Page 20 of The Rake’s Convenient Bride

Indeed, the new arrivals were Jillian and Lucy.

Within minutes, the three women had joined Elizabeth and Hannah in the drawing room, a mixture of excitement, skepticism, and confusion evident on all their faces.

“If you’re happy, we’re happy,” Amy said cautiously.

Jillian studied Elizabeth. “Are you happy?”

An unexpected lump fisted in Elizabeth’s throat, blocking her from speaking as she readily shook her head.

Lucy’s eyes flashed. “What has he done?”

“Protected me from ruin,” Elizabeth confessed. “And he protected my family as well. All because of my clumsiness.”

The truth spilled from her, every awful detail, from how she’d exposed her leg to him in the study—which made Lucy snort with laughter—to how Lord Darington had played the effusive lover, while recounting the proposal that had never happened in an effort to salvage Elizabeth’s reputation—which made Amy sigh wistfully.

“How will you break off the engagement?” Hannah asked, her expression worried.

“I’m not certain.” Elizabeth looked down at her hands. “Surely people do not expect us to truly marry. Not with him being who he is.”

“He does have a reputation…” Lucy muttered.

Jillian spoke up. “What will you do if he doesn’t wish to break off the engagement?”

Elizabeth blinked. Of all the outlandish questions Jillian put forth to the group, this by far took the cake.

A flustered laugh escaped Elizabeth, high-pitched and half strangled. “Of course he will. He was backed into a corner. That is hardly the start of a joyful marriage.”

“You never know what might be the start of a joyful marriage.” Hannah settled her hands over the mound of her belly and smiled. “Like trying to find a suitor for your friend, only to realize you’d been meant for each other the entire time.”

“Your marriage to Lord Brighton is the stuff of novels,” Elizabeth protested. “And having read many novels and observed real life, I can assure you that what you have with Lord Brighton is extremely rare. But it’s also the marriage I want. Lord Darington is only engaged to me to salvage my reputation for my own clumsy follies. While kind, this is hardly the foundation for a great romance.”

Hannah opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the butler appeared in the drawing room once more. “Forgive me, my lady. But you have another visitor.”

Elizabeth straightened in spite of herself, for there was only one visitor who might come to call when all her friends were already in attendance.

The butler extended the salver once more with a card at its center, the name printed in a bold font. “A gentleman, my lady.”

Elizabeth picked up the card and her heart lurched in her chest. Lord Darington had come to call.

Hannah and Amy shared a look, brows raised in mirror of one another.

“Look at the time,” Hannah declared. “I must be getting home to…to have a cup of tea.” She grimaced at her poor excuse and offered a helpless shrug.

“I have a painting I must finish before the oils become too dry.” Jillian stood and pulled on her gloves.

“And I have a luncheon to prepare for,” Amy offered.

They all looked to Lucy who rolled her eyes. “And I have trouble to brew up somewhere.”

Jillian nudged her and they all shared a laugh.

“My experience was rare,” Hannah said as she passed Elizabeth, and finished in a whisper, “…but an unexpectedly happy union is not impossible.” She gave a cheeky grin and left, following the others out the door.

Before Elizabeth could even compose her thoughts, the butler entered once more with Grace in tow as he led Lord Darington into the room. Grace took a seat by the rear window, as far from Elizabeth and Lord Darington as was possible—all the privacy they might have until they wed.

If they were actually going to marry, that is.

Which, of course, they were not.