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There was no room for pity. Not now. Not when so much was at stake. “There can be no happiness, no contentment for Eden with such a man, only misery of the worst kind and the possibility of a scandal that will taint her entire family for generations to come. If there is any love at all in your heart for her, you will put an end to their engagement immediately.”
Silence.
“My offer stands,” he said, bowing shortly. “And lest you forget, I am also a peer of the realm—a higher ranking one than Ravenwood—and not without influence of my own. I’ll leave you to consider my words and relay them to Sir Geoffrey. He may send for me in the event he sees reason and wishes to discuss the matter. You may also let him know that, in the event he does not, he can expect to see me at the wedding, at which time I will voice my objection to the union publicly and present evidence to support my claim.”
Turning, he left her standing aghast. He might have gone too far in telling her Ravenwood was in danger of being executed for his peccadilloes, but he’d needed to impress upon her the seriousness of the situation.
He just hoped it didn’t get back to Ravenwood. If it did, there was every possibility that all he’d been working toward with regard to finding Abigail would be for naught. His link to Loxdon would be exposed. If their joint activities became public knowledge, his list of enemies would grow longer than he cared to contemplate. He’d doubtless be marked for death.
There had to be a way to get Ravenwood to give Eden up willingly. Regardless, if it cost him everything, he could not let the bastard have her.
Chapter Fifteen
Eden stared, unseeing, at the leaden sky outside her window. The journey home yesterday had passed in a haze of exhausted disbelief. Exhaustion because she’d hardly slept since accepting Ravenwood’s proposal. Disbelief because she questioned her own sanity.
She’d made so many errors. It had been insanity to accept the devil’s bargain. Insanity to refuse the first of Percy’s offers of marriage and all the ones to follow it. Insanity to try and convince her family to accept him.
Insanity to have made him her lover.
My lover. A humorless laugh tried to force its way out, and she swallowed it. She’d lost her heart, her maidenhead, and now her mind. Had it not been for the pleasant ache in her nether regions, she might have been able to convince herself it was all a dream. But it had been real. She’d given Percy her virtue along with her heart.
Her only regret was having told him so.
He didn’t say it back…
She fought against tears. Naturally, her feelings were stronger than his—he was a man accustomed to women throwing themselves at him. Had they loved him, too? Her heart ached over how far she’d fallen for the sake of that sentiment. Love for her family would make her wed a man she despised. Love for Percy would make her break her vows to said man. They were already broken.
Everything was broken. Every hope, every dream she’d ever had was shattered, and nothing short of marrying Percy would restore them.
The milk is spilled. Stop dwelling.
He’d been gone by the time she’d managed to get downstairs the morning after their tryst. In truth, she hadn’t really expected him to linger. Everything was settled, and there was no further need for discussion. She would marry Ravenwood to save her family and take Percy as her amour for as long as he would have her. Nothing would change for him. For her, however…
“Eden?”
She ignored her stepmother’s inquiry and remained facing the window. Silk rustled behind her, and she felt Catherine come to stand at her side.
“Eden, I need to know…are you aware of any reason—any physical reason—why you would be unable to marry Ravenwood?”
A cold knot formed in her gut. Careful to keep her gaze focused on the view outside her window, she lied without words, shaking her head.
“I ask because I heard Tavistoke was present at the Dunsany house party.”
The knot tightened. It will rain soon…
“If he came to you, if anything happened, I would know it now. Better we should be prepared than for matters to unfold into unpleasantness later.”
Say nothing. Do not speak. It wouldn’t matter if she confessed. It wouldn’t change anything. She would still have to marry Ravenwood. The clock on the mantel ticked, measuring out time as it passed in an otherwise silent room.
At last, she heard Catherine’s weary sigh. “I know you think otherwise, but my intent in arranging this union was not entirely mercenary. I honestly thought Ravenwood the sort of man who could make you happy. He and Lord Tavistoke are very much alike…”
Contempt filled Eden as she whirled, imbuing her gaze with all the loathing and disdain festering inside. Were anger alone able to ignite a fire, the room would have been immolated.
Her stepmother’s words t
railed off, and she stood blinking back at her with swollen red eyes.
It was the first time Eden had seen true remorse in her face since the beginning of this farce. For half a moment she was tempted to soften, to forgive, but her torn heart refused. Without uttering a word, she brushed past Catherine and left the room.
