Chapter 10

For the second day in a row, Charles arrived at Lady Felicity"s home without invitation. And for the second day in a row, he was forced to contend with her father, Lord Drowshire.

"This is most inappropriate," Lord Drowshire chastised Charles, barring the doorway as if worried Charles might push past him. "If you wish to speak with my daughter, you really should have sent word ahead, Your Grace. And you really should have reached out to me, awaiting my approval."

"And again, I apologize, Lord Drowshire," Charles said with a big, charming smile, putting it on a little too much, truth be told, so much so that he sensed the lord could see the sarcasm in it. "But as I explained, I was passing by, took note of how wonderful a day it was, and thought I'd pop in. Surely, there is nothing wrong with that?"

"And why is it that you wish to pop in and see my daughter?"

"It might surprise you to hear that we have become quite friendly – nothing to worry about, of course." A light chuckle to disarm the tension. "But seeing as her sister is marrying my best friend... well, we have come to realize that we will likely be spending a lot of time together. So why not get to know one another?"

Lord Drowshire narrowed his eyes in warning. "I do not like being treated as an afterthought, Your Grace."

"Never." Charles touched his chest as if hurt.

"And in the future, I ask that you see my approval before --"

‘Of course, of course." Charles took a step toward the door, forcing Lord Drowshire to shuffle back slightly. "I would not dream of excluding you again."

His eyes remained narrowed. And his stare was rueful. Charles had no doubt that the lord would have liked nothing more than to deny him but was unsurprised when he stepped to the side and bade him entry. It was typical of the peerage, the forced respect that they had for their betters. Charles was a Duke, Lord Drowshire was an Earl, and thus he had no choice but to bow to his needs.

At least in person, he did. Behind closed doors, when Charles actually needed something of them, they had no problem denying him or pretending that they could not help. But that would all change soon enough. That was, assuming this visit went as planned.

Was it strange that Charles was feeling nervous? And not just regarding what Lady Felicity might say but seeing Lady Felicity also. Oh sure, the two fought and bickered like enemies, but Charles rather enjoyed it. As said, she was different from most women he knew, and that difference was what excited him... and the reason for those nerves.

It would have been easier if she wasn't so attractive. Alas, she was also that. And when Charles breached the back garden and spied Lady Felicity sitting under a tree and reading, he caught his breath without meaning to because, once again, he was forced to reckon with just how scrumptious she was.

A moment's pause. An extra second to collect his wits. He was not there to seduce her. It was a business meeting and nothing more...

"Good day," he called as he crossed the garden. "Lady Felicity."

He saw her body stiffen at the sound of her name, likely, the recognition of his voice. Eyes glued to the page, she hesitated and took a deep breath before forcing herself to look up. No smile, however. Not even a sense that she was glad to see him.

"Your Grace..." She sighed and put the book down. "What a pleasant surprise."

"How lovely of you to say," he chuckled as he reached her. It was as he did that she climbed to her feet, which had Charles taking her hand – reluctantly -- and giving the back of it a kiss. "Might I say, you look positively delightful today."

"You may say it," she responded coolly. "It does not mean I will believe it."

He could not help but laugh. "You still think so little of me, don't you?"

She shrugged. "If it barks like a dog and looks like a dog..."

"I was always more of a cat person."

"Or perhaps a wolf in sheep's clothing?"

"You know it is funny..." Charles rubbed his right cheek. "I did not see your hand move but I could have sworn you slapped me right across the face just now. You have terrific reflexes."

"Oh, I am sure that whoever slapped you had good enough reason. I have not seen you since yesterday, so who knows what it is you got up to last night. And with whom you were up with." She raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

Again, Charles could not help but laugh at the repartee. This was what he was afraid of and what he enjoyed so much about Lady Felicity. Most women would have shrunk back at the bawdy nature of his commentary, but she leaned into it, used it against him even. It showed she wasn't intimidated by him. Charles would even go so far as to say that she enjoyed it as much as he did.

But that was also the danger.

"You know I would love to stand here and be insulted by you all day, Lady Felicity. I would."

"Is one day enough time for that?"

"But..." He emphasized with a grin. "You know why I have come. I was going to give you an extra day, only to realize that it would be all but pointless. Why, I suspect that you made up your mind the moment I posed the question, no? So, why waste both of our time in waiting."

"You want to know if I will marry you?"

"That's right."

"A marriage of convenience, you said?"

"What else could it be?"

"To save me from marrying someone my father has chosen, and to help save your reputation?"

"An excellent summation."

"And that is all it is?" She crossed her arms and looked at him as if searching for the lie.

