Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

O nce she turned the corner, out of sight of the alcove, Noelle stopped and placed a hand on her chest, covering her racing heart.

Not only had she practically proposed to a man she hardly knew, but he had accepted – and then had kissed her. A life-altering kiss that she wasn’t sure she could ever recover from. She hoped she had been successful in not showing him just how affected she had been, but she wasn’t sure how she would spend the next two months in his presence without thinking of his lips on hers yet again.

Damn the man.

She should have known to expect the unexpected from someone like him.

But here they were.

Not only that but now she had to dance with him – and provide an explanation of their connection to her father.

Eventually, she recovered well enough to return to the assembly rooms, where she smiled and nodded and made the inconsequential talk that she hated with various members of the ton until she saw him again.

As though sensing her stare, he met her eye across the room, and unlike most people, he didn’t drop his gaze at being caught – nor did she. He held her stare, and he slowly, deliberately winked at her.

Causing additional turmoil in her belly.

He held her stare as he turned away from his conversation – which would have been considered the height of rudeness, but he didn’t seem to care – and stalked across the room toward her. Noelle couldn’t have said what the musicians were playing, so focused was she on the man who now stood before her. He reached down, took her hand, and lifted it upward, kissing her knuckles.

“Lady Noelle. You look beautiful this evening.”

Did he mean that?

“Thank you,” she said, hoping he couldn’t tell how affected she was. One damn kiss, and she had lost all of the reason she always so prided herself on.

“Would you care to dance?”

“I would like that very much,” she said, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

As he placed one hand on her waist and took the other in his grasp, she belatedly realized the dance.

“You waited until a waltz,” she said accusatorily, and he smiled broadly as he lifted a brow.

“Of course I did. You told me to sell the story of our romance, did you not? What point would it make if I asked you to dance in a set in which I would hardly be speaking to you?”

“It is not the speaking part that concerns me.”

“What is it, then? How close I might hold you?” he said as he tugged her toward him until their bodies were nearly flush.

“People will talk,” she said, trying to shift backward, but he held her firm, and the truth was, she rather liked it.

“Isn’t that the point?”

“The point is to sell our engagement, not scandal.”

He shrugged. “Every aspect of my life would scandalize most people here.”

“Should I be concerned?”

“You chose me, my lady,” he said mockingly, and she nodded.

“I know.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “I will have to tell my father about our engagement . I wish I could tell him the truth, but he would be too likely to give it away. I will have to concoct a story for him.”

“Tell him we met here and that I was so taken with you that I could not help but pursue you.”

“If we tell him you’ll cover his debts, he likely will not care much.”

His gaze upon her hardened. “He is more concerned about his financial situation than his daughter?”

Noelle wasn’t sure if she was more defensive of her father or appreciative that Mr. Hartwell would evidently care about her in this short time that they had known one another.

“He is concerned that he will no longer be able to find an appropriate marriage for me.”

“Would he consider me appropriate?”

“In the past, no.” She didn’t see the point in lying. “Now, he might be more open to a man without a title if such a man can provide for me.”

“Very well. I will be my most charming self when I call on you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. No time like the present, is there? Then we can begin on these invitations you mentioned.”

Right. That was the reason he had agreed to this, she reminded herself. As he swept her across the floor, his strong hand splayed across her back, her stomach pressed against him, and her hand interlocked with his. It was easy to forget what had brought them together. He didn’t actually have any interest in her besides what her name and social standing could offer him.

Do not be a fool, Noelle, she told herself. He is a means to an end. This was a business proposition on both sides.

“What is the matter?” he asked, and she shook herself from her thoughts.

“There is no matter.”

“Your face says you’re lying.”

“All is well, Mr. Hartwell.”

“Call me Cooper.”

“That is rather informal.”

“If you were going to be my wife, I would not have you call me Mr. Hartwell. Can you imagine being in bed together, calling out such a name?”

She swatted his shoulder. “Do not speak like that.”

“Why not?” he asked, his lips quirked in amusement.

Because it made her think of things she had no business thinking of. Because she hated how much she liked the thought of the two of them lying in bed together. Because if he continued, he would make it very hard to agree to all the terms of their contract.

“Because it is not appropriate.”

“Lady Noelle, I didn’t realize you were such a prude. Not after our… interlude.”

She snorted. “I do not believe I played any part in that.”

“Oh, I distinctly remember the role you played,” he said, and as he grinned at her, she was so caught in the dimple that appeared in his cheek beneath his slight stubble that she hadn’t realized the music had stopped until he came to a standstill himself.

“Until tomorrow,” he said, and before she could offer a retort, he bowed briefly and then slipped away.

Leaving her wondering just what she had gotten herself into.

Cooper had never called upon a woman before.

