Chapter 8

"You never know, George, you might even end up enjoying yourself at the Thompson ball," Sebastian teased as he practically dragged George along with him. "We might as well have some fun while we are here in London."

Fun? George wanted to scoff, because he could not imagine having any fun while he was here. Nothing about being in London had been fun so far. The funeral had been just as terrible as he had expected, and then learning about the damage Gregory wanted to continue to do to his family's legacy… it was utterly unbearable.

The only reason that George had agreed to come to this ball at all was the fear that his brother was going to start on with his devious plan. To make some poor wealthy lady fall in love with him, simply so he could destroy her family fortune as well as his own.

It was a terrible thought.

But Sebastian, in his typical light hearted manner, was trying to turn it in to a good time.

George had little doubt in his mind that Sebastian would spend most of the night on the dance floor, laughing and charming all the ladies and duchesses there. He would have a good time even if George spent the night scowling in the corner.

They were welcomed in to the ball warmly. George might have been impressed with how friendly the Thompson family were, had his eyes not already been scouring the dance floor, trying to see what his tyrant brother was up to now.

There he is. A tight knot of anger formed in George's chest as he witnessed his brother smiling adoringly at the woman before him. A lady who seemed very much in step with Gregory, much to George's chagrin. She had no idea what she was letting herself in for.

"My, my," Sebastian teased. "Gregory is not wasting any time on his little mission, is he?"

Sebastian could make jokes about what was happening, but George was not in the mood to join in.

"Wait…" Sebastian grabbed George's arm hard. "Is that…?"

George had been so focused on his brother, that he had barely wasted any time looking at the beautiful blonde woman in his arms. But now that Sebastian had drawn his attention there, a thick lump formed in his throat. Now he was not just angry, but jealous too. So much so that he felt sick to his stomach.

"It is!" Sebastian concluded delightfully. "That is Lady Dashwood in his arms. How on earth do they know one another?"

George was speechless.

Sophie had been on his mind ever since they set foot off the ship. He had not been able to forget her haunting blue eyes as she held on to him for dear life while he attempted to rescue her. Nor had he been able to push aside the sheer determination on her face as she demanded a chance to repay him somehow.

He had dreamt of nothing but her, and now here she was.

In his brother's arms.

The dream had become a nightmare.

I cannot allow Gregory to take yet another thing from me.

It hardly mattered that George had told Sophie he wanted nothing but friendship from her. Seeing her smiling at Gregory twisted up his heart in ways he was not expecting. Determination surged through his veins because he simply could not stand it.

"He has spotted us," Sebastian warned. "I believe he might be coming over with Lady Dashwood in tow."

George's spine stiffened. He had no idea how he was going to handle this, but he knew he had to be strong. To hold his head up high, no matter what happened. Gregory was always going to do whatever he could to get under George's skin, to make him react and possibly prove to the ton that he was in fact the unstable one.

And George was determined not let Gregory win.

Sebastian seemed to sense the tension riling up in George, so he stepped forward to make this all run more smoothly.

"Lord Harrington, Lady Sophie, how wonderful it is to see you."

Gregory's eyes widened in surprise. At least Sebastian had knocked him off kilter a little.

"You know one another? Lady Dashwood, you have already met Lord Sebastian Akerson, and my brother, Lord George Harrington?"

"Yes, we had quite the delightful boat journey over from Sweden together," Sebastian chuckled, jumping in once more before this got even more uncomfortable than it already was. "I found the Dashwood family to be quite charming."

All the color had drained from Sophie's face. She looked like she had seen a ghost and did not know how to escape the clutches of the haunting. To be honest, George felt the same way. He might have spent many a night dreaming about seeing her once more, but the reality was quite stunning.

Especially seeing her on the arm of his brother.

He did not know what to do with himself.

"I believe my mother is trying to get my attention," she finally declared in a half whisper. George was sure that this was nothing more than an excuse, but who could blame her? "Thank you for the dance, Lord Harrington. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."

George could not take his eyes off of Sophie for even a moment, as she crossed the room back to the refreshment table where her parents were standing, he looked on, longingly, with a deep sense of yearning settling in the pit of his stomach.

Unfortunately, typical of a man who was sharp at spotting the weakness in others, Gregory seemed to sense this.

"Lady Dashwood is the wealthiest woman in this room," he said smugly. "And the lucky woman that I have chosen to marry. I am sure she will be quite pleased to have a marriage proposal from a viscount. What do you think?"

