Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

“ N ot knowing when he’s going to come is driving me mad,” Edwina confessed.

She was sitting with her sister at the breakfast table. Lavinia had come to stay with their family for a few days, as she did from time to time when her husband was away on business. It was their usual practice, when Lavinia was here, to get up earlier than their father or brother and to take their morning meal together, but lately, Edwina hadn’t been enjoying it nearly as much as she once had. All she could seem to think about was the way Lavinia had set her up at the auction without even giving her so much as a warning. It occurred to her that Lavinia must always be thinking about her.

“He’ll be here in his own time,” Lavinia said calmly. “You can’t rush these things, Edwina. Besides, I thought you didn’t feel any sense of urgency or excitement about this, so why are you so eager for it to happen?”

“I’m eager for it to be over,” Edwina said. “And it can’t be over until it begins. I want to get these five meetings done with, so I can put this whole affair behind me. I still haven’t forgiven you, you know.”

“You have,” Lavinia countered. “You wouldn’t be speaking to me now if you were still angry with me.”

There was some truth to that, Edwina had to admit. She hadn’t quite forgiven her sister for putting her in this position, but she no longer felt the same anger she had on the day of the auction. She simply hadn’t been able to stay angry at Lavinia that long.

But she didn’t want Lavinia to interpret her lack of rage as forgiveness. “You shouldn’t have done what you did,” she scolded. “You embarrassed me.”

“I’m sorry you felt embarrassed,” Lavinia apologized. “But I think that the days between the auction and now have proven that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Just look at what’s happened since then!”

“Are you referring to the stream of suitors that’s passed through our doors each day, trying to win my attention?”

“You must admit that it’s been flattering.”

“I’m not remotely flattered by it,” Edwina countered. “I wish they would all go away and leave me alone. You know that I’m not interested in courtship. Not with any of these gentlemen. And now, I feel as if I have to fight them off every waking hour. It’s maddening, Lavinia. I don’t know why you and Matthew can’t respect my choices. Why you can’t simply accept the fact that I don’t wish to marry.”

“Because you’re our sister!” Lavinia said. “We care a great deal about you, Edwina. Surely, you know that. You can’t doubt my love for you.”

Edwina sighed. “No,” she agreed. “I don’t doubt that.”

“I want to see you married because I truly believe that it’s the best thing for you,” Lavinia said. “I know it’s not what you think you want. I understand that, really, I do. But I believe that in the hands of the right gentleman, you’ll change your mind. You’ll discover true love, just as I did.”

“You can’t seriously think that the Duke of Harbeck is the right gentleman.”

“No, of course not,” Lavinia agreed. “But there’s no harm in him.”

“He’s a rake!”

“That would be a worry if you were at risk of falling in love with him,” Lavinia said. “But you’re not going to fall in love with him, are you?”

“Certainly not!”

“Then what difference does it make what sort of man he is as long as he’ll do you no real harm? Let him be a scoundrel. The point of all this is to let other gentleman see a little more of you, and it’s already working.”

“Matthew doesn’t like the idea of me with the Duke,” Edwina pointed out to her sister.

“Matthew thinks the same thing you and I do—that he’s a rake and not a good match for you. But he’s more than happy to see you with so many suitors since the auction took place. I think he’s ready to concede that this was a good idea after all.”

Edwina scowled. Her brother had felt like her one ally in this mess, and now, he wasn’t even on her side anymore. It was dreadful.

“And Father loves it,” Lavinia went on. “First I married the Duke of Loxburgh, and now, you might marry the Duke of Harbeck?—”

“I am certainly not going to marry the Duke of Harbeck!”

“Well, Father thinks you might,” Lavinia said calmly, reaching for a piece of bread. “And you know, I wouldn’t doubt it, Edwina. You never know what might happen. It could happen.”

“It is not going to happen.”

Lavinia looked as if she might be about to say something more, but before she could, the door to the dining room opened, and a footman entered.

“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, Lady Edwina,” he said. “There’s someone at the door.”

