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Chapter 11

This is what you get when you make a deal with the devil—or the Duke of Thorns.

Alice sucked in a deep breath and held in the sigh of pure, undiluted frustration that had been bubbling up her chest as her mother held up yet another dress before her. The Marchioness paused and frowned before casually throwing it back into a maid's waiting arms. All around them, the entire bedchamber was festooned with all sorts of dresses and gloves and the like.

"Mama, I do not think it would matter overmuch what I wear," she finally protested as her mother discarded a sky-blue dress. "I do not think the Duke will care what I wear. I would not be marrying him if he cared too much about it…"

With his reputation, he is probably much more concerned with how fast he can get a woman out of her dress,a small voice whispered in the back of her head. A Wolf is a Wolf, no matter how long he has been away from Society.

She had seen the way he looked at her. The thought of his heated stare was enough to… unsettle her.

Alice might be innocent, but she was not stupid. The man's roguish instincts were still very much intact.

"Yes, yes, yes, I know that His Grace is so enamored with you," Lady Brandon muttered, pulling back to scrutinize a muted peach gown with a sprinkling of golden beads all over the bodice. She turned to her daughter with a fretful look. "But the ton will not be so forgiving, my dear. When you walk into that ball, all eyes would be on you, scrutinizing you, pointing out every flaw they can find…"

Alice pursed her lips at her mother's words. The Marchioness was justified in her concern for her daughter. High Society was rarely so tolerant, especially amongst their own. Envy was a difficult malady to treat, and it had gripped the aristocracy for ages. It would have been far easier for everyone to accept had Alice been a rare, ravishing beauty.

Or an heiress of an incontestable lineage. Maybe even a princess.

Unfortunately, this was to be her third Season, and before Colin, she had had no prospects.

Not even a whiff of any.

"I think the green one looked lovely on Alice, Mama," Phoebe remarked from her place on the sofa, her eyes twinkling as she took in the sight before her. "It brings out the color of her eyes and makes her skin so fair that it glows."

"Now, you are making me sound like a firefly." Alice chuckled at her sister, shooting her a grateful smile.

If her mama was to pick out another dress from the wardrobe, she was going to expire from the sheer exhaustion of it all.

Lady Brandon picked up the gown Phoebe had been referring to and held it up before her eldest daughter. A satisfied smile bloomed on her face.

"I think Phoebe is right this time—you shall make for a very beautiful firefly tonight!"

Alice was only grateful that her mother had finally finished selecting a dress. If she was this anxious over a betrothal announcement, she shuddered to think just how much more she would have to suffer through for her engagement ball and—heaven forbid—her wedding. Lady Brandon would have every modiste in London in an uproar over her wedding trousseau, she was certain of it.

But it would not go so far as that, she reminded herself. This was only a temporary arrangement, after all—thank the high heavens for that. In thirty days, she would have finished reading La Philosophie dans Le Boudoir, and she and Colin could amicably part ways. Her father's health will have improved too. And hopefully, by then, she would have already found a more suitable match—one who was not so arrogant and domineering and downright breathtaking…

Alice shook her head to dispel her thoughts. It would be best if she did not entertain them at this point. To expect more of their arrangement was not only whimsical, but it was downright foolish.

Besides, she really was not considering marrying a beast like Colin Fitzroy, was she?

* * *

Lady Salisbury had always taken great pride in being one of the first to host a ball every Season for the last decade and a half. In fact, one might even surmise that no sooner had she finished with the last ball than the Countess would well be on her way to planning the next one.

Invitations for the ball were often sent out almost as soon as the noble guests arrived in London. Indeed, it was even considered a young lady's first order of business to prepare for the Salisbury ball as soon as the Season started.

Colin, in all honesty, could not care less about this Countess or that Marchioness hosting what were essentially glamorous matchmaking parties. However, this was the year that Evelyn was going to debut, and as her brother, he could not afford to be remiss in his duties.

In fact, he had gone a step further and not only prepared his wardrobe for the entire Season, but he had also acquired for himself a lovely betrothed to bolster his reputation—all so that Evie may succeed in finding a suitable match.

If one of us must get married, then it had better be a good marriage.

He was going to make sure that Evie found a man who was not only her match in status and wealth but also one who genuinely cared for her happiness.

Nothing less would do.

"Well, I never thought I would see the day when I would see you in one of these things again, Blackthorn," a mischievous voice remarked.

