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“You’re not helping people; you’re making them worse!”
“I’m looking into it,” she cried, raising her voice to be heard. “I don’t think—”
“That’s the problem: You never think.” He looked disgusted. “You don’t have permission to ‘look into’ anything, and there won’t be any more unladylike activities in my house. No making medicine, no perfumery, no blasted science.”
Seraphina went cold inside. “Please don’t say that.”
He dropped back onto his chair, the air gusting from him in an “Ooph.”
“You’re to focus on the wedding and leave all of this in the past.” One of his hands buried itself in his hair. “You’re lucky that Mr. Emerson is willing to drop the matter if you marry him.”
She cocked her head, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. “I beg your pardon?”
“You’re doubly fortunate that the banns haven’t been read yet, and everything else is essentially in place. All we have to do is substitute one groom for another.”
Seraphina’s hands fisted at her sides, and she shot a glare at Mr. Emerson. “I will not marry him.”
“You’ll have no other choice if Lord Fitzgerald learns the truth.”
Ah, but that’s where he was wrong.
Raising her chin, she bared her teeth in a feral grin. “He already does, and he still wants to marry me.”
CHAPTER 24
That stopped the argument about to fall from her father’s lips. He gaped at her like a fish. “Are you being truthful?”
“Yes, Father.” She narrowed her eyes at the hateful Mr. Emerson. “I told him everything, and he promised to stand by me. I’ll be married to a future earl. There’s no reason for me to wed Mr. Emerson instead.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes darting from side to side as he considered their options and the possible ramifications. She could tell he was weighing the benefits of turning his daughter into a countess against the potential damage to his reputation if Mr. Emerson made his claims public.
“Are you certain?” he asked.
“Yes.” She had faith in Trevor.
“Mr. Dalton, I feel I must point out that Lord Fitzgerald, while respected, is somewhat… unconventional,” Mr. Emerson cut in. “He may not curb Miss Dalton’s activities in the same way that I would. Consider what might happen if she continued acting so rashly, and someone died from contaminated or poorly made medicine—or even from a lack of getting the proper treatment from a licensed apothecary rather than a well-meaning but untrained girl.”
Her father rubbed his jaw, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. When he met Seraphina’s eyes, she could already tell what he’d decided.
“I’m sorry, Seraphina, but with the situation as it currently stands, it would be for the best if you marry Mr. Emerson. Everything will go away quietly, and you won’t be at risk of being taken before the magistrate. Lord Fitzgerald would certainly rescind his offer if you were a convicted criminal.”
“Even if he didn’t, the betrothal wouldn’t do you much good if you were locked away,” Mr. Emerson added, the unholy glee in his eyes giving lie to his somber appearance.
Her father nodded. “It’s best to not take any chances.”
Seraphina’s heart thrashed against her rib cage, and she hauled in a deep breath, blinking to get rid of the black spots that danced in front of her eyes. She would not panic. Panicking solved nothing.
Determined not to bend, she thrust her shoulders back. “I refuse.”
Her father’s expression contorted almost painfully. “I’m sorry. I don’t wish for you to be unhappy, but you haven’t left me much choice. You brought this on yourself by behaving improperly, and now you’ll have to fix it by marrying Mr. Emerson to protect your future.”
“Protect your future, you mean,” she fired back, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. “This is about how my actions might reflect on you. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
Ignoring her, he turned to Mr. Emerson. “Please leave us. You have my word that Seraphina will marry you.”
Mr. Emerson departed, puffed up with his own victory. Seraphina resisted the urge to stick her foot out and trip him up as he passed her.
Then she was alone with her father. The man who was supposed to love and care for her, but who was instead insisting she marry someone who would make her miserable.
