Chapter Twenty

T hey were actually doing this—announcing her engagement tonight.

She stepped into the ballroom, her entire family crowding her. Neither her mother nor her aunt had been able to persuade them. No matter. Theodosia was not worried. Her path forward remained clear.

The moment her brother announced her engagement was the moment she denied it.

Publicly.

If Seth wished to take her choice away, she would damn well embarrass the hell out of him for trying to do so. She would make all of her brothers laughingstocks before she ever agreed to such a ridiculous marriage. What did she care?

In truth, she cared far more about Field and the fact that he didn't seem to care for her after all. He'd been so attentive, so constant. She'd begun to think his actions showed affection, but had she been mistaken? Now that he wasn't here, it was clear to see how much of a presence he had been in her life these past few weeks—ever since the list.

Her gaze traveled over the sea of people.

No Field.

But then, would he even be able to penetrate the barricade her brothers had seemingly formed around her if he were here? He'd be blocked the moment he approached her. She wished her mother could be here, but her aunt hadn't been feeling well this afternoon, so she had stayed back to care for her. The marchioness had, however, told her that no matter what she did tonight, she would support Theodosia.

A hand settled on her arm.

Theodosia glanced to see Selena smile at her. Her calm returned a bit at the sight of her friend. And Field's sister. It was if a part of him had just entered her space. "Selena! I've never been so relieved to see your face."

"Theo, are you all right?" her friend asked. She peeked at Theodosia's brothers before she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Do you need help to escape?"

"Escape?" Theodosia shook her head. "I can't. I have a brother to put in his place."

Selena nodded. "The announcement the papers spoke of."

"Yes, the announcement." And she looked forward to seeing those heathens' faces when she went against them.

Her friend's brows drew together, but she didn't say anything. Theodosia wanted to ask about Field, was dying to ask, but she couldn't make her lips form the question. No news was good news, was it not? Or was it bad news? Either way, asking for confirmation would only feel like pouring salt into a wound.

She was reminded of a time she once said to Selena that her brother made her skin crawl. But what now? What if the man who makes your skin crawl is also the only one who sets your heart on fire? Would Selena think her crazy?

"I heard my brother say that the betting book was lost but you retrieved it."

Theodosia's head whipped to Selena. So Field was back in London? Her heart thrummed in her chest.

Did he know that her brothers intended to announce her engagement tonight?

Seth had had an oblique bit of gossip about "an announcement" published in the papers—no doubt as a taunt, should Field happen to see it. And the man could not resist a gossip sheet. Field would certainly put together what it was about.

Theodosia cleared her throat. "And just where is Saville tonight? Seems odd that he is not lurking about."

"He's at home," Selena answered softly. "Sleeping off his drink. He and Warrick started earlier today, though that brother of mine truly outdid himself this time."

What?

Field was at home? Sleeping off drink? This meant that blackguard was not going to show his face tonight despite almost certainly knowing about her engagement announcement.

What an infuriating man.

And the most vexing part was that she couldn't blame him at all. She'd done everything she could to make it clear that she had no interest in pursuing any sort of relationship or future with him.

Even after that night.

Especially after that night.

"Oh, no . This is not good."

Theodosia glanced at her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Trouble on the staircase."

Theodosia followed her friend's gaze where a commotion at the stairs caught everyone's attention. What in the world? Was that Field?

Theodosia blinked.

Yes. Yes, it was.

But this was a Field she'd never glimpsed before: a beautiful, chaotic disaster stumbling into the ballroom. He appeared frantic, rushed, and half dressed. He wore breeches, boots, a shirt with a purple waistcoat that was riddled with holes. Nothing else.

Holy Heaven.

The man had lost his mind.

He clung to the balustrade of the stairs, a bellow exploding from his lips. "Theodosia!"

Yes, he had lost the entire damn thing.

"Dear Lord, is he still drunk?" Selena muttered beside her.

Theodosia stared at him wide eyed. "Definitely still drunk."

"Theodosia!" He swayed. "You cannot marry another man!"

"This is far worse than any scandal we heiresses have ever caused," Selena said, glancing around.

Theodosia was inclined to agree. His effect on the room was rather dramatic. Every single pair of eyes had turned to that staircase. Shock displayed on the faces of Field's audience, who all stood frozen with their gazes locked on him. Honestly, it was like watching a wheel come off of a careening carriage and it toppling over. One didn't want to look, but neither could one look away.

