Page 27 of The Lyon Deception

Christopher considered his questions for a moment. “It would need to be something huge. An enormous effort on your part. You have to show her how much she means to you. How much you are willing to sacrifice for her sake.”

“Yes, all of that!” He looked up hopefully at his friend.

“Let me think.” Christopher tapped his chin. “When is the wedding?”

“Cat has to agree to the settlement, and my grandfather has to reply to my urgent message. Mrs. Dove-Lyon has written to him, too, but she says he hasn’t responded to her yet. So I have to wait, and then if they both agree to the terms, we will marry. Soon, I hope.”

“Soon, eh? That doesn’t give you very long.” Then, seeing Sinclair’s woebegone face, he patted him on the back. “Don’t despair. I’ll think of something.”

“Then think quickly,” Sinclair said crossly.

The two of them shared a look, and then they began to laugh. The situation was so ridiculous, and it wasn’t really funny, but the laughing helped to soften some of the tension. Sinclair sat back, wiping his eyes, while Christopher poured them a drink from the decanter.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” he asked. “You can say no. You do know that, don’t you? Just because your grandfather wants you to marry a duke’s daughter doesn’t mean you have to do it.”

Say no? Sinclair thought. Had he ever said no to his grandfather? He hadn’t. He had always been the obedient grandson, no matter how much he loathed the man, and always done as he was told. But if he stood up to Lord Armytage this time and said no, then there would be consequences for Cat. She would lose all she loved.

And Sinclair would lose her.

“I want to marry her,” he said. “I love her.”

“I know you do,” Christopher said gently. “I could see it that day in the park. You had a look on your face I can only describe as lovestruck.”

Sinclair wanted to protest, but then he decided his friend was probably right. He was lovestruck, and he was going to do everything in his power to resolve this mess to both his and Cat’s satisfaction.

Chapter Fifteen

The marriage contract was delivered to Cat two days later, one day earlier than expected. She all but snatched it out of Hocking the butler’s hands and rushed up to her bedchamber with the package crushed to her chest. Once there, she closed the door, flopped down onto her bed, and opened it.

Her heart sank a little when she saw how many sheets of paper were involved, each one covered in long-winded and confusing jargon. Cat knew she was no fool, but this was far beyond her experience, and she would be a fool to sign it without someone versed in these matters checking it over.

As much as she dreaded it, the time had come to tell Uncle James the truth. Fortunately—or unfortunately, if she looked at it that way—he was in today, working in his office. She really had no excuse to delay any longer. Cat tidied her hair and smoothed down her skirts, knowing she was procrastinating, and when there was nothing more she could do, she set off down the stairs with the marriage contract in her hand.

He can’t toss me out of the house and tell me never to darken his door again, she told herself. He wouldn’t do that anyway. He is a good man, a clever man.

But he might become very cross, and Cat dreaded a confrontation, mostly because she knew she was in the wrong.

The door to his office was open, and she could see him inside, bent over some work on his desk. He looked up as she cleared her throat, and his face relaxed into a welcoming smile. That made her feel even more guilty.

“Cat!” he said in surprise. Then, as if reading something in her expression, he frowned. “What is it?”

Just for a second, she thought about saying it was nothing and that she didn’t want to disturb him, and turning and walking away again. But Cat couldn’t do that. So she stepped bravely forward.

“I have something to show you, Uncle James,” she said. “And,” when he opened his mouth, “please don’t ask me what it is or say anything. Not until you read it.” He seemed about to protest, so she added in a heartfelt voice, “Please, Uncle James!”

He stared at her in consternation, and then he held out his hand. Cat put the parcel of papers in it and then sat down rather heavily on a nearby chair. There, it was done. She felt an immense wave of relief, as if she had handed over more than just the marriage contract. She had shared her burden, and now it was up to her uncle.

James stared at her for a moment longer, before finally bending his head to examine what she had given him.

The clock on the mantel ticked slowly, and Cat tried not to watch his every expression. It was just too nerve-racking. Instead she stared out of the window and pretended she was out there, enjoying the sunny weather, and that none of this was happening. But it was happening. So she imagined Sinclair and Mrs. Dove-Lyon laboring over the details in this document before calling in the legal experts. Sinclair had said he wanted to help her, and it seemed—from her brief perusal of the papers—that was true. But would his grandfather be pleased enough to agree? Would he think gaining a duke’s daughter was worth the loss of Bonnyrigg?

When Uncle James finally spoke, he startled her so much that she jumped and then pressed a hand to her breast to try to still her pounding heart. She stared back at him, but his face was hard to read.

“Cat,” he said and shook his head, “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or tell you off,” he said quietly. “Is this what you have been up to while you’ve been here in London? I had no idea.”

She sighed. “It seemed the only way, or at least something it was in my power to do. I wasn’t sure if I would go through with it, but then the court rejected our case.”

“You felt it was the only way out of this mess,” he finished for her. “You know that Maxwell is going to be incandescent with rage when he hears about this?”