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A fortnight after the day Ethan had left, they rode in their own carriage, slowly making their way through the queue to cross the bridge into London.
“And you’ve already secured an invitation from Lord Kingsley to attend the theater with him tomorrow night. It’s so exciting.”
Natalie frowned, saying little. She’d seen Kingsley twice more since the ball and both visits had been exactly the same. He was polite, affable, and boring.
She tried to picture climbing trees with him, or sneaking into libraries, or kissing in the shadows. She softly shook her head. She couldn’t picture any of it.
The problem, which any woman who’d ever meddled with a rake could attest to, was that with excitement came danger. And danger inevitably led to pain.
A pain she’d been attempting to forget.
She knew that Ethan needed a front for his uncle, and she’d agreed to be that in exchange for her lessons.
He’d obliged her and she’d need to do her part to fulfill her end of the bargain, no matter how angry she was at him or how hurt.
But her mother had other ideas.
“The theater tomorrow?” she asked. “You don’t want a few days to settle in after travel?”
“No.” Her mother looked evasively toward the window. “We must capitalize on all invitations from the marquess. Besides…”
“What?” she asked, leaning forward.
Her mother cleared her throat. “The earl made the same request, but of course, we already had plans.”
Natalie knew her mother well. She’d not mentioned Ethan since the ball. “I thought you supported the earl’s suit.”
“You were right, dear. He’s not a good candidate. You should have heard the rumors I’ve heard about his reputation.”
“Mother,” Natalie bit back, hardly recognizing her own voice. “He painted my dress and shoes with his bodily fluid during our first meeting. You knew exactly what sort of man he was. Something else has changed. What is it?”
Her mother made a tutting noise with her tongue. “Natalie. What’s gotten into you? You sound like Emma.”
That made Natalie sit back in surprise. Did she? How wonderful. “That’s only because you’re keeping something from me.”
Her mother sniffed. “It’s not your concern.”
“It involves my future husband. It is my concern.”
Her mother huffed a breath before she finally answered. “He’s financially destitute. Nearly.”
Natalie’s mouth opened and closed again. That made so much sense. No wonder he’d struck some bargain with her. He’d mentioned his uncle and his thirtieth birthday? Did Ethan’s uncle hold his funds until then? “He did mention that his uncle wished for him to wed before his birthday. Before you listen to gossip you ought to make certain he doesn’t have a large boon coming.”
Her mother’s eyes lit with interest. “According to Lady Fontaine, he was nearly out of money, and it was a source of great tension between himself and his father’s brother. But perhaps there is more…”
It wasn’t that Natalie still held hopes of winning Ethan, but she’d need to appear in public with him at least some. She’d have to warn him that her mother was threatening to not support him or else she’d not be able to fulfill her part.
She ignored the voice that claimed she just wished to spend time with him still. This was about being a good person. About not running from obligations or promises.
He’d run away from her. A kiss was a promise of a different sort and he’d gone without a glance back.
All right. Apparently, he’d written to her mother to attend the theater but that was different. Those moments they’d stolen when alone had been real, or so she thought. And attending the theater together was a charade. One that, no matter how conflicted she’d become, she’d keep up.
And she’d have to warn Ethan that he’d lost his mother’s support. If he wanted her to continue to play along, he’d need to gain it back or their relationship, fake or otherwise, was finished.
Her chin drooped at the idea. No matter how angry she was, the idea of marrying Kingsley filled her with a monotonous dread.
Ethan pulled at the lapels of his coat and stared across the sea of people in the theater’s lobby. His request to escort Natalie and her mother had been denied. He’d stared at the page in disbelief for a few moments before he’d remembered Kingsley. Had the marquess taken Ethan’s place in his absence?