"Where is Warrick?" Theodosia asked, eyeing her brothers, whose faces had clouded over with fury. "We need to stop this."

"He stepped out for a bit."

"Stepped out for a bit? Why on earth would he do that?"

"I imagine he's relieving his bladder," Selena hissed back.

Oh.

"Theodosia!" Field bellowed again. "How can you marry another man when you already married me? Did you forget about the farm?"

Mary Mother of Christ.

"I want to marry you, Theodosia King," Saville shouted, almost stumbling over a step. "Only Theodosia will do!"

She caught Seth's furious look her way.

Well, there was no undoing this. At least she would not have to marry Sandgrove now. However, Field... Her brothers would, reluctantly or not, march them straight to the altar, after which they might just kill her new husband.

This is not how I wanted things to go.

But then, did it really matter?

He had come.

For her .

Her brothers suddenly cocooned her and Selena.

"Get out of my way, pup," Field growled as he made it down the stairs and stumbled toward them. Theodosia cast a nervous glance at her friend. She was rather surprised her brothers hadn't dragged her from the ballroom and away from scrutiny.

Did they actually want this confrontation?

" People should know their place," Seth growled.

"You never practice what you preach, do you?" Field shot back, slurring slightly. "You barge into other people's homes, causing them to hide under their desks. So why should I know my place if you don't?"

Theodosia's eyes widened in part horror and part fascination. Just how much had he consumed to lose all sense of self-preservation like this?

"Back away, Saville," Seth growled.

"Oh, Lord," Selena groaned. "By tomorrow he's going to be plastered all over the gossip columns he loves so much."

"Did my brother call on yours?" Theodosia whispered.

Selena nodded. "Four of them did. And yes, I made him hide under the desk. Ah, wait, I think I spotted Warrick through a crack!"

"Is he coming over?"

Selena craned her neck, attempting to get another glimpse. "Yes! I see him, he's coming this way."

Field wasn't giving up, though. "Theodosia!" he called out again. "Get out of my way pups."

"Go to hell," Joshua snapped.

"Fine, you can stop me from seeing her, but you can't stop me from saying what I want to say! Theodosia, listen to me." His voice rose. "You said you wanted to marry below your station! Then marry me! I'm below you no matter how you look at it."

Her breath caught. What was he going on about now? Was this still about country wife thing?

"And if that's not enough," his voice rang out again, louder than before, "you can strip me of my title every night."

Oh, Lord.

He was foxed to a lethal point. To the point that whatever it was that he had drunk might just be the cause of his death tonight.

There was only one way to end this. Only one way this didn't end up in a bloodbath. She needed to draw her brothers from the ballroom and trust that Warrick would take care of Field.

Theodosia turned to Selena. "I need your help."

"Anything," Selena said. "What do you want to do?"

Theodosia grabbed her friend's arm. "Run."

*

Saville stared at the paper before him blankly. His temples throbbed. And not just any normal brandy-influenced throb, but the sort of throb that threatened to split his skull in two. And his jaw. He dragged a hand over his cheek where Seth King had punched him.

I deserved it.

The moment he'd opened his eyes this morning, he'd half wished Kingsley had just ended his life and been done with it. That way he wouldn't have to live with the mortifying memories of last night.

Warrick entered the breakfast room, glancing at the papers before settling in and pouring himself a cup of tea.

"I hate to ask, but are you all right?"

"No, I'm not," Field said, nursing his strongly brewed coffee. "I'm in the mood to brood."

"I would say you look like death, but I wager you already know."

"Go to hell."

"Does your memory match the gossip columns?"

"They always exaggerate," Field muttered, then pulled his brows together as other memories, vague shouts and bellows, raided his mind.

"Not even their exaggerations could truly do justice to the scene and scandal you caused last night, old friend."

Field glanced at his friend, who looked as though he had just risen from bed. "That's only because they don't know what's going on this this bloody house."

"That is why they call it private life. You aired all your laundry in public last night."

Damn it. "Not all."

"Most of it, then. I daresay you ruined Lady Theodosia's reputation in the airing as well. It was quite the spectacle."

"Why the hell didn't you stop me?"

"How was I to know you would pull a stunt like that? I stepped away for one moment and you wreaked all that havoc. It's rather impressive if I may say so myself."

"You should have locked me in my damn room."

