Chapter 13

"So, I have been spending a lot of time with Mr. Cook," Paul started, the moment he sat down at the breakfast table. He had been spending far too much time at the house talking about the match he thought was perfect. It was horrible for Violet. "And he has been telling me all about his life. I think you will fit right in, Violet, and have the best time."

Violet did everything that she could not to meet William"s eyes.

She could not stand to meet his gaze at the moment.

It was all just too much for her, the teasing would just make everything worse.

"I know he might not be the man that you would have picked out, given half the chance," Paul continued, spilling out the understatement of the century. "But he is perfect for now. We are lucky to find him. I cannot wait until he comes to see you again, I think you will get a better idea of him that way. Spending some time alone, talking and getting to know one another, will help you both."

Was Paul shooting William an unimpressed look?

Did Paul know that William was endlessly teasing her?

"So, I have invited him to join us this afternoon," Paul eventually continued. "I thought it would be nice for the pair of you to talk in the home, and maybe to take a walk in the gardens also. Eagleton Manor has a great landscape which I am sure Charles will enjoy."

Violet could not think of anything worse, but she knew she could not deny Paul. Even if William was shooting her a pointed look.

She had not forgotten his offer, but it was so strange and unexpected, so insincere that she knew she needed to forget all about it. His words were spite. Purely to upset her, since he clearly enjoyed holding all the power in his hands. Toying with everyone as if they were his puppets.

"You must wear your nicest dress, Violet. We want to keep Mr. Cook interested at all times." Paul examined her critically. "And perhaps we should discuss some conversation topics. I do not want you to bore him."

Violet bit her tongue so she would not ask exactly what Paul was getting out of this deal.

That would be very crass, especially in front of William.

But it was getting increasingly difficult to keep her words inside. The pressure was building within her, and she feared that soon enough she might explode.

"Yes, I agree," William piped up in a strangely serious voice. Violet could not resist looking at him, to see what on earth he was doing now. "You would not want to bore Mr. Cook. The life he must have as a traveling salesman will be absolutely fascinating."

A strange bubble of laughter unexpectedly bubbled up inside of Violet. How had William managed to induce mirth when she felt trapped in such a terrible situation?

How did he always manage to have this effect on her?

* * *

Ivy stood in Violet"s door way with a slightly regretful expression on her face, like she did not want to say the next words.

Violet sighed. She knew what this meant.

"Mr. Cook is here to see you, Miss Violet. He is in the parlor now with your brother."

Violet rose to her feet, despite her every instinct screaming at her to remain in her bed chambers, far away from this strange man.

But Paul had always made it very clear that she had no choice in this. She had to talk to Charles whether she wanted to or not.

She did not know if she wanted this day to go well or not.

Violet wanted Charles to change his mind about her, because she did not want to get married. But she was also acutely aware that there were no other options coming her way.

Well, aside from William and his strange request.

"How do I look, Ivy?"

Her maid nodded and smiled. "You look beautiful. As always."

The compliment was nice, but it did nothing to make her feel any better. This was going to be a disaster, no matter what happened.

By the time Violet got down the stairs, Charles was at the bottom waiting for her with Paul eagerly by his side.

Seeing her brother so eager to move this forward only made her feel guiltier.

"Violet, I was just saying to Charles that it would be wonderful for the pair of you to take a walk in the gardens."

"I see." Violet tried to smile but it was hard for her to do so. "Yes, let us do that. Ivy, will you chaperone us?"

Paul did not look like he was willing to ask for a chaperone. It was unlikely that he had even thought about it, but Violet was not going to have her reputation ruined further by this man.

Ivy nodded and followed the couple outside.

The sun was shining brightly, the weather was warm, which was nice. But it did nothing to thaw the iciness between herself and Charles.

"I am very excited that you have agreed to meet with me again," Charles said, giddiness lacing his tone. "I am very much looking forward to marrying you. I have always wanted to marry in to aristocracy. I think it is the last thing I need to complete my life."

"I… I see," Violet replied. She was shocked at him for being so blunt.

"Oh, but that is not the only reason I want this union," he said hurriedly, trying to cover up his mistake. "You are not hard on the eyes either. I truly do think that you are beautiful and that we will have a good marriage."

Violet screwed up her face in disgust.