He most certainly had never called upon a young lady.

Nor had he ever imagined he would be at the door for the daughter of a viscount.

He’d had to ask around to find out when he should arrive. It seemed that morning, when he was most productive, was unacceptable, but that morning calls occurred mid-afternoon.

Ridiculous.

Nevertheless, he knew he would have to make some sacrifices if he would see this through, so here he was.

He had asked one of his men of business to find the address for him, and he hoped that Lord Walters would be at home, in addition to Lady Noelle herself.

He shook his head as he tried to forget her red, irresistibly kissable lips, the glint in those warm brown eyes, and her mischievous expressions as she tried not to let him know what she was thinking.

But he had been able to tell – very much so.

She had been uncertain what they had agreed to, but his kiss had rattled her, as much as she had tried to hide it from him.

He wanted to know more about her, but he was worried that doing so would give the wrong impression.

This was business.

His knock took some time to answer. Finally, a harried maid opened the door to him. The lack of a butler informed him that the family was harder off than Lady Noelle had alluded to last night. Not only that but as the maid led him through the first two rooms, it was clear that most of the house was devoid of furniture. Lady Noelle and Lord Walters were either leaving this London house, or Lord Walters had been forced to sell most of their belongings.

Neither was a good sign.

“Mr. Hartwell – Cooper. You’re here.”

There she was, standing in the entrance of the front room, which he guessed was supposed to be a drawing room based on the one sofa that still sat within it.

“I told you I would be here. I am a man of my word,” he said instead of greeting her. He found it best to go directly to the point.

“So it seems,” she said before gesturing to the sofa. “Please sit. I apologize that we do not have much to offer. We are currently preparing to leave our London house. After Lady Burton’s house party, we will continue to our country estate.”

“Will you return to London?”

She didn’t meet his gaze. “We shall see.”

He sat back, crossing one leg over the other as he studied her, where she sat on the other end of the sofa, slightly turned away from him.

“Your father is in worse debt than you said.”

“He is,” she agreed.

“What is to say that he won’t return to debt once this is complete?”

“Nothing, I suppose,” she said dejectedly. “As much as I wish to say that he has learned from his past, he is also easily swayed.”

“Well, hopefully I can sway him to accept me as a son-in-law.”

She nodded, leaning forward and passing him a piece of paper she had clutched between her fingers.

“I created our contract. I have no problem if you want to take it and read it in detail before signing it.”

He eyed her from over the top of the paper before leaning back and holding it out in front of him. She seemed surprised when he slipped glasses out of his pocket and placed them on his nose.

“I am nearly perfect. Not quite,” he said with a grin as she rolled her eyes.

He quickly scanned the page, hiding his surprise at all it revealed.

“Did you write this yourself?”

“I did,” she said defensively.

“It is well done.”

“I have reviewed many contracts for my father,” she said, a blush stealing up her cheeks along with a touch of pride.

“I see,” he said, nodding. “The amount your father owes is considerable.”

“It is.”

“If I am going to provide you with your requested amount, then I must ask for more on your end.”

“More?” her eyes flashed. “What else could there be? I told you that I will not?—”

He held up a hand. “I would never ask a woman to give herself to me unwillingly or as part of a business deal. Besides, you’ve already included that subject as discussed in the contract and I will not amend it, for it would cause too much conflict when we part ways. What I would ask is that at least one business dealing comes out of all of your introductions.”

Her mouth gaped open. “I cannot guarantee a contract. All I can provide is connections.”

“Yes, but I need to ensure you tell everyone how wonderful I am. Help me to appear more than acceptable even though I was not born into a noble family.”

“You appear well educated. You must have had a decent upbringing.”

“I went to a ragged school for a few years but am mostly self-taught. I am still a commoner, and that will never change – even if I did marry you.”

“Which you will not.”

“I will not.”

Somehow during their exchange, the space between them had closed, until now only inches separated their faces.

Cooper couldn’t wrench his eyes away from her, so focused were they on her pert, upturned nose, her beautiful red lips with that little crease in the middle, and the crinkle at the corner of her eyes that told him she was a woman who smiled often.

He was leaning toward her again, nearly repeating the unacceptable when a voice cut through the door.

“Noelle? Do we have a visitor?”

He tore his eyes away to provide his attention upon the man standing in the doorway. The man who was, for all intents and purposes, going to become his future father-in-law.

“Lord Walters,” he said, turning on his charm. “Just the man I want to see.”

“Cooper Hartwell?” the man bit out, his baffled expression turning to one of concern. “What are you doing with my daughter?”

He would like to do quite a few things with the man’s daughter – but none of that would come true, let alone be put into words.

“Well, my lord,” he said with a large smile, “I would like to marry her.”