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“I never asked you to marry me, Leticia, and I don’t intend to do anything of the sort. If you would just allow me the chance to explain.” While the feverish look in her eyes did not dissipate at his words, she did make a motion with her hand as if to encourage him to keep talking. “My mother and I discussed the ramifications of both of our actions. She made me see that if I do not at the very least court you, the members of thetonwill ridicule us, and neither of us will ever be able to find a suitable match.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but Richard held up his hand. “Please, let me continue.” She inhaled deeply but said nothing, nodding for him to proceed. “Thank you. Now, what I’m thinking is that the two of us agree to a courtship. We see each other socially just as we have always done, but now, we tell others that we are seriously considering marrying one another.”
“How long would we have to do this?” Leticia asked quietly.
Richard shrugged. “The Season starts in a few weeks. There will likely be plenty of other affairs and scandals for members of thetonto latch onto then. So, I was thinking we might give it a go for a few months. We should at least stay together until our current behavior is old news.”
Leticia began pacing back and forth across the thick grass. She swung her hands at her sides, and Richard could tell she was attempting to work out the logistics in her head. “And you say, this was your mother’s idea?”
“Mostly,” he answered. “She thought I needed to do something to save your reputation. I came up with the bit about the fake courtship.”
“Hmmm…” Leticia murmured, “I like it. The only problem is…well—” She gave him an arched look. “You and I have trouble being in the same room with one another for more than a few minutes.”
Richard took a small step toward Leticia then and tipped his head thoughtfully to the side. “I wouldn’t say that. I seem to recall a rather pleasant moment the two of us spent together yesterday. That kiss—” His words trailed away as he remembered not their first kiss but the second one. It had plagued his mind all night, and while it might have muddled his feelings for Leticia a bit, he figured that attraction, or at least the heat that existed between them, might now be beneficial as they were thinking of proceeding with this ruse.
Leticia gasped. She swung her head to glance toward Mrs. Phillips, but when they had stopped walking, she had done the same. She was now standing at least ten meters away, running her hands through some of the early spring flowers that grew in the garden. “Do not mention such things,” she hissed. “Do you want others to hear of that?”
“No,” Richard agreed. “You’re right. Of course, I do not want anyone else to know precisely what transpired between us yesterday. I only meant to point out that we can find ways to tolerate one another.”
Leticia rolled her eyes, and as she did, she relaxed marginally. He could see it as the stiffness in her shoulders gave way and a goofy smile replaced her irritated one. “I will admit that the moment we shared yesterday was quite nice, but it was an anomaly. I do not wish for us to spend every minute together going forward.”
“Nor do I.” Richard nodded firmly. “I do think we will be able to get away with doing the bare minimum. I will endeavor to visit you and take you for a walk regularly.”
Leticia snickered. “You make it sound as though I am your pet, and you must make the time to tend to me.”
“For thy part, I do wish thou wert a dog that I might love thee something,” Richard said, recalling a line from one of Shakespeare’s less popular plays,The Tragedy of Timon of Athens.
“Ah,” Leticia said, giving him a mischievous grin. “Thou calledst me a dog before thou hadst a cause, but since I am a dog, beware my fangs.”
“You see, we do have more in common than we give ourselves credit for having.”
“Yes,” Leticia agreed. “And I suppose, I can convince myself that dancing with you at a few balls will just be a trifling matter. For while your mother made you see that our families and their reputations were jeopardized by our actions, my aunt laid the same claim at my feet. Oh, what shall we do, Richard?”
He stepped forward and tentatively clasped her hand. A jolt of energy lit his fingertips, and he knew she felt it too as her eyes showed her surprise quite clearly. “We will court one another for a few months. We will agree to play nice—for the sake of our families.”
“Yes,” Leticia concurred. “A courtship between us is what is best for our families.” Richard considered brushing his lips across her knuckles so as to seal the deal with a kiss, but she snatched her hand away at once. “No more kissing. That can only lead us down a path we do not wish to tread. Do you agree?”
“Of course,” Richard breathed. “We shall, both of us, be on our best behavior going forward.” Leticia’s smile then blossomed, and her eyes lit merrily. Richard knew, for his part, that the words he’d just spoken were true, but seeing the impish glint in Leticia’s eyes gave him pause.
What have I just gotten myself into?
CHAPTERTWENTY
“It is so nice to be back in one’s own home,” Uncle Sebastian said as he cast a look around the breakfast room. “I admit it wholeheartedly—when we are away from Pearl House for any great stretch of time, I miss the river.”
“Yes,” Aunt Amelia said softly. “It feels almost luxurious to be back home.”
“I wouldn’t get too used to it,” Harry huffed. He’d been in a rather sour mood these last few weeks. Ever since Richard had shown up at Grosvenor Square, asking Leticia to embark on this courtship, Harry had been nearly intolerable, what with his snide remarks and his constant heavy sighs. “Are we not determined to spend the Season at Braxton Manor? Will not His Grace expect to see his betrothed regularly?” He put heavy emphasis on the words “His Grace” and as he finished his statement, he scraped his knife across his plate.
“The Dowager and I have agreed that it would be inappropriate for Leticia and Richard to share Braxton Manor at this time. We do not wish to entice the gossip columnists to write anything further about either of them,” Aunt Amelia explained.
“A bit of gossip never did anyone any harm,” Uncle Sebastian rejoined. “Why, it’s been nearly five days since I last read anything about our little Leticia and her beau.”
Leticia blushed and bit back the urge to explain how Richard was not really her beau. While he had come to visit her twice, she did not anticipate seeing him again any time soon. They’d agreed it made better sense to keep a healthy distance from one another so as not to provoke others to question their courtship. “I am relieved the rumor mills have found a new target,” she murmured as she reached for a piece of toast. She spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the corner and took a dainty bite.
“But if we are not staying at Braxton Manor, where will we stay when we return to London for the Season?” Harry drew the conversation back to its original course.
“We have made arrangements to stay at Admiral Shelling’s residence once more,” Aunt Amelia said as she took a sip of her tea.
