Page 24 of London Dynasty

“It’s different,” I murmured.

“Different?” he repeated. “You don’t like it? It’s considered a beautiful specimen by most people who see it.”

“Different can mean beautiful. I think it would be a disservice to dismiss it with such a general term as beautiful, though. Don’t you think?” I asked.

There was a pause, and I wondered if I’d screwed up again. Obviously, I’d done something that had upset him or he wouldn’t have delayed announcing our engagement. When he finally spoke, his words were thick with meaning. “You aren’t what I expected.”

“Is that why you’re having second thoughts?” I studied the leaf more closely, suddenly finding myself intensely interested in the nearby plants. I couldn’t bring myself to face him. I was afraid that away from the glittering lights and distractions of the soiree, he would see right through me.

“I saw your father drag you off. I thought I should come and explain myself.” He reached out and took my hand. “It’s not second thoughts.”

“But you don’t want to marry me,” I pressed. I needed to understand why. That was the only one I could fix.

“Do you want to marry me?” He tugged gently on my hand, urging me around to finally look at him.

The darkness cast shadows across his handsome face, making it impossible to read anything in his eyes. He had a drink in his hand and the heat of bourbon warmed his breath. I could smell it lingering on him. He was going to keep asking questions instead of answering mine, thus making it impossible for me to decide what the right answer was. That only left me one choice: honesty. “I don’t know.”

Well, as honest as I could be. If I were Kerrigan, I wouldn’t be sure, even if I had committed to the arrangement. Isn’t that why she had run away?

“Exactly,” Spencer said. I gawked at him for a second before composing myself. “How can we know?”

“But you agreed to this,” I pointed out.

“So did you,” he said.

“What changed?” I asked. “Was it yesterday?”

Even in the dimness, I spotted his confusion. “Yesterday.”

I swallowed, feeling an anxious lump forming in my throat. “At Hillgrove’s when I accidentally...you know…”

“I’m sorry I have no idea what you’re talking about, Kerrigan. I had business in the city all day.”

“You had a lunch,” I stammered, wondering if I was losing my mind. “I was there with my stepmother and your mum and sister. You sent champagne. The note?”

I couldn’t bring myself to raise the issue of what had happened in the loo. If I’d dreamed up the whole experience, the last thing I wanted was to confess that I’d had some sort of waking fantasy about getting off while he fucked another woman.

“Hillgrove’s?” He snorted, shaking his head. “That bastard.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I was in the city, but trust Holden to be in the right place at the wrong time. My brother conveniently forgot to mention seeing you,” Spencer said. “Mother might have mentioned it, though. I’ll have a word with her.”

I closed my eyes, trying to fit together all the puzzle pieces he’d just handed me with what Giles had told me about my fake fiancé. “Holden? Your brother? But why did he send me a note?”

“That is a very good question,” Spencer admitted, studying my face. “You must have caught his attention.”

I was suddenly grateful for the lack of light so that he couldn’t see me blush. I felt my cheeks heat.

“We’re confused for one another all the time. That’s one of the reasons having an identical twin is a pain in the arse.”

A twin. I found myself relieved and curious and strangely angry. I knew that Spencer had a sister and a brother, but no one had mentioned Holden was more than just his brother but his identical twin. It seemed like a fairly important detail to leave out.

“What did his note say?” Spencer asked, cutting into my thoughts.

“Nothing,” I said too quickly and his eyebrow shot up.

“I see,” he said in a cold voice. “Of course, he would think it funny if he got to fuck you first.”