George said nothing.

He knew that his brother did not even really need a response to that.

Gregory just wanted to wind him up, and George was still refusing to give him what he wanted.

"Yes, I think she will like it quite a lot," Gregory declared, pleased with himself. "I do not think she would like to marry a mere lord. A lady like that deserves a man with a great title." He smirked at George, really enjoying the upset he was causing. "Anyway, I do hope you have a pleasant trip back to Sweden."

It was damn near impossible for George to contain himself.

He felt a tsunami of rage flowing through him. All he wanted to do was lurch out at Gregory, to give him what for. To perhaps finish the fight that they started years ago, and to maybe do everything that he was accused of. Because why not? Last time, he did nothing, and he lost it all anyway. So why keep on behaving?

For her.

That thought flooded him before he managed to act on anything.

Everything he lost before was nothing compared to the feeling Sophie gave him when she stared at him. The way his heart fluttered, and his lips tingled… that was a sensation he never wanted to end.

Of course he was all too aware that Gregory was right about one thing. That Sophie deserved to marry a man far better than him. A viscount, yes, but not his brother. George did not want Gregory to turn on the charm and to use Sophie for her money. That was not fair. She was a lovely person who deserved to be loved.

"So, what are you going to do?" Sebastian asked George, sensing the inner turmoil that he was suffering through. "How are you going to end this?"

"I need to protect her," George insisted. "I have to keep her far away from Gregory or he will destroy her."

"Yes, I agree. Lady Dashwood is too lovely for that."

George met Sebastian's eyes and spotted the knowing smirk there. George might not be ready to admit how deep his feelings ran, but it seemed like his best friend understood it anyway. That was a relief, it meant he did not need to explain himself.

"I cannot allow Gregory to marry her," he continued. "So, I will need to woo her myself."

"To marry her?" Sebastian asked in obvious surprise.

George's heart skipped a beat. Oh, how lovely it would be if he could even consider that possibility. But of course he could not.

"I am merely a lord. I am not worthy of a lady like Lady Dashwood. But I can break off the pursuit as soon as Gregory has moved on, allowing Lady Dashwood to marry someone who really deserves her."

Sebastian paused on this for a moment. George could almost hear the cogs ticking around in his brain before he started to speak once more. "I do not know about this, George. This does not feel like a good plan to me. There is far too much on the line…"

"What is on the line?" George demanded. "She will be far worse off if she is left to Gregory's whims."

"When it comes to matters of the heart…"

"Matters of the heart?" George could feel himself growing increasingly frustrated because he honestly could not see any other way to make this work. He had to get Sophie away from Gregory if it was the last thing he did. "I do not have to make her fall in love with me…"

"But you will be courting her and trying to woo her. You will be showing her affection. You have to be careful not to ruin her reputation throughout all of this. It might not matter too much to you because you will be headed back to Sweden eventually…"

George shook his head stubbornly. "I will be careful. You do not need to worry about me. As long as I keep her away from Gregory."

"I only wish for you not to get blinded by this. Or not to cause unnecessary hurt along the way."

George dismissed his friend's worries. He knew what he was doing, and he would not fail. No matter what happened, she would soon understand why he had done this. Rescuing her from Gregory was the best thing he could ever do for her.

His eyes sought out Sophie and he watched her laughing and talking with her friends in her sweet, regal manner. She really was lovely. The most adorable woman that he had ever met, who would not understand the manipulations that could come along with the London ton.

She might not even realize that so many men were trying to woo her just because of her title and her link to Swedish royalty, and in his brother's case, all for her money.

Mentally, he tried to plan how he would woo her, but his brain kept drifting off and thinking about other things. Such as what it might feel like to have her in his arms, dancing with him instead. Or how much he would like to dip his head down and to brush his lips against hers, a little like he wanted to when he first pulled her over the bars of the ship.

He might have just rescued her, and it was most definitely not the right time, but all he had wanted to do in the heat of the moment was kiss her… invite her back to his bedroom, and to unravel that woman in a way that was wholly inappropriate for a lady of her stature.

Maybe he would need to be a little careful with his heart around Sophie because he might be a little more attached to her than he should be. But that would all subside once he returned to his real life in Sweden. Then he could forget all about his time in London and the beautiful Lady Dashwood, safe in the knowledge that he had done the right thing.