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“Humph.” Artemis was still too cross with him to concede that he was right. It had been beyond foolish to lose her head like that and to dash madly from the room, but she’d been so overwhelmed with emotion, she’d let herself succumb to the urge to run away and hide. “Tell me, Your Grace,” she said after a slight, taut-as-a-piano-wire pause, “what other benefits are there on the table? What are the precise terms of this deal?” She narrowed her eyes. “What do you want from me?”
“I was nothing but impressed with the way you handled Miss Sharp and Celeste. Celeste has always found it particularly difficult to share her thoughts and feelings with others, but you managed to gain her confidence in a very short time. If you spend even more time with her, I’m confident that you’ll be able to find out who this confounded ‘T’ is. Miss Sharp certainly hasn’t been able to. Indeed, I’m starting to lose faith in her abilities, and that’s not helpful when time is of the essence. I’m worried Celeste will do something even more dangerous than simply trade love letters with a would-be seducer, and then there will be no going back.”
“You want me to spy on your daughter?”
“That’s rather a blunt way of putting it, but yes, essentially I am asking you to gain her confidence—to befriend her—to see if you can glean any useful intelligence. And perhaps you can also guide her. Help her to see reason. That this ‘T’ does not have her best interests at heart. That he’s a scoundrel seeking to take advantage of her.”
Artemis gave him a flat look. “You want me—the woman who just did something completely outrageous—to help Lady Celeste see reason?”
“You claim you have radical views, Artemis, but I believe you have a superior intellect, and for some reason I can’t quite explain, I trust you. Perhaps it’s your forthrightness I find so appealing. You might also be surprised to learn that I don’t disagree with you on most of the things you believe in. Idothink women are as intelligent as men. I do think they should be able to study whatever they want to at university. I do think women should be able to seek a divorce. I do think married women should be able to own property in their own right.”
“You do?”
“Undoubtedly. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you a copy of the Matrimonial Causes Act that received my vote in Parliament last year. It ended church interference in the process of divorce and instead made it a secular matter for law courts. It hasn’t removed all of the unfair barriers women face, but at least it’s a start.”
Artemis paced over to the pianoforte, then back again. Then back and forth once more. Her mind was whirling, tumbling with a million thoughts, and she couldn’t seem to pin any of them down. If she accepted Dominic’s proposal, what would her life be like?
If…
“You know, if you just found a suitable wife from someone who hails from your own class, Your Grace, I’m sure she would be able to befriend and guide your daughter too,” she said at last.
“The thing is, Artemis, I haven’t found anyone else. It’s you who’s caught my interest. You’re not as unsuitable as you seem to think.”
Oh…Artemis’s brow knit into a deep frown. He couldn’t mean that. But then, he didn’t know that she was really Lydia Lovelace who’d written all of those salacious Gothic romance novels he seemed to despise so much. Books that he believed had corrupted his adolescent daughter’s mind. He wouldn’t think she was a suitable role model then, would he?
If she told him the truth, would he withdraw his ridiculous offer of marriage? In fact, if she did, she was certain he’d want nothing to do with her, ever again.
But…She held her tongue and started to pace again. Could she trust him with such an incendiary secret? She’d trusted him with her ruination plan. And look how that had turned out.
However, if he learned that she was in fact, Lydia Lovelace, he might be so furious, he’d tell others. And once her anonymity had been destroyed, so would her dream of starting her own academic college.
No, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t take the risk.
“What are you thinking, Artemis?”
She stopped and faced him. “You still haven’t told me what I can expect in return for accepting your marriage proposal. And what will happen if I decide to end our engagement of convenience.”
“I will guarantee financial support for your college regardless of whether you become my wife or not,” he said. “And I will ask Horatia, who has many influential connections—despite my notoriety—to become a patroness. If you would like her to.”
Artemis’s pulse began to leap about like someone had let off a Catherine wheel inside her. “You, and your sister, you would really do that for me?”
Dominic inclined his head. “You have my word. I also suspect that if you decide to jilt me, no one will blame you for it. I am the Dastardly Duke after all. For you, there will be no negative consequences. What do you have to lose?”
Artemis studied his face. His dark-gray eyes. His gaze was steady, his expression watchful while he patiently waited for her to respond.
Her heart was beating so wildly, she thought it might burst. Indeed, she felt like she was balancing on a very narrow precipice. She could have everything she’d ever wanted if she was willing to step over the edge. She just needed to take a leap of faith and trust Dominic again.
Inhaling a shaky breath, she asked, “How long do we need to be engaged?”
“It’s up to you, but I would hope you would remain my fiancée long enough to help me with Celeste. And if you two should become close, I wouldn’t expect you to end your association with my daughter if you and I parted ways. That wouldn’t be fair to either of you.”
Artemis released a sigh. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
He moved closer. “I understand what a shock this has been. I–I did turn the tables on you quite unexpectedly. But to be perfectly honest, I had been thinking of doing so from the outset. It was clear to me that your scheme would never work—that it was full of potential pitfalls. That you could ruin your reputation irrevocably despite all of your careful planning. And when all is said and done, I could never ignore my duty as a gentleman.” He shrugged a shoulder. “And just think”—his mouth curved into a wicked smile—“if we’re betrothed, you and I will undoubtedly be seeing a lot more of each other.” His voice dropped to a low, seductive purr. “You can’t deny that what happened in the library wasn’t spectacular.”
Artemis’s cheeks burned hotter than the flames dancing in the grate. “No, I can’t deny it,” she admitted. Indeed, the sensual part of her was thrilled by the idea that she would be able to openly spend more time with Dominic. To be alone with him, in his arms again… Oh, she could readily agree to that.
She stared into the fire, thinking about everything that had occurred tonight and what Dominic had promised. Despite the fact he’d changed the rules of their arrangement without warning, she couldn’t stay angry with him for long. He was too damn irresistible. And generous and…ugh…reasonable and open-minded andinformed.
