Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Edward had no idea what had seized him. One moment, he was alone, drinking and mulling over his problem, trying to come up with a solution, and the next, he saw Lady Vivianne. He recognized her immediately. Her fiery red hair was unmistakable. And that grace with which she carried herself—it couldn’t have been anyone else.

But what intrigued him was the fact that she seemed as if she needed rescuing. Usually, ladies were more than grateful when he appeared out of nowhere, a knight in shining armor, whisking them into his arms and dancing with them. They would look at him with their long eyelashes, their eyes all dreamy and doe-like. And he would smile, knowing he was only several words away from having them completely mesmerized by him.

But not her. In fact, nothing about her or her reactions was like that of the other ladies of the ton . She seemed to belong to a world entirely her own where she didn’t let anyone in. And the banter between them—he had never felt so exuberant, so thrilled, so amused by a lady’s responses. That was when he realized that she could be the answer to his problems, not only Jonathon’s.

After having danced with her, he immediately sought out his best friend. Not finding him anywhere in the ballroom, he went out onto the balcony, hoping to find him there. Just as he hoped, Jonathon was leaning against the railing, staring into the darkness that enveloped the property that stretched into the dark oblivion before them. He stood with his back to Edward, so he didn’t notice his approach.

“You needed some peace and quiet?” Edward inquired, standing next to him and trying to gaze into the distance, to see that same invisible spot that had his friend so focused. But he couldn’t see it. What he was interested in most was back inside the ballroom.

Jonathon turned to him with a light smile. “Is it that obvious?”

Edward smiled back. “I always know where to find you, away from the crowd.”

Jonathon sighed. “It is all too much sometimes.”

“Yes, I can see.” Edward patted his friend on the back. “Sometimes I forget what an old soul you are.”

“I am not,” Jonathon chuckled. “I merely do not enjoy the spotlight as much as you.”

“Not nearly as much as I,” Edward corrected him, and they both burst into laughter. “Some of us were born to be the center of attention, I suppose, and we relish it.”

“A little too much,” Jonathon teased him, as they usually did, without any ill intent behind their words. They had been friends for far too long to take anything the other said or did at face value.

In fact, out of all the people Edward knew, Jonathon was the only person with whom he could be his own self, without any need to wear a mask to hide his flaws. Just because he had a pretty face, the world saw him as perfect. Over the years, Edward had simply stopped correcting people in that assumption.

Sometimes, he would even start believing it himself. But fortunately, Jonathon had always been there, by his side, to keep him grounded and to remind him that he was far from perfect—that a pretty face didn’t mean perfection.

“Although you are taunting me, I have good news for you.”

Jonathon turned to him, his brown eyes even darker in the night. “You do?”

“Yes.” Edward grinned, wondering if Jonathon would love the idea as much as he himself did. “I think I’ve come up with a solution to both our problems. I told you that my uncle has give me an ultimatum. If I want my inheritance, I need to find a respectable wife. That is my problem. Yours is Lady Aurelia’s older sister. Do you see where I am going with this, old boy?”

Jonathon seemed to ponder it for a few moments, then he shook his head. Edward laughed.

“Ah, I forget sometimes how good and innocent you are, Jonathon.” He was still chuckling through the words. “I’m always wondering how come you’ve remained so good, despite years of being friends with me.”

“That’s because my good sides are stronger than your bad ones,” Jonathon teased him back. “And you have improved. Slightly, but improved nonetheless.”

“Heaven forbid!” Edward replied playfully. “No, no, no improvement for me. I shall remain as I am until the day I die, mark my words.”

“You have no idea what you are saying.” Jonathon was always the voice of reason in their friendship. “But I shall let you live in blissful ignorance. Now, as for that plan of yours…”

“Ah, yes.” Edward nodded, eager to continue. “I know it might sound a little ludicrous, but hear me out. If I marry Lady Vivianne, that will make Lady Aurelia eligible for courtship—and even better, as Lady Vivianne’s husband, I will be more than happy to put in a good word for you, giving you a head start over all those other gentlemen pining over her.”

The look on Jonathon’s face was one of astonishment. He was seemed flabbergasted, and it took him a few moments to compose himself and ask the question that had probably been swarming inside his mind like an angry bee. “You… would actually do that?”

Edward shrugged as indifferently as if they had been discussing the weather and his utter powerlessness to do anything about it. “Why not?”

There were many reasons he could list, but he didn’t want to think about them at that moment. It wasn’t as if he had any say in the matter. His uncle had told him the current state of affairs, and all he could do was adjust to them.

“Well,” Jonathon started, cautious in selecting his words, “you are not one for commitment, and that is exactly what marriage is. One long, even endless commitment to another human being. Are you ready for that?”

Commitment. It was a word that used to terrify him. But now, all he felt was rage at not having his life under his control, as it had been until that moment. Someone else, namely his uncle, was pulling the strings, and Edward felt like a puppet.

“I am committed to you,” he pointed out playfully. “You and I have been functioning quite well, if I do say so myself.”

Jonathon smiled. “You know what I mean.”

“I have to get married anyway,” Edward said after a bitter chuckle. “I have, of course, done my research, as you could have anticipated. From what I’ve heard of the DuPonts, they are a well-respected family. That was my uncle’s sole condition, mind you, that my wife is a respectable lady. Not only that, but Lady Vivianne is also quite easy on the eyes, which makes everything much better for me. Now, if I can solve both our problems with one solution, why not do it?”

Jonathon shook his head. He still didn’t look convinced, and Edward had to admit that he wasn’t expecting his friend to be this difficult. “You are taking this very lightly, Edward.”

