Chapter 7

"It would seem that your betrothed is terrible at the pianoforte."

That was an understatement. Lady Alice Barkley was not just "terrible" at the pianoforte, she should never have been allowed near one.

Colin merely smiled and tipped his head closer to his friend to whisper, "It is a good thing, then, that I am not really marrying her."

He kept his voice low so that the maid who accompanied them to the parlor would not hear them both. He knew well enough how rumors spread all over London—the servants were the hidden eyes and ears in the walls.

Yet, in spite of her horrid playing, he could not tear his eyes away from the young lady seated before the pianoforte, her face a curious mix of irritation and surprise. The light of the afternoon sun streaming through the open windows made her seem as if she were painted in gold. Her eyes, brilliant as emeralds, were regarding him with wariness.

My little lamb appears to be feeling a little cross today.

"Your Graces!" he heard a woman gasp.

Colin turned his gaze to a handsome woman who appeared to be in her fifth decade. Her dark hair was very similar in shade and texture to Alice's, save for several streaks of gray. They had the same lips, too, although he thought that her eldest daughter's were simply more beautiful.

"Lady Brandon." Ethan bowed, ever the picture of the perfect gentleman. He subtly nudged Colin with his elbow, who managed to hastily sketch a respectful bow before the lady of the house.

"Please, please… do come inside, and make yourselves comfortable." The Marchioness happily ushered them into the parlor.

Both men allowed the flustered lady to guide them into the parlor. As he took his seat, Colin managed to catch Alice's disapproving gaze and merely smiled at her in return.

"These are my daughters. The eldest one is Alice—" Lady Brandon gestured towards her eldest daughter. "And the youngest, Phoebe, who is to make her bow this Season."

Alice regarded them both with a regal nod, while Phoebe curtsied politely.

"Dears, this is the Duke of Blackthorn and the Duke of Sinclair."

Ethan's smile grew wider, and Colin had to subtly nudge him in a silent reminder to not get any ideas with his betrothed or her sister.

"We apologize for calling on you unannounced, Lady Brandon," Colin addressed her courteously. "It was not our intention to inconvenience you."

"Oh, it is certainly no inconvenience, Your Grace." Lady Brandon smiled pleasantly at him, pausing to shoot a pointed glare at her daughters to compose themselves at once.

The effect was almost immediate, with the younger girl immediately straightening up, adopting the demeanor of the perfect, gently bred young miss of the ton.

Her older sister, however, continued to simply glare at him.

"I do admit that we are caught by surprise at your visit," the Marchioness continued. "You must forgive us."

"It is we who must be forgiven." Colin schooled his features into a contrite look. "It is just that…" he trailed off as his gaze found Alice once more. "It is just that I could not possibly wait. Ever since I saw Lady Alice promenading in the Park, I was utterly entranced by her radiance and could not contain myself. I was hoping I could speak to the Marquess as soon as possible."

"A-Alice?" Lady Brandon squeaked. "Y-you meant to say, my daughter, Alice, Your Grace?"

Colin could barely contain his irritation at her reaction. Did she think so little of her daughter as to surmise that she would not be able to attract the attention of a duke?

"Yes," he said icily. "That daughter."

To her credit, Lady Brandon immediately looked contrite. She shot her daughter a look of confusion, but Alice only shook her head subtly at her mother.

"I see." She smiled, quickly regaining her composure. "My… husband has not been well as of late, but Alice has always been dear to him. He will be happy to come and speak with you, Your Grace."

He saw how Alice shared a look with her sister at the mention of their father and saw the depth of sadness in her vivid green eyes. It would seem that it was not only the Marquess who cared for her. Both sisters clearly loved their father dearly, and his present condition was something that caused them great pain.

Lady Brandon politely excused herself so that she could go fetch her husband, leaving her daughters in the parlor with the maid. Even if one was entertaining dukes in one's household, propriety must still be observed at all times, particularly when there were two marriageable young ladies present.

For a moment, a tense silence reigned in the sunlit parlor. Ethan squirmed a little in his cushioned seat while Alice continued to glare at Colin. Her younger sister, Phoebe, took great care not to look both him and his friend in the eye.

Finally, he saw the younger girl manage to sneak a glance at Ethan, her eyes wide in curiosity.

"Are you a Wolf, too, Your Grace?" she blurted out.

Ethan burst into laughter at the innocent query, his dark eyes dancing with merriment as he regarded the younger girl.

Colin merely stretched his lips over his teeth in a feral smile directed at her older sister. "We promise not to bite, fair ladies."

