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Chapter 12
When at last Nic opened his eyes, he found they were on the outskirts of Bassingthorpe. Surprisingly, in the circumstances, he had slept deeply and well, better than he’d slept for a long time. On the few occasions during the journey when he’d awoken, he’d only had to look across at Olivia’s beautiful, calm face, and he’d drifted off again, perfectly content.
He yawned and stretched, sitting up straight. Olivia was also awake, watching him sleepily, the hood of her cloak drawn over her head so that only the pale oval of her face was visible.
“You were snoring,” she announced.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that a problem?”
“No, I am a very sound sleeper.” She smiled, and then turned to the window. “We’re home,” she announced, and sighed, as if the fact was a disappointment to her rather than the relief it was to him.
“Yes, we are.”
She looked down at herself, at the black velvet visible beneath her cloak. “I can’t let anyone see me in this.”
He was tempted to frighten her into thinking he was going to drop her at her gate and leave her to explain herself, just to teach her a lesson. But she looked so woebegone he didn’t have the heart.
“We’re going to Castle Lacey first. You can change your clothing there.”
“Thank you. I am grateful.”
“I’ll wager you are, you minx. How on earth did you manage to get to the demimonde ball in the first place without Mrs. Monteith finding out what you were up to?”
“I told her I’d been invited to one of my friend’s homes outside London, to celebrate her birthday. My friend—her name is Marissa—agreed to help me and arranged for a coach to collect me and take me to the ball.”
“So you and your friend are both complicit in the lie. Who is this Marissa and why should she help you to ruin yourself?”
“Marissa is…never mind.” Olivia pulled a face. “Yes, you’re right, I did lie. But it was either that or be locked in my room and married off immediately to Mr. Garsed.”
“Perhaps being married off to Mr. Garsed would be the best thing for you, Olivia.”
“You were warning me against him before!”
“Yes, but I’ve had a chance to reconsider the matter. If you married Theodore you’d certainly have far more freedom than you have now.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Freedom?”
“Yes. The man’s besotted with you. If you were so inclined you could twist him around your little finger.”
Olivia shook her head at him pityingly. “Is that all you think I want? A man I can run rings around by pretending an affection I don’t feel? I don’t think either of us would be very happy in those circumstances, do you?”
Nic shrugged, assuming a bored expression. “Is marriage meant to be happy? Perhaps you’ve wasted your time reading too many romantic novels.”
“Perhaps you haven’t read enough,” she snapped.
Despite himself, Nic grinned. “I have read quite a few warm books, do they count?”
“You’re avoiding the question. You’ve decided it would be best if I marry Mr. Garsed so that you won’t have to bother about me anymore. That’s it, isn’t it, Nic? You want to go back to your cozy life where you don’t have to care about anyone, and if you start to care, well, you can just pay them off.”
Nic felt a tingle of shock as her words sank in. Was that true, was he such a cold and heartless bastard? He tightened his mouth. Well, even if it was true, she had no right to judge him.
“I refuse to be miserable just so that you can lead an easy life.” She folded her arms and stared from the window, refusing to look at him.
“Am I spoiling your rosy dreams of love?” he mocked. “Better you learn the cold realities now than be disappointed later. In my experience love is merely a fantasy, a biological trick to lead naïve couples into the sort of illogical behavior that usually ends in disaster.”
Now she was looking at him, her blue eyes narrowed as if she was seeing inside him and didn’t like what she saw. “What a horribly bleak way of looking at things!”
He shrugged. He supposed it was a bleak outlook, but he’d been shaped by his past, and he wasn’t going to change his mind now. If Olivia was seeking a husband with bright and shiny dreams of a future together, then it was just as well for her sake, and his, that Nic had not the slightest intention of marrying her.
