Page 12 of The Seduction of an English Scoundrel

“Lord Sedgecroft, if this is not a seduction,” she said, in as polite a tone as possible, “then precisely what is it? Another personal apology from your family?”

“That. And more.” He raised her hands to his chin, his smile warm and more than a little naughty. “It is a proposition.”

“A proposition.”

“No. Not what you are thinking. I understand how you feel after the humiliation you suffered today. Never have I felt more embarrassed by my family.” Never in truth, had he actually paid much notice to the sins the other members of his family were committing. He had heretofore been too busy sinning himself.

“Let me be blunt, Jane.”

“I’m afraid I cannot stop you.”

“A woman in your unfortunate position is in danger of becoming a pariah. It would take a man of character to marry you today. A man strong enough to ignore the opinions of others. I am not saying that such a man does not exist, but they are few and far between.”

Her cheeks flushed pink with annoyance. He had just described the man of her dreams, the man she would probably never find in the shallow waters of Society. She wondered if he even existed, or if she would die of loneliness waiting for him to appear. “Well, it was hardly all my fault.”

“Exactly. Which is why you should not be punished, and why I intend to court you, ostensibly, that is, to prove to the world you are still a desirable, eligible female.”

Jane was rendered speechless. What a cruel, unanticipated coil. Of course, she had foreseen a spell of social ostracism after being jilted today. She had expected to be mocked, to be pitied, to be ignored for quite some time.

But that a notorious scoundrel like Sedgecroft would take up her cause? That this indecently handsome man would sponsor her return to the marriage mart she had schemed to escape? It was the last thing in the world she’d imagined. It was both horribly conceited and endearing of him to suggest such a thing. To offer to protect her from the results of her own machinations. How did one react?

“I realize this is a shock.” His blue eyes teased her. “Do you find me too unattractive for our ‘courtship’?”

Oh, he had no idea. She found him so devastatingly attractive she could barely think straight. Which in Jane’s point of view did present a problem. “Well, you are rather, well—”

“More experienced than you?”

“Among other things,” she murmured.

He edged closer to her, squeezing her hands in encouragement. “My experience will only prove to your advantage.”

“Why do I doubt that statement?”

“I know all the games of love that are played in our world, Jane,” he said, gazing into her eyes.

“I’m sure you do.”

“If Nigel does not return to make this situation right, I will help you find another young man who will. I shall investigate him personally before giving him my approval.” He winked at her, affecting a friendly tone. “The personal Boscastle seal, hmm?”

The very last thing she wanted, another matchmaker to bedevil her life. She cleared her throat, searching for words to thwart this undesirable conspiracy. “This is too kind of you, but—”

His beautifully molded mouth curved into another beguiling smile. “My reasons are not entirely unselfish. I am doing this to set an example for my family. God knows it is time that at least one Boscastle behave in a mature fashion.” He paused, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Of course I never thought it would be me.”

Her mind began to reel. What had she gotten herself into? Courted . . . by Sedgecroft. Well, it would be just a game to him, a plan to whip his unruly brood into a semblance of order, but she was not sure her emotions could take . . . this much man. She would perish of heart palpitations after an evening in his presence, and the problems that might arise did not bear predicting.

For a dangerous moment she considered confessing everything to him. But that would mean breaking a Bible vow to Nigel, probably ruining Nigel’s life. His parents would try to force him to have his marriage declared invalid. His new wife would be disgraced, as would the child she was carrying. Her own parents would disown her for disgracing them. She, Jane, who had hatched this plot with the best of intentions, would be made to feel very wicked indeed, her sins exposed to a merciless world. Who would understand her desire to carve out her own destiny?

“Lord Sedgecroft—”

“Oh, come now, Jane. Don’t frown at me like a governess. This will be fun. Whether you realize it or not, you are a very lovely woman.”

“Am I?”

“Oh, yes.”

She sighed. The man lived and breathed seduction without even being aware of it. He probably flirted in his sleep, and he was good at it, too. Just sitting beside him made her feel shivery and weak in the knees. Weak in the brain, too. Why couldn’t she come up with a plausible excuse to refuse his offer? No one would believe that she had attracted a man like the marquess.

“I believe . . . the truth is, I am too shy to pull this sort of thing off in a convincing way.”