Chapter 1

"I'm sorry, Miss Augusta, but we cannot go ahead with this wedding. I know this will come as a shock to you, but it's better that we break off the engagement now before it's too late," the Earl of Rueford spoke as he looked down his hooked nose at Augusta Leith.

William Sullivan was a handsome man with black hair and brown eyes, but there had always been something about him that had made Augusta uneasy. She wasn't sure if it was the way he looked down on everyone around him or the oily sleekness of his personality.

"May I ask your reason behind the decision, My Lord?" Augusta asked coolly, allowing the bouquet in her hand to fall to her side. The world suddenly seemed to stop in the wake of his words.

The white lilies brushed her red dress, causing the fabric to tickle her thigh. She couldn't say that she relished the idea of a marriage to the slimly Earl, but the wedding was in less than three days, and her parents had invited most of the ton. A scandal like this would cause her family a great deal of harm. She wouldn't be able to save her reputation if he jilted her now.

The drawing room had been stacked with boxes of decorations for her wedding. Lengths of garlands and bunches of flowers filled the air with a sweet scent that was now making her sick.

"I don't know. Perhaps you could say that I have had a change of heart, but none of that matters now. What matters is that the decision has been made, and there is no more to say." The Earl waved his words away as if they carried no impact at all.

"Forgive me, My Lord, I do not wish to seem impertinent, but I do not think that telling my father that you have simply changed your mind will suffice." Augusta tried to keep her cool as her slender fingers tightened around the lilies' delicate stems.

Her maid stood in the corner of the room, acting as a chaperone, her hands covering her mouth in shock. Augusta wished that the Earl had chosen to tell her in front of her parents instead of breaking the news to her alone. The situation would be hard to explain, especially since her parents' hopes had been set on the match.

"I'm sure you will think of something; you are a bright young girl." The Earl seemed bored as he examined the gold handle of his cane.

His use of "girl" instead of referring to her as a woman vexed Augusta, but she kept her temper in check and looked him in the eye. She would be damned if she'd allow the man who was actively jilting her to get a rise out of her.

"You are one of the brightest diamonds of the Season, Miss Augusta. I'm sure there will be many young men knocking on your door before you know it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to," the Earl finished with a flourish and then left the room, his cloak sweeping behind him dramatically as he shut the door to the drawing room.

"My Lady?" the maid said softly as Augusta kept her eyes on the door, her mind still reeling with disbelief. The utter nerve of the man to treat her as if she were an apple that could be discarded at will made her blood boil with anger.

Augusta took a deep breath. "You may tell my parents that I would like to see them."

"At once, My Lady." The maid hurried out of the room, her black dress rustling behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Augusta smoothed the folds of her dress with the palms of her hands and turned toward the window. Her reflection stared back at her with a determined look in her bright green eyes. Her dark brown hair hung down her back, reaching her slender hips in dramatic curls.

She had always loved the way her hair curled—not too much and not too little. It held exactly the right number of curls to allow for a loose style.

The drawing room door burst open as the Baron and Baroness Hobbs came hurrying into the room.

"Augusta? Has something happened?" It was her mother who spoke first, her aristocratic features creased with concern as she hurried toward her. "We were concerned when the Earl asked to speak to you alone. What was it that he wanted to say?"

Augusta waited for her mother to come to a stop before opening her mouth. "It would seem that the Earl has changed his mind. He no longer wishes to marry me."

She could see that her words had shocked her parents.

The Baron's short stature buckled beneath his chubby frame as he sank into a nearby chair. Running his fingers through his neat brown hair, he shook his head. "What do you mean that he no longer wishes to marry you?" His face turned pale as he repeated her words.

"It means that there will no longer be a wedding." Augusta felt her shoulders tense as she answered their questions as best as she could.

The Earl hadn't exactly provided her with a solid reason that she could give them.

"The wedding is in less than three days." Her mother sank into the chair beside her father, her pale face matching her husband's. Her black hair accentuated her pallor.

Her father swallowed. "This family will be ruined if the wedding does not take place."

"No." Her mother seemed to snap out of her daze as she stood up with a determined look in her eyes.