Alice met his gaze with her own steely one. Her back was ramrod straight as she sat on the stool, like a queen gazing upon peasants. Her lips were pressed into a line that hinted at her displeasure.

"Might I have a word with you, Your Grace?" she asked him coolly.

"Most happy to oblige." Colin stood up from his seat and held his hand out to Alice, who only regarded it fleetingly before standing up on her own.

"Thank you for indulging me, Your Grace. Shall we?"

He followed her to a quiet corner of the parlor where they would not be so easily overheard by Ethan and her sister.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. "What did you think to accomplish by coming here unannounced? I have not even told my family yet!"

Colin merely smiled at her. "But I was under the impression that young ladies would like such romantic surprises."

She shot him a withering glare instead. "This is not a game, Your Grace. You might not know much about me, but I despise lying. Absolutely loathe it."

"So do I, my dear."

"Then you will understand why I needed more time," she insisted. "We need to make it more realistic?—"

"Why should we?" he scoffed. "This is not real, Alice—none of it is."

She balked at the coolness of his tone, and Colin almost felt apologetic, if not for the fact that she needed to hear the truth. A young lady who despised lying—it was going to pose problems down the road, he was sure. It was better to nip things in the bud to prevent a great deal of misunderstanding in the future.

"I am aware that this is nothing more than a farce," she acknowledged softly.

"Good," he retorted. "Thirty days, Alice. You and me. Do not forget that."

"I cannot imagine how I am supposed to forget any of this so easily," she scoffed. "Not when you keep flinging it in my face every single chance you get."

"Just so you do not get any other ideas, little lamb."

She gaped at him in shock. And then, her lips pressed into a grim line, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Up close, he could almost see her vibrating with anger.

That is better. Hate me if you will, little lamb. This is much better than if you are to get silly ideas in your head…

Women were so dreadfully idealistic and tragically resilient—the same fatal combination that had led his mother to her doom. It was better to crush whatever fanciful notions Alice might harbor at the very start.

"As if I would ever want to be married to a beast like you!" She fumed. "Thank heavens that this is nothing more than a farce!"

That… stung.

He watched her in discomfited silence as she turned on her heel and walked back to join Ethan and her sister. Ethan immediately looked up at her in worry while Phoebe clutched her hand in reassurance.

Almost immediately, Colin wished he could gouge his friend's pretty eyes from their sockets. He had no business at all looking at Alice. She was his betrothed, after all—even if it was all a farce.

* * *

I have never met a more infuriating man than this beast!

Inwardly, Alice began to curse herself for her moment of weakness. If only she had not been so foolish as to try to steal the book from right under the nose of the Duke of Thorns, then she would not have been caught in this predicament!

Now, he expected her to lie not only to the entire world but to her family as well.

I certainly hope the book is worth it.

If not, then she would be subjecting herself to thirty days of pure torture with the most insufferable man in all of London!

But it would be enough to buy her the time she desperately needed to change her father's mind. Or get a new suitor, at the very least.

Alice, you silly fool.

She felt him take the seat right beside her, drawing a surprised gasp from her sister. Poor Phoebe had never seen Alice with a man, especially one who showed a keen interest in her.

Pretending. He is only pretending to show a keen interest in me.

Hopefully, her sister would have better sense after her coming out than to involve herself with such a man as the Duke of Thorns. Even better, Phoebe should just stay away from that pack of Wolves! They were all up to no good—especially Colin Fitzroy!

From the corner of her eye, she could see his smug smile, and her hands curled into fists under the fabric of her skirts. Inwardly, she allowed her mind to drift back to sunlit fields and stalks of flowers dancing lazily in the wind…

Calming thoughts, Alice. Think calming thoughts…

She was going to need all the help she could get if she was to pretend to even like him. There was nothing much to like about him, anyway.

Maybe except for that stellar physique that not even the most fashionable clothes could obscure.

Or the flash of his white teeth when he smiled—arrogantly or otherwise.

Or the…

Alice groaned inwardly and felt the dire need to hit her head with something hard. She truly needed to stop being such a silly goose for the Duke of Thorns. No good was ever going to come out of it.

No good at all.

Already, she could feel her cheeks heating up with frustration—both at her situation and the man currently sitting beside her. He looked rather pleased with himself, while she… well, she was not pleased at all, and that was simply the beginning of it.

"Ah! I never thought I would ever see the house this lively again!" A feeble voice chuckled from the doorway.

As one, their heads swiveled to the doorway. The Marquess of Brandon had arrived.