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And Natalie’s stomach dropped to her feet. How were they going to get out of this without hurting all these people? When she agreed to this, she didn’t know any of Alex’s relatives. They’d been faceless people who meant nothing to her.
Now that she’d met them, and—except for a few—liked them, it didn’t seem so easy to just call an end to the engagement and walk away.
Of course, she would not be the one subjected to their questions and disappointment when this all ended. Alex would be. Well, she comforted herself, it had been his idea.
She pushed his quasi-proposal to the back of her mind. It was much too soon to decide if she wanted to continue their fake betrothal. Since one married for life, it was not something to jump into without thinking. She’d already done that once and had her youth to blame for it. Now she was a mature woman with a daughter to raise. She glanced back at Alex conversing with Mr. Walker and knew in her heart that Alex would be a wonderful husband. It was her experience making her shy away from his idea of continuing a courtship.
Dinner had been cleared away from the patio, and they all ended up in the drawing room where the games were to be held.
Alex walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Please, I beg of you, Natalie, do not leave me with Miss Walsh again.”
Why did her stomach do a somersault when he got that close to her and she felt his warmth, and the scent of his bath soap drifted over her? Why did she feel fluttering in her insides as if there was a kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach? Yes, he was handsome, and he was gracious and charming. But she had a lot of thinking to do before she allowed this faux relationship to become real. “I will try my best, my lord, but the woman seems determined.”
“Yes, that she is. But what she is dealing with is not my making nor my problem.” He pulled Natalie into his arms. “I would much rather talk about us.”
She sighed. “There is no ‘us’, Alex.”
“Time for games,” Vivian called from the front of the room. Miss Walsh rushed to Alex’s side and smiled. “I am on whatever team Lord St. John is on.”
“I, on the other hand, wish to have my lovely fiancée, Mrs. Natalie Shaw, on my team.” Alex stepped away from Mildred, but she followed him.
* * *
The next morning,Mary entered Natalie’s bedchamber loaded with a small pot with a cup and saucer on a tray, along with two scones. “If you will excuse me, Mrs. Shaw, all the other ladies were again having their hot chocolate brought up to them, and I felt as though I appeared to be neglecting you by not doing so.”
Natalie sat up and grinned at the discombobulated maid. “It is no problem, Mary. I will indulge myself this morning and see what these women all enjoy each day.”
Mary placed the tray on Natalie’s legs and shook out the napkin and tucked it into her night dress.
“My, I am really getting the noble treatment today, aren’t I, Mary?” She looked at the tray and smiled. She could get used to this sort of living.
You would live this way all the time if you accepted Lord St. John’s proposal.
Natalie was still confused. Marriage had been a gaol as far as she was concerned. If she accepted Alex’s proposal, he could change the day after the taking of the vows and treat her anyway he wished, and no one could stop him. That was why she needed time to think over his idea.
She picked up her cup of chocolate and downed it. A lovely drink the first thing in the morning, except it wasn’t as sweet as she’d expected. Almost bitter, in fact.
CHAPTER8
Alex looked eagerly at the doorway each time someone entered the breakfast room, expecting to see Natalie. He continued his breakfast, thinking she would arrive any minute and wondering why he was so anxious to see her.
He’d found it harder each day he was in her company to remember this was all a ruse. Even if his feelings were changing, Natalie had already made it clear hers had not been a happy marriage and she had no desire for a repeat performance.
“Good morning, my lord. A lovely day, is it not?”
He groaned as Mildred stood alongside him, in front of the chair he had been saving for Natalie. He had no idea what his former fiancée’s sleeping habits were, but he was quite sure rising early for breakfast was not one of them.
Despite his annoyance, he stood and bowed and pulled out her chair. “Yes, a lovely day, indeed.”
The footman placed a pot of hot tea in front of her.
The door opened again, and he looked up to see Lady Beauchamp in the doorway. The old witch thumped her cane. “Expecting your Mrs. Shaw to arrive, eh, Alexander? Or have you gone back to this one?” She cackled and waved her cane in Mildred’s direction.
Alex stood and walked to where his great-aunt stood. “Allow me to assist you to a chair, Aunt.”
“Nice way to dodge my question, young man. Where is your betrothed?”
“Right here,” Mildred said, only loud enough that a few heard her, but those who did looked back and forth between him and Mildred.
