Chapter 15

What have I done?

William was not sure if he had just made the worst mistake of his life.

Or maybe he had made the best decision, he could not be sure.

It was the sight of desperation in Violet"s eyes that threw him. He could not think of another way to help her and to aid her in escaping the terrible plan that had been set forth by Paul.

A plan that would only make Violet"s life so much worse.

As long as he kept his hands off of Violet for now – which was easier said than done – then everything would be fine.

Well, a little bit easier anyway.

Or so he hoped.

"My goodness, William, are you even listening to me?"

Frederick chuckled, dragging William"s attention back to the present moment.

"Sorry, I am listening." William shook his head. "What did you say?"

"I actually would much rather hear what is going on in your mind. You seem very distracted, William. Is it to do with Eagleton Manor?"

Frederick made a sweeping gesture with his hands, indicating to the building surrounding them.

"Yes… and no," William agreed. "It is not so much the manor, and more the woman who lives within it."

"Miss Lambourne?" Frederick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Please, tell me what is happening with her."

William sighed heavily. "I have potentially made a mistake with her, by offering her my hand in marriage to help her out of the predicament that she finds herself in."

Frederick was silent for a beat too long.

But then he let out a burst of laughter.

"There is no way you are getting married, William. You are not the sort of man who would ever take a wife."

But the look in William"s eyes must have shown Frederick how serious he was.

"Oh my! You really did ask her to be your wife." Frederick"s eyes almost popped out of his head in surprise. "Well, I am stunned. But she is beautiful, right? That is what you have said. So perchance this will work for you… unless you have only proposed because you want to kiss her?"

William knew that he could trust Frederick with anything. He was the only person he would tell everything to, because he knew the rules of the ton would never get in the way of their friendship.

"I have already kissed her."

Frederick fell in to silence once more.

"I know," William confessed. "I have confused things. But I could not ignore the desperation in her eyes. I could not think of another way for her to sort this out without me. But I have made it clear that there will be no kissing and touching once we are married. Only for an heir."

"That seems like utter madness, William. I do not know what to say to this. I feel like you have gotten yourself in the midst of something crazy that does not make any sense at all. What is the end game for this?"

Before William could respond, the door to the study burst open and a manic looking Paul erupted in to the room.

"I challenge you," he yelled in a pompous sounding voice. "To a duel."

William exchanged a bemused look with Frederic. What on earth was happening now?

"On what grounds?" he chuckled.

"On the ground that… that you took the house… and you have been rude… and Violet is…"

William dropped the jovial fa?ade. "So, you have no answer, Lord Eagleton. You simply do not come in to a man"s office and challenge them to a duel for absolutely no reason. That is not how things work. I am very confused as to how you are not aware of that."

"But you did…" Paul ran his fingers anxiously through his hair. "You ruined everything. I had a plan and you got in the way."

William rose to his feet, a menacing anger over taking him. "Whatever plans you had for your sister are out the window now. I do not know what you and Mr. Cook were planning, but it is not going to happen."

"You do not know anything…"

William circled around Paul, staring him down the whole time. "I might not know what your little scheme was, but it does not matter. It has been foiled. There is no turning back."

Paul made a strange, strangled sound, but did not speak.

"I suggest you make amends now, Lord Eagleton. Cut your losses."

Paul"s eyes widened with shock, but that quickly succumbed to fear. William stood his ground, refusing to let Paul off too easy.

He had not forgiven this man for everything that he had done to Violet by gambling the house away, and he was also annoyed that Paul did not seem to have learned his lesson at all.

He would not have been surprised to learn that Mr. Cook had won Violet"s hand in marriage in a game of cards.

Now that would truly be disrespectful.

"I think you should leave now," William snarled. "That would be the best for you. I have already asked you to go once, I do not need to do so again. I certainly do not want to have you physically removed."

"You would not dare."

"Do you want to test me?" William narrowed his eyes. "Are you willing to take that risk? Should we duel over the fact that you will not leave? Is that something you believe is worth a fight?"

"We… we could duel over the…"

Paul shook his head, silencing himself before he could finish that silly sentence. Thank goodness he seemed to realize that even if he was the one who started talking about a duel, he did not stand a chance at winning one.

"Well…" William growled. "Go!"