She actually preferred it thinking that he just wanted her social standing. If he thought that his words were compliments, then he was very wrong.

"You will have to give me some tips on behavior at society events though," he chuckled. "Because it will be my first time."

"Yes, of course."

How was she having this conversation with this man?

How had she ended up in this mess?

Violet was sure that despite all of his faults, her father truly would have found a better man for her. He would not have wished for her to wed lower than her station, to be humiliated like this.

She could not stand the fact that he was not here to help her.

"How do we dance? Do I put my hands on you like this?"

Violet squealed as Mr. Cook attempted to rest his hands on her hips, right there in the middle of the gardens.

Thank goodness Ivy was with her, so she had a witness that she had not done a thing to invite this man"s hands on her body.

"Oh, I am sorry," Charles chuckled, completely undeterred by Violet"s reaction. "Is that not right? This is what I mean, you shall have to teach me. I would not wish to embarrass myself in front of the ton."

All Violet wanted to do was tell him to leave. She wanted to express her feelings aloud and let this man know that she never wanted to see him again.

But if she did that, then she would have to deal with the wrath of Paul, and that was not something she could handle.

"I am sure we will have time for you to learn," she shot back through gritted teeth instead.

How long was she going to have to ensure this?

"Well, if you are going to teach me all about your world, then I can show you mine as well, Miss Lambourne. I can take you traveling with me, until you are pregnant and have your time filled up with children and the duties of the household. Is there anywhere you would like to go?"

Nowhere with you.

It was getting increasingly challenging to keep her thoughts inside.

"That is not something I have thought about much, Mr. Cook," she just about managed to say aloud instead. "I have never had the time."

"Oh well that is something I shall open your eyes to. There is a big wide world out there. Much more to see than the city of London and nearby countryside. I am sure you will love it all. Especially Italy. I am actually traveling there again this week. I will be there for a month, and the culture is just thrilling…"

It was hard for Violet to even listen to Charles talk about other countries, much less envision herself exploring the world with him.

Despite having all this knowledge of other places, he was still dull and that would never change. They would still never see eye to eye on anything.

What made it harder to ensure all of this was the intensity of the memory of William"s lips on hers as they connected on a level that Violet had not even considered before.

It filled her with dread to imagine Mr. Cook coming anywhere near her, much less kissing her. She could not even stand the sensation of his fingers reaching for her hips.

How was she ever going to procreate with this man?

It horrified her.

"You know, it is a shame, Violet…"

It was the use of her name which brought her back down to earth with a thump. She had started to become accustomed to Charles"s lack of manners, but that was a step too far. She had not ever invited him to use her first name.

But he was too busy steam rolling over her to even give her a chance to speak.

"It is a shame that you will not be able to join me in Italy for this month. Now that would give us a wonderful chance to get to know one another. Although I know you lords and ladies all have your rules, and we have to abide by that."

His laughter tore through Violet"s body like a blade.

She could not be more disgusted by him if she tried.

"But I will be back in time for the famous Season, and we can attend all of those events together. So that shall be exciting. We can use the time then to explore our marriage."

His hand was on hers.

Violet tried to snatch it away, but Charles had a really tight grip on her.

He did not seem to want to let her go.

It seemed to give him some sick satisfaction to watch her attempt to squirm away. He smirked ear to ear and brought her hand to his lips, ignoring all the ways she had tried to make it clear that she did not want to be touched by him.

But she was being polite and trying not to embarrass him, even if he did not seem to have the same respect for her.

"It will be soon," he muttered as his lips muddied her skin. "You shall be mine, and I shall be yours. It will be wonderful."

Before Violet could emit the bellowing, blood curdling scream that was rising up within her, Charles finally let her go and backed away from her.

"Now, I shall go and speak with your brother before I leave, let him know all about my business trip. Then he and I can make all of the necessary arrangements when I return. Get our lives started at long last."

As Violet watched him leave her, she caught a glimpse of sympathy in Ivy"s eyes. In that moment, she knew that she needed a miracle. Something to get rid of Charles before she was forced down the aisle kicking and screaming to what would likely be the most horrible marriage on earth.

But how likely was a miracle?

What chance did she really have of an escape?

As time ticked down, it was feeling less and less likely by the minute.