"Had I thought for one moment you would actually commit such a bold affront, I would have. You even hid that damn waistcoat beneath a coat until we'd already arrived." Warrick eyed him up and down. "Why are you still wearing the godawful travesty now?"

"Because it's in tatters, like my life."

Warrick chuckled. "I can't deny that. At least you are still alive."

Field scowled at him. "You drank just as much as I did. Why do you look so sprightly?"

"I assure you, I didn't even drink half of what you consumed. And frankly, I'm surprised Kingsley hasn't broken down your door this morning."

"There's still time."

He'd made an utter arse of himself last night. God, if he hadn't woken up today in that tattered waistcoat he would never have believed the gossip columns about his fall from grace. How was Theodosia doing after all that?

His waistcoat alone could have caused a scandal, but no, he had to be foxed and bellowing out scandalous things along with it.

"I am ruined, Warrick."

"Ah, well, all is not necessarily lost," Warrick said with amusement.

"She will never speak to me again."

"Do you want her to speak to you again?" Warrick asked.

"Don't act as if you don't know I love the damn minx. It's deuced insulting."

Warrick nodded. "Well, it's about time you admitted it."

"What does it even matter? She hates me. Didn't you see her flee the ballroom last night?" Of all the hazy memories he'd retained, that was the clearest. Just the memory of the sight caused a sharp pain in his chest to flare up whenever it surfaced. And it surfaced a lot. No matter how much he tried to suppress it, it was always there taunting him.

His head, his jaw, and his heart all ached.

"She did flee," Warrick murmured in agreement. "But I suspect that had more to do with her fear of you getting slain by her brothers. They looked like they were ready to throttle you."

"Nothing new on that front. They left me tied to a damn tree in Ashford. Blackguards."

"In any case, this scandal won't just disappear. Something will need to be done."

"I can't do anything."

"Of course you can," a woman's voice breezed into the dining room just ahead of the woman herself—the Dowager Marchioness of Kingsley. "You could marry my daughter."

Field shot up from his chair and flinched. He ignored the pain in his head and said, "Lady Kingsley?"

Warrick rose and murmured his greetings.

She arched a brow. "Well?"

Field cleared his throat. "Your daughter doesn't want to marry me."

"Have you asked her yourself if that is true?"

"I haven't."

"Then how do you know?"

Field frowned. How the hell could he not know? "I've been the recipient of your daughter's barbs and rejection firsthand many times."

"But you still love her, do you not?" The marchioness smiled. "You don't have to answer that. The entirety London knows you love my daughter. However, my sons are stubborn, and they refuse to listen to any reason where Theodosia is concerned. But do you still want to marry my daughter as fervently as you did last night?"

Field didn't hesitate. "I do." There can be no doubt about that.

Her grin widened. "Good."

An ominous chill spread down his spine at the marchioness's smile. Good? Then why did it feel like the exact opposite? Theodosia smiled like that too when she had mischief up her sleeve.

"What about Sandgrove?" He didn't want to ask, but he needed to.

"Oh, him? Seth is still adamant that the betrothal will go on. Sandgrove is in his study right now."

"Your sons will never approve of me as a match for Theodosia."

"We don't need their approval," the marchioness said. "All we need is you and my daughter's willingness."

Field inhaled a breath of hope. "And you are sure Theodosia is willing? Everything up to this point suggests otherwise."

"We women can be complicated beings. Trust me, I know my daughter."

He was too much of a besotted fool not to snatch hold of this chance. But that didn't mean she loved him, so he needed to remain steady. Calm. Patient. "You will go against those heathens?"

"Heathens?" The marchioness suddenly smiled. "Theodosia calls them that as well. My sons must learn that the world does not revolve around their word. I heard that Seth told you last night people should know their place. He should discover his as well."

Impressive woman. He could see where Theodosia inherited her spark. "I hate to ask this, but short of kidnapping your daughter, how do you propose we do this?"

"I have a plan."

Field and Warrick glanced at each other.

"Please don't tell me you are questioning my abilities," she said with an arched brow.

Warrick shook his head furiously.

"No, no." Field followed suit. Question his future mother-in-law? Never. He was already at a loss after last night's debacle. He would take all the help—any help—he could get. "And this plan..." Field said slowly. He was almost too scared to ask.

The marchioness tilted her head to the side, looking so much like Theodosia that his heart pinched. "Well, I believe it is your only option, and we don't have much time."

"What is it that you want me to do?"

"Attend a blind matchup gone well."

A what gone what?