disguised, he was the most handsome man in the room. She thought his appeal must lie in the confidence of his walk. Or perhaps his height and the ungentlemanly breadth of his shoulders made him stand out,
More likely, the sensual curve of his lips drew her. What woman could ever look at that mouth and think of anything but the way it would feel to have it pressed against hers?
She’d hoped her attraction to him would fade, but instead, it had intensified. So far, she’d managed to keep him at arm’s length, but that hadn’t been easy. Denying him the requested dances took every bit of willpower she possessed. The righteous anger he’d elicited upon their first meeting faded a little with each new encounter, and this dangerous need to deepen their relationship grew.
Heartbreak seemed as inevitable as the tide, yet for the first time in her life, she considered taking the risk.
Mustering the last of her self-will, she shook her head and gave him a rueful smile. “Why do you continue to plague me, Captain Blake? Hasn’t any woman ever told you no before?”
He made her feel reckless, able to speak her mind and flirt shamelessly, safe in the anonymity of her mask and the knowledge that their nearest observers were several yards away.
He laughed, a surprised, openly amused sound that sent heads turning in their direction. He flashed a charming grin, revealing a deep dimple in each lean cheek. “Never. I’m afraid I’m rather spoiled where women are concerned.”
“Then let me be the first.” Natalia delighted in the verbal sparring. “I will not dance with you. Not tonight. Not next week. Not a month from now. You might as well give up and quit asking.”
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, changing tactics. “Do you fear even a moment in my arms will prove to be too much temptation?”
