Chapter Four

This might have been a mistake.

Austin couldn't recall how many times he'd thought that since he'd left Latrice Manor yesterday afternoon. Now that he was back the next day, the thought ran through his mind with increasing speed and urgency.

Everything had changed. It was a little alarming how quickly everything moved. Vincent Latrice had made good on his promise to pay double Lavender's dowry up front. Austin had barely had enough time to meet with his steward to assist with the allocation of the funds. But it was so much money that Austin felt a little unsteady now that he could go about with a full wallet.

Perhaps that would have been enough to put a smile on his face. But forcing himself to dress up this afternoon, hire a new coachman, and head to the Latrice Manor to meet with his new betrothed, was enough to put him in the foulest of moods.

Come and see me at noon. Lavender.

The note he'd received early this morning had been simple yet bossy. Austin already resented the fact that he had to heed her request. He was a man of his word, even if he was beginning to wonder if the money he'd received was worth doing all of this.

"Welcome, my lord." The uptight butler greeted him formally upon opening the door and it took all of Austin's strength not to shove right past him. "Miss Lavender is expecting you."

"Let us get this over with then," he grumbled under his breath. He brushed past him, shaking off the feeling of discomfort that settled in his bones.

"Please, follow me then." It seemed the butler didn't care to hide his distaste. Austin caught a glimpse of disdain in his eyes before he turned and made his way toward the sweeping staircase that sat to the left of the foyer.

Austin ignored him, his attention drawn to the ornate paintings lining the walls. A keener eye might have been able to determine the value of the pieces but it seemed rather expensive to Austin's untrained eye as well. His discomfort only grew as he studied the gold-lined banister of the staircase and intricate carvings in the wooden floor when they came to the landing. It seemed as if the Latrice family was content to display their wealth in every manner they could.

They may not be a part of the upper class, Austin thought, but he doubted they were any different. The butler brought him down a long hallway with far too many large mahogany double doors. Austin couldn't fathom why anyone would need this many rooms. Even Derby Estate in Bath was not this large, though the land surrounding the manor outshone that of Latrice Manor in droves.

At long last, the butler came to a stop in front of yet another massive double door and knocked. "Miss Lavender? Lord Derby is here to see you."

"Send him in!" came an urgent voice from the other end.

The butler turned and bowed to Austin. Austin scratched the back of his head, resisting the urge to turn and walk right back the way they came. He would never get used to such displays of reverence.

"Please call if you need me, my lord," the butler said, sounding rather humble considering the way he had looked at Austin just a few minutes prior.

Austin didn't bother to respond. He waited until the butler walked away then faced the door again. He didn't want to go in. He would much rather be anywhere else but here.

But duty called, he supposed.

Austin grasped both handles of the door and opened them at once. The chamber that met his eyes was the very playpen of affluence. Austin wouldn't be surprised if he learned that the Queen's chambers were no different.

A living area greeted him first, furnished generously with plush armchairs and chaise lounges with a beautiful fire crackling in the hearth. Two doors led away from the living space—one of which was slightly ajar. When Austin wandered further into the room, he caught sight of an armoire and the end of a bed. The other door was closed .

Miss Lavender was nowhere to be found. Annoyance prickled at his spine. He thought about calling out for her, then considered just leaving next.

Before he could make the decision, the closed door flew open. Miss Lavender came rushing out with her hair tumbling around her shoulders, a frown on her face.

"What is taking you so long?" she asked. "Come, come."

Without waiting for a response, she rushed back into the room, leaving the door ajar.

God help me .

The room was a small library with a writing desk sitting in the center. Miss Lavender was not seated at the desk however, nor at any of the armchairs perched in front of the bookshelves. She sat on the ground, hunched over a small book with papers scattered all around her.

She looked…different. Still as plain as when he met her, he noted. But between the unruliness of her mousy brown hair, her hunched posture, and her bare feet, she seemed less like a wealthy lady and more like a maid.

She looked up at him and that frown was back. "Will you continue to stand there, my lord?" she asked, her tone softening the bite of her words. "Come and sit."

"On the floor?" Austin asked without thinking.

She blinked as if she hadn't expected such a question. "Well, you can choose any of the seats if you so wish. But come close. I want to show you something."