“How am I supposed to take it?” Edward asked. “It is not a matter of life and death, is it?”

“No,” Jonathon clarified, “it isn’t. But life also isn’t a game of chess.”

Edward laughed at his friend’s choice of words. “Everything is a game. The winner is the one with the most drive, and as always, that will be me.”

Edward had never been keen on losing. Fortunately, he hadn’t suffered that experience much in his lifetime. Fate had made sure of that, and he intended to keep that streak going for as long as possible.

“Need I remind you that Lady Vivianne is not in search of romance?” Jonathon wondered.

“Everyone is in search of something, whether we want to admit it or not.” Edward was adamant. He thought about it for a moment, then he added, having come up with the perfect addition to his original plan, “If I cannot romance the fiery-haired vixen, I will pay you my weight in gold.”

“Romance?” Jonathon asked for more clarification. “In the real sense of the word?”

“Well, perhaps not.” Edward could agree with that. “But I think I am more than intelligent enough to find my way around that.” He offered his hand, which lingered in the air between them. “Is it a deal?”

Jonathon, usually not one to partake in such games, nodded without thinking. “If this will help me woo Aurelia, then yes.”

“It will.” Edward nodded, gripping Jonathon’s hand firmly, absolutely certain that he knew exactly what he was doing. “Or my name is not Edward Vincent Woodhouse.”

***

“Who was that man?” Aurelia inquired as soon as she approached Vivianne, who was still slightly flushed from dancing with the handsome stranger who had saved her from the unbearable company of Lord Kinsington.

“Oh, that?” she asked, trying to give the impression of indifference, although the swirl of sensations inside of her was anything but. “Just some gentleman who asked to dance with me.”

“Wait, wait, wait… and you accepted?” Aurelia gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. “Did he… bribe you into it?”

Vivianne chuckled. Her sister’s shock was justified. She had not danced with anyone other than Lord Kinsington in ages, mostly because no one had asked her to. But even if they did, she would have refused them, nonetheless. She had a reputation to uphold, after all, and that was the reputation of a would-be frigid spinster.

The first time she’d heard that about herself, she hadn’t been able to resist the urge to chuckle. The description could not have been further from the truth, but she had absolutely no desire to dissuade anyone. If people were willing to believe lies, so be it. Those were the wrongs she refused to rectify, as they wasted her energy on something that was not worth her effort.

“No, of course not,” Vivianne assured her. She was on the verge of telling her sister that he’d saved her from Lord Kinsington, but that would reveal her utter disgust with the man and, in turn, provoke her sister’s concern.

“Then… how come?” Aurelia would simply not let it be.

“I did it to appease Mother.” Vivianne suddenly came up with a plausible excuse. “She will enjoy the idea of me dancing with someone new. It will make her hopeful.”

It was difficult to keep appearances. She didn’t want to succumb to the pressure of the burden, but she would not be able to handle Lord Kinsington’s advances for much longer. The man was an utter scoundrel, and she would truly rather be dead than married to a man who was bound to make her life a living hell. But she had no other choice.

More importantly, her sister’s happiness depended on her. Vivianne loved her family dearly, especially her sister. Knowing that her own refusal to marry had kept her sister a spinster would destroy her. It would destroy them both. And her father’s gambling debts would destroy the little reputation they had left. Life had suddenly become everything it was not before, and Vivianne was finding it increasingly difficult to manage all the responsibilities that she suddenly had.

“The man is quite dashing,” Aurelia said, bringing Vivianne back to the present moment. “Everyone was looking at you.”

“I know,” Vivianne said with a frown. She didn’t want to think about him, yet there was nothing else inside her mind but him. “He is quite handsome. I would even say too handsome.”

Aurelia chuckled sweetly. “I didn’t know there was such a thing.”

“There is.” Vivianne was absolutely certain, still pouting. “Especially when someone is aware of that.

“Is he arrogant?” Aurelia wondered.

Vivianne thought about it. The answer was obvious. “A little, but not too much.”

Aurelia chuckled again. “That’s not too bad, then.”

Their conversation continued for a while longer, until their parents joined them. Vivianne didn’t want to admit it to herself, but secretly, she kept searching for Lord Chesterfield’s face in the crowd, but she was unsuccessful in finding him. An unexpected pang of disappointment gripped her. Where had that came from?

“Who was the man you danced with, my dear?” her mother asked, and Vivianne tried to give the same, indifferent response she had given before—hopefully with more conviction that time.

“You said to smile and be more approachable, Mother,” Vivianne said sweetly, feeling slightly guilty for lying to both her mother and her sister. But she couldn’t tell them the truth.

In fact, she still had no idea how to solve the problem she had. It had been keeping her from sleeping for months, making her wake up with dark circles underneath her eyes and a mind that swarmed with unanswered questions. How would she sort out the question of her sister’s marriage if she herself didn’t want to get married? It seemed to be a problem with no solution.

“Oh, that is splendid.” Her mother wrapped her bejeweled arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a quick embrace. “I am so happy to see you taking my advice. And see? A dashing young gentleman has been drawn in by your beautiful smile.”

Yes, that was actually intriguing her. Why had he approached her? Was it truly to save her from Lord Kinsington? But they didn’t know each other. Why would he care about her comfort? It didn’t make any sense.

Yet she couldn’t forget how she trembled underneath his gaze, or how her palms were getting more and more clammy, the longer she spent in his company. Everything about him was perfect. That was the only way to describe him. And she hated perfection.

Vivianne had always preferred the sharp edges of things—and that was why she’d ended up cutting herself badly the one time she decided to open up her heart and let someone in.

Never again, that little voice inside of her echoed, reminding her of a promise she had made to herself. Never again.