Colin turned around to find two of his best friends striding towards him—Ethan, with his usual charming smile, and Daniel, who looked as if he would rather be anywhere than in the ball.

That makes two of us. Misery loves company, indeed.

The Duke of Ashton regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "Ethan has just informed me of something rather interesting. I would not have believed it myself had I not known for a fact that your carriage was parked outside of Brandon Estate yesterday afternoon."

"You know how Ash is." Ethan grinned. "He has his spies all over the country. Maybe all over Europe, even."

Daniel merely smirked. "Your information has always been a bit… unreliable."

"Hey!"

"It is true," Colin acknowledged with a slight nod of his head. "I… have an arrangement with Lady Alice Barkley."

"Oh? An arrangement?" The slight inflection in Daniel's voice belied his curiosity. "One could say that most marriages in the ton can be called an arrangement of sorts. Might we be privy to what this arrangement of yours is all about?"

Colin leaned in and whispered to his friend the intricacies of his current betrothal, that it was going to last for all of thirty days and was only meant to bolster his reputation so that his sister's coming out would not be affected by his past misdeeds.

"A rather circumspect way of doing things," Daniel remarked. "And rather unusual, I might add."

"That and I needed Grandmother to leave me alone for the better part of this Season." Colin grimaced. "You know how she has been the past three years or so."

"It is a dowager's most preferred pastime to meddle in the affairs of their children." The Duke of Ashton shrugged. "Or in the case of the lovely Lady Wellington, grandchildren."

"I had hoped that she would be busy this Season with Evie, but it cannot be helped. She simply has too much time on her hands, it would seem."

Both of his friends could only glance at him in commiseration. Colin was about to reach for a glass of wine from a passing footman's tray when the butler announced the arrival of the Marchioness of Brandon and her daughters, Lady Alice Barkley and Lady Phoebe Barkley.

Colin's world seemed to freeze for a moment as his gaze swiveled to the top of the stairs unbidden—only for his breath to get caught in his throat the moment he saw her.

Thankfully, he had not had any wine yet, for his mind could only scream one thing when he saw her?—

What the hell is she thinking, wearing that in a ballroom full of men?

Tonight, her luscious body was encased in a lush green dress that showcased her creamy complexion. The neckline was fashionably low and festooned with a smattering of deep emerald beads that brought his attention—and that of his hardening manhood—to the soft flesh above her bodice. Her rich, dark hair was piled in a most elegant fashion on top of her head and threaded through with yet more emeralds, leaving her neck bare as if to invite him for a taste.

"So, that is Lady Alice Barkley," he heard Daniel say, the interest clear in his voice. "In all honesty… not bad. Not bad at all, Blackthorn."

Ethan rolled his eyes and chimed in with a grin, "Not bad? I would honestly not mind it if she was my betrothed."

Hearing his two friends—both of whom he knew to be unrepentant rogues—discussing Alice provoked a most primal reaction deep within Colin. He turned towards the two of them, his eyes flashing furiously.

"She is my betrothed," he growled. "Mine. And you had both best keep your eyes to yourselves!"

"Fake betrothed," Daniel corrected him with a slight cough. "Were you not just telling us earlier that you have no intention of truly marrying her?"

Ethan just glanced at him with yet another of his slight smiles. "What an interesting reaction you have there, old friend. Frankly, I have never seen you this possessive of anyone before."

This is different!

Colin wanted to rage at his friend, but then, he looked around the ballroom and noticed that it was not just his friends who were looking at his fake betrothed more favorably—so was what appeared to be the entire male population in the ballroom…

Even the ailing Sir Percy Gilligan seemed to take a bit more interest and leaned on his cane a bit more until Colin worried that the old man was going to topple over.

It would serve him right for leering at my betrothed, though!

His eyebrows snapped together in a frown as he realized the direction of his thoughts. He looked back to the staircase where Alice was still with her mother, but a small crowd had already begun to form around them, mostly composed of men leering down her bodice. The sight of it was enough to incite thoughts of rampant violence in any man.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ethan called after him as Colin began to stalk off.

He rolled his eyes. "I am going to find a footman with a strong enough drink to last me through the night!"

Daniel simply stood back and folded his arms over his chest. "I doubt you would find what you are looking for here. I suggest you take two, then."

Colin had a feeling he was going to need a bit more.

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