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“Yes, of course.” She shrugged, not bothered by what the result could be. “Listen, I must speak quickly before the Baron finds me again. Lord Frampton is hosting this ball, yes?”
“Yes.” Caroline nodded. “He is so busy with his guests; I do not think we have spoken to him tonight.”
“Barely,” Marina agreed. She glanced across the room, trying to see the Earl. She caught sight of him at a distance, dancing with a young lady. Tall and handsome with a face so pleasant that many ladies stared, it was hardly surprising he had such attention. “He seems a kind man.”
“What are you thinking, Marina?” Caroline asked, warily.
“His bedchamber is upstairs,” Marina whispered. “What if I was to go into his room, undress a little, and wait for him there.”
“Marina!”
“Hear me out, I pray you.” She clutched Caroline’s hand, trying to stop another outburst. “I know it’s mad, wild even, but I’m desperate. If you and others were to ‘accidentally’ come upon us, my reputation would be ruined.”
“You know what would happen then, do you not?” Caroline grimaced. “Lord Frampton would have to wed you to rescue your reputation.”
“Maybe or maybe not.” Marina shook her head, revealing the full extent of her desperation now. “If he were to offer marriage, then I do not doubt he would make a fine husband, but that is not what I intend to gain. I will assure him I do not expect an offer of marriage. My reputation will be destroyed by the gossip that will spread, and the Baron will retract his proposal. Gentlemen’s reputations always recover quicker than a lady’s, so Lord Frampton will not be affected for long.”
“Oh, goodness, Marina.” Caroline offered a sympathetic look. “You are so fearful that it has come to this?”
“I am afraid I am. Please, Caro, say that you will help me?”
Caroline did not agree straight away. She finished her wine, turned on the spot, and offered alternative ideas before agreeing that none made sense. Eventually, she nodded, for they could both see Lord Rutherford across the room, searching for Marina.
“If you would prefer to be a fallen woman than marry that man, I could not abandon you now,” Caroline said with fervor. “Let it be done then, just as you plan. Find his bedchamber, stay there a while, and after I see he has left the room, I will encourage others to go on a tour of the house with me. We shall ‘stumble’ upon the bedchamber by chance.”
“Thank you, Caro, thank you!” Marina quickly embraced her friend before Caroline pushed her away.
“The Baron is coming this way. Go, go now.”
Marina saw her friend was right. Lord Rutherford was heading in her direction, and the redness of his cheeks suggested anger at letting her escape for so long. Fearful of what that anger could mean for her, she hastened from the room, once more carving a confused path past the dancers and those that laughed and tittered, trying to avoid the Baron catching up with her.
One time, when Lord Rutherford had come to call on her, he’d been drunk indeed. The chaperone had blushed bright red at all the things he’d said to Marina, and even though she had begged him not to say such things, he’d gripped her hand hard, saying he would not have a disobedient wife.
I fear he will be violent…
Nothing could dissuade her from her goal. She knew it was risky, and this thought kept coming back to her as she escaped the ballroom and found a set of stairs, hurrying up them two at a time. Hitching the skirt of her ballgown high, she ran with vigor.
I will escape him, no matter what the cost!
Her parents would be furious at her descent. Her father, in particular, would never forgive her for her name appearing in the scandal sheets, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make, compared to a lifetime of misery married to Baron Rutherford.
To her surprise, it was not difficult to find Lord Frampton’s bedchamber. It was behind the most elaborate door on the landing, the plaster around the doorframe molded into vine leaves and rose buds. Opening the door, all was dark. She hastened to light a candle, filling the room with soft light, before she sat down on the edge of the bed.
For a minute, her breathing stuttered, and her hands shook. She was prepared to partly undress for her deception to work, but it was not an easy thing to do.
“Remember what I am doing this for. Any sacrifice,” she muttered to herself then she reached for the laces of her gown. Slowly, she untied them and stood, stepping out of the gown and laying it on the bed before she turned to the door.
With her palms sweaty and her heart thudding hard in her chest, now she just had to wait for Lord Frampton to arrive. Even if he never had cause to go to his bedchamber, her discovery here unclothed by Caroline and others would be enough for supposition to grow and her name to be ruined.
The longer the time went on, the more she wondered what would happen if the Lord did find her there first… Would he be glad of her appearance there?
* * *
“Your Grace, you cannot have forgotten that night so easily.”
“I didn’t say I had forgotten, merely that night came to an end.” James was curt with the words, but the lady continued on. She was standing a little too close for comfort here in the ballroom, her hand occasionally reaching out and brushing his own.
With worry, James looked around the ballroom. It was full of people tonight, and clearly his brother had spared no expense in wanting a grand affair.