Austin stayed by the door out of pure, natural stubbornness. "I am fine where I am," he said, crossing his arms. "Now why did you call me here? I must inform you that I have more pressing matters at hand than to cater to your every whim and command."

"Do you?" she asked with a raise of a brow. Austin only glared at her and she rolled her eyes. "I shan't be long. There is something I wanted to share with you."

Miss Lavender got to her feet and approached, taking her book with her. Austin was surprised at how lovely she smelt when she got close. Like fresh flowers after the rain .

"I have been up all night, you see," she began to explain. "That is why I look so haggard, but I could not sleep. I have been planning instead."

"I suppose you want me to ask you about what you were planning," he drawled, unable to hold back his irritation.

"Not to worry, my lord. I plan to say it anyway." She responded to him with such quickness that it threw Austin for a second. He wasn't used to that. "You see, my plan is a simple one but one I have been thinking about for years. Now that I am old enough to attend the London Season, I can finally do what I have always dreamed of doing. I will usurp Lady Amelia Howard and become the face of the upper class overnight!"

A grin stretched across her face, her brown eyes gleaming with excitement. Austin couldn't help the derisive look that crept over his face. "Should I know who that is?"

The grin fell. "You do not know Lady Amelia Howard? You are an earl! You should—" She broke off, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Never mind. Lady Amelia Howard is the Countess of Lively and the most popular person in all of England. Everyone—upper class or not—knows who she is. She holds the key to the gates of social acceptance, capable of turning a lady into a diamond or an outcast."

"And you want to impress her?" Austin asked slowly.

"I don't want to simply impress her. I want to become her."

Austin nearly laughed. He didn't think Miss Lavender was hearing herself. If this lady was as famed as she made her out to be, then the haggard-looking woman who'd seemed content to sit bare-footed and cross-legged in front of him mere seconds ago was the last person capable of replacing someone of such a status.

The fire in Miss Lavender's eyes, however, intrigued him enough to keep him from pointing out how foolish she sounded. He looked down at the book she still had in her hand. Without warning, he plucked it from her fingers.

"My lord!"

Austin raised the book high above his head as he read. Miss Lavender tried to grab it but her small stature barely brought her halfway.

" 'In the end, I shall have everyone in the ballroom applauding me' ," he read in an incredulous tone. "How…creative."

She tugged on his arm with both her hands, then snatched the book from him. "It is quite rude stealing from others, my lord," she snapped. "And it would make no sense for you to read my plan in pieces. The reason I have called you here is because I wanted to go through everything with you. My brother informs me that we are to be wed and—"

"This matters not to me."

Her cheeks grew red in her frustration. "Please stop cutting me off. As I was saying, Vincent has informed me that we are now betrothed and that you have promised to escort me to every event which I am invited to."

Austin gritted his teeth, wishing he could deny that truth. His silence had her nodding in satisfaction. She turned and began gathering the scattered pieces of paper into a stack before dumping it in his hands.

"Read up then," she urged. "And we shall determine how we go on from there."

Austin instantly sat the papers down on a nearby table. "I shall do no such thing."

"Very well then," she said as if she'd anticipated such a response. "We shall do one item. We shall take a stroll through Hyde Park while I inform you of what is to be expected. You, of course, will try your best to look increasingly captivated by me."

Austin stared at her for a few seconds. "I shall do no such—"

"Perfect! I shall get ready while you wait for me in the drawing room. Henry?"

All of a sudden, the butler was standing behind him. Austin bit back a curse.

"Yes, Miss Lavender?" he answered with a slight bow.

"Please escort Lord Derby to the drawing room and have a carriage prepared. We will be going for a promenade in short order."

"As you wish, miss."

Austin didn't get the chance to argue. Miss Lavender drifted by him, scooping up the papers as she went, and made her way to the other side of the room where her bedchamber was. He could only stare after her in disbelief.

"After you, my lord," the butler—Henry—spoke again.

It seemed he had no choice. Austin tried not to grumble about it as he left her chambers, reminding himself that this was what he had signed up for.

But had he known that he would be shackling himself to a spoilt aspiring socialite, he would have turned and run as fast as he could.