With that, Paul took off, almost running in his fearful haste to escape.

He did not argue further, he simply exited the study in a great hurry.

He did not dare say another word, which was a relief to William.

It was unlikely to be the end of it all, but at least the battle was over for now.

"Well, that was really something," Frederick teased. "I can see now why you have such tired eyes all the time. The Lambourne family are wearing you out."

William attempted to laugh, but did not manage to pull it off too well.

"Perhaps you are right, Frederick. It has certainly been an interesting time. Eagleton Manor has not been as enjoyable as I thought it might be."

What did he really think was going to happen when he came here? William might have had plans when he first arranged this trip, but his mind had been scrambled by Paul and his sister.

Mostly his sister…

"You know, you might have won the war on Lord Eagleton," Frederick teased with a knowing glint in his eyes. "But you have already lost the battle when it comes to his sister."

William tutted. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you have already kissed her, and there is definitely something new in your eyes when you talk about her… I would not be surprised if you are already developing feelings for this woman."

"Do not be ridiculous," William snapped, trying to brush all of this to one side. "You know I am not the sort of man to develop feelings. I just wanted to help out a damsel in distress."

"Hmm, I see." Frederick chuckled once more. "Well, I do apologize if that is something I struggle to believe you about. But I suppose we shall see. It might well be the loveless marriage on paper that you are suggesting. Or it might turn into something more."

William was not about to get dragged deeper into this conversation. It was endlessly frustrating for him that his friend seemed to see right through him. Even the parts that he did not want to be revealed.

If there was more to his proposal to Violet than what was on the surface level, then that was not something he wished to discuss at the moment.

"What I really need to focus on," he continued, changing the subject swiftly. "Is what I am going to do with Eagleton Manor once all of this is over. It is a building which has been a little neglected, so I am sure it is going to need some work, but what do I do afterwards?"

"Ah, so this is what you wish to talk about now?" Frederick laughed. He would not even allow William to change the subject with ease. "I can do that. So what are you thinking? You must have some plans since you have been here for a while now."

William did not have any plans at all.

He might have been at Eagleton Manor for a while, but it was safe to say that he had been thoroughly distracted the whole time. But now he needed to be distracted from his distractions or he would end up doing something crazy.

Crazier than he had already done…

* * *

Dearest Catherine,

But things started to really hit William as he sat at his writing desk, trying to pen a letter to his sister about the marriage.

Their closeness over the years meant she was going to be shocked by the letter he wrote her and the news within. But he needed her to know. Which was why he kept hovering the quill above the parchment, trying to find the right words.

I trust this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I write to you with a revelation that I know will come as a surprise.

He sighed heavily to himself, knowing that the words were not ever going to come easy to him.

If only Catherine had not got married herself, then he could simply go home and discuss this with her, face to face.

Although she was likely to have some very strong opinions about all of this, so it may be for the best.

That was why he did not give too many details about the arrangement. Catherine had married for love, and likely wanted the same thing for him. Even if William was not interested in falling in love himself.

As you are well aware, life has a way of presenting us with unforeseen challenges. In the face of recent events and the complexities that have woven themselves into my existence, I find myself taking a path I never anticipated. Catherine, I am to be married—wed to Miss Violet Lambourne.

William wanted Catherine by his side when he got married, even under these strange circumstances. It would not feel right.

I will obtain a special license so we can marry quickly. I hope you will be able to attend at the church, when it happens. I would love for you to be there with me. Frederick Jones, my close friend as I am sure you recall, will also be in attendance when the ceremony takes place.

Would Catherine like Violet?

They were both smart women who liked to read, and who wanted their opinions to be heard. Perhaps in time, they would form a strong bond and bring his family a little closer together.

He could only hope.

There will be no engagement announcement in the newspaper or fuss among the ton, which is how we would both like the day to be. I hope that is something you understand.

Please, reach out to me if you have any questions and I will keep you up to date with all the details when I know them.

Your loving brother,

William.

This was not the perfect letter. Nothing about it felt right, but William was not sure how else he was supposed to announce the news. He did not know how he was to proceed with any of this really.

But he was helping out a damsel in distress. That was why he started all of this, and that was what he needed to remember.

This was all for a good cause, and that was all that mattered.