Charles held out his palms. "What else could it be?"

She considered him for a moment. Those eyes of hers looked over him, working up his body, studying him as if searching for something. He could sense the distrust in her stare, such that he was certain she was going to deny him.

"Say that I am interested," she said suddenly.

"You are?" he perked up.

"Say that I am," she repeated. "It has occurred to me that a marriage as you propose it might not have the desired effect that you wish. Yes, we could marry, and yes, we could hope that it solves all our problems, but I do not think it will be that easy."

"What... what do you mean?" he asked, feeling himself become nervous.

"What you have proposed is to trick the ton into thinking that you have changed your ways – that both of us have changed our ways. But if we are to do this the way you suggest, all it will do is lead to more rumors. They will know why we have done it and the result will be the same, leaving us in the exact same position as when we started."

"Lady Felicity," Charles chuckled. "I think you overestimate the people of this town."

"Nonetheless, if I am to do this with you, I have a request of my own."

‘Which is...?" He braced himself, certain he would not like it.

"That we spend some time in courtship."

He blinked. "That is --"

"The only way you will convince me to agree to this," she cut him off quickly. "Nothing too taxing, I assure you. And nothing overly long. We are already halfway through the Season and I fully expect to be wed before it is over – assuming, of course, that I say yes. So let us say..." She clicked her tongue. "Two weeks. Two weeks for us to show our best selves to the ton and prove to them that this is more than some trick or ploy."

"Lady Felicity..." Charles bit into his lip in an effort to curb his frustration. "I really think you are overthinking this entire thing. The entire point is to --"

"To shore up your reputation," she cut through him again. "And what better way to do that than to be seen in the arms of a Lady for a few weeks? Why, my thought is that if the ton sees you courting and then sees that you are capable of going through with the process from start to finish, it will only help. It certainly can't hurt, can it?" She raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

He hated that she was right in this. So right that he could not come up with a reasonable argument to dissuade her. If anything, this idea of hers only strengthened his plan, all but assuring that when the marriage went through, nobody, anywhere, would have a reason to doubt him. He should have been thrilled.

And yet, there was that fear that lay deep within him. The reason he had chosen Lady Felicity in the first place. He did not want to go through with courtship – with her, especially. There was something about Lady Felicity that he rather enjoyed, and he worried that if he spent too much time with her, that enjoyment might spiral, and he would become completely undone.

"And say that I do this," he asked carefully. "What is to stop you from changing your mind? Wasting my time, as it is?"

She scoffed. "Is that really a concern? With your reputation, I am the one who should be worried."

"I suppose not..." he conceded.

Charles knew he had no choice. This was as good an offer as he could hope for. And if his only fear was that he might find himself developing feelings for Lady Felicity... well, that shouldn't have been a fear at all. Charles didn't fall for women. He didn't get attached. He never had and never would and likely, the most obvious outcome was that come two weeks, he and Lady Felicity would despise one another more than they already did. Which, to be honest, would be a boon.

"Lady Felicity..." His smile was over the top. "I think your suggestion to be a wonderful idea. Truly, a master stroke."

She rolled her eyes. "It was an obvious error on your part. Lucky that I was there to catch it."

"So, a courtship then?"

"A courtship. Which reminds me..." She scrunched her brow, considering, and then nodded to herself. "My sister will be leaving shortly to meet with Lord Moore in Hyde Park for a promenade. Shall we join them? My thought is that it will be a perfect chance for us to introduce ourselves to the public eye."

Charles had to suppress a groan. A public outing. This was the exact thing he had been trying to avoid! Alas, he knew he had no choice, realizing that a group date with his best friend was the best he could have hoped for.

"Sounds like a treat."

"Oh..." Lady Felicity"s eyes flashed, and for the first time today, she looked excited. "There is one more thing you must do."

"Which is..." Charles braced himself, knowing from the look in her eyes that he would not like it.

"Speak with my father and request the right to court me." Her grin was wicked, malevolent even. "He is my father after all, and he reserves the right to deny you."

"Your father?" Charles' stomach dropped. "Try not to look so excited about it."

"Me?" she chuckled innocently. "Never."

And so it was that Charles began his courtship of Lady Felicity.

Two weeks, he reminded himself as he made his way back toward the manor, bracing for a very awkward conversation with Lord Drowshire. Two weeks was all he had to last. Two weeks to convince the ton that he was serious, to convince Lady Felicity that he was honest in his reason for wanting to marry her, and two weeks to convince himself that the strange way his stomach fluttered and his heart raced had nothing to do with Lady Felicity and his desires for her... nothing to do with that at all.