Augusta frowned at her. "I can hardly force the man to marry me, Mama," she reasoned, sensing the start of a plan that would inevitably put her in a difficult situation.

It wasn't that her parents didn't love her. On the contrary, the Baron and Baroness cared a great deal for their three daughters. They simply cared about the family's reputation equally. Social disgrace and scandals were akin to committing suicide.

"I am aware of the fact that we cannot force the Earl to marry you, thank you, Augusta. I meant that we will not allow this scandal to affect our family." Lady Hobbs's voice was strong and determined as she looked at her daughter.

Augusta breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps her mother had seen reason and would allow her more time to find a suitable match. She knew she had to marry eventually, she just never understood why Society placed an age limit by which women should marry.

"We must visit Marie Webster as soon as possible." Her mother's voice held a note of finality that pierced her heart.

"Mama, you can't be serious, I hardly think that visiting a matchmaker is necessary."

Augusta felt sick to her stomach at the thought of having to marry a helpless sop who sought the skills of someone like Marie Webster.

"And just how do you think you will be able to find a match before the Season is over? There is all but one ball left for this Season. You will be a spinster by this time next year," the Baroness snapped.

Augusta turned to her father for help, her heart racing with panic at the thought of having to visit the infamous red door with its gold bell. "Papa, surely you cannot think that Mama is right in her thinking?"

"I'm afraid I must agree with your mother on this matter, Augusta. We have indulged your free spirit for far too long. I was soft in allowing you the luxury of waiting until your older sisters are married. It is time you settle down with a good man, preferably before next year." The Baron stood up and joined his wife.

Augusta's world began to spin as she realized the seriousness in her parents' eyes. They were about to force her into a marriage determined by a woman who was notorious for running a matchmaking business.

Marie Webster was notorious but successful. Augusta would be the laughingstock of the next ball if her friends knew the lengths her parents had gone to, to find her a match.

"Marie Webster has made many successful matches, among which were two dukes and a viscount. I trust her when it comes to choosing partners. I don't understand your objections. It isn't as if you knew the Earl very well. You'll be on the same level of familiarity with whomever Marie Webster chooses. The most important part is that you marry someone, and preferably soon," Lady Hobbs explained with a note of urgency in her voice.

"At least the Earl was chosen by Papa. What if this new man, whoever he is, is a horrid, cruel person who locks me in a dungeon and feeds me nothing but scraps?" Augusta grasped at straws as she sought a reason why Marie Webster was not a good idea.

"Hush now, Augusta; there is no need to be so dramatic. I'm sure that Marie Webster will consider that before she suggests any potential matches. Honestly, you sound as if you have been reading too many novels." Her mother rolled her eyes and shook her head.

The Baron cleared his throat, signalling the end of the discussion. "The matter has been settled. We will try to keep the matter with the Earl under wraps for as long as we can. In the meantime, you will listen to your mother and visit Marie Webster," he spoke with an air of finality that made Augusta's heart sink.

"But Papa—" she began to protest.

"That is final," he cut her off with a fierce stare.

Knowing when to hold her tongue, Augusta closed her mouth and averted her gaze, fighting the urge to cry, scream, or even stomp out of the room. She wasn't often prone to theatrics, but the rest of her life seemed like a good reason to fight for her cause. She'd have to come up with something that would change her parents' minds.

The Baron sighed and shook his head, leaving Augusta alone in the room with her mother.

Eleanor Leith waited for the door to close before saying her piece. "Please, do not make this any more difficult than what it needs to be, Augusta. Your father and I only have your best interests at heart. The ton can be cruel to young ladies they deem to be spinsters," she explained calmly.

"Does that judgment extend to their families as well?" Augusta's question held a note of accusation before she could stop herself.

The Baroness seemed hurt by her daughter's insinuation. "I will send a note to Marie Webster at once. If she is available tomorrow, please be ready to leave in the morning. I will not hear another word on the matter." She turned to leave without looking at her daughter.

Augusta watched her mother go before glancing around the room at the crates of decorations that would need to be packed away or thrown out. She had made her peace with the fact that marrying the Earl was her only option.

How exactly had she gone from having a betrothed to needing the services of a matchmaker in the space of just a few hours?