“Who is it?” Edwina asked, expecting another suitor, wondering if she could get away with sending him off.

“The Duke of Harbeck, Lady Edwina,” the footman replied.

Lavinia jumped to her feet. “He’s here! This is wonderful. Come along, Edwina. Oh, I wish you had worn something a little nicer.”

“There’s nothing wrong with this gown!” Edwina objected. “Besides, if I had known that he was coming, I might have worn something different, but he didn’t bother alerting us.”

“Never mind that now, it can’t be helped,” Lavinia said. “Let’s go and see what he’s come to say.

The sisters went out into the foyer. The Duke was waiting there, and he smiled when he saw them.

Edwina didn’t trust that smile, and she didn’t return it.

“Allan,” Lavinia said. “Welcome.”

Edwina gritted her teeth. Why was her whole family on such friendly terms with this scoundrel? She knew that the Duke of Harbeck and Lavinia’s husband were the best of friends, but that didn’t make it any less irritating to have her sister greet the man the way she had.

“Lavinia,” the Duke said warmly, flashing her his signature grin. Lavinia actually giggled.

Then he turned to Edwina. “And Lady Edwina, of course. It’s such a pleasure to see you.”

He grinned at her as well, and Edwina felt a sudden giddiness take hold of her. How she wished she didn’t feel this way whenever he looked at her! It was more than the fact that he was handsome—though he was, desperately so—it was something about the way he carried himself. She could understand exactly why so many ladies had fallen at his feet.

But it wouldn’t happen to her. She was stronger than those ladies and more aware of what he was doing. She wouldn’t be taken in by it.

“Good morning, Your Grace.”

“I wondered if perhaps you would be interested in a promenade this morning?”

“Very well,” Edwina said, knowing this would be the first of their five dates. At least one of them would be over and done with. “If my sister will consent to serve as our chaperone, that is.”

“Of course,” Lavinia agreed. “I would be happy to. Shall we go now?”

They walked out of the house. Lavinia fell behind by a few steps to allow them a bit of privacy. A part of Edwina wished she wouldn’t do that, but another part of her was glad of it. At least now, she would be able to speak her mind to the Duke without her sister overhearing what was being said. She wouldn’t need to worry about Lavinia reprimanding her for her behavior later. And that was a very good thing, because Edwina wasn’t sure she would be able to behave well in the presence of this man.

“Thank you for coming out with me today,” the Duke said.

“I was happy to do it.” Edwina kept her voice neutral.

He looked at her for a long moment, and Edwina felt a shiver pass through her just at the sensation of having his eyes on her.

“You don’t seem happy,” he observed eventually.

“Very well,” she replied. “Since you insist on the truth about the subject, no, I’m not happy. But I can’t imagine that you didn’t know that. You know these dates weren’t my idea.”

“Yet you agreed to come.”

“For the love of my sister. Not for you.” She dared to look at him. “I’m surprised to hear you acknowledge it.”

“You’re a very clever young lady. You and I both know that. There’s no point in trying to pretend with you because you would see right through it, and you would be insulted by the pretense—am I right? You don’t want me to try to act as though you’re eager to be here with me when we both know you aren’t.”

“I suppose not,” Edwina admitted.

“Instead, what I’m going to do is change your mind,” he said.

“You’re not going to change my mind about anything.”

“Oh, I will,” he said. “I’m very used to getting what I want when it comes to ladies.”

“Well, I’m not like the ladies you’re used to,” she argued. “I’m very used to gentlemen not getting what they want from me.”

“Oh, I know,” he agreed. “That makes you unique. A challenge. And I love a challenge. I intend to win you over, Lady Edwina, whether you like it or not.”

“I think that’s extremely arrogant of you.”

“Do you? It doesn’t bother me that you think that,” he said. “I’m accustomed to ladies thinking I’m arrogant. I think perhaps I am rather arrogant. But it’s difficult not to think highly of yourself when your high opinion of yourself happens to be the truth. I’m sure you can relate to that, can’t you? Everyone thinks you’re the loveliest lady in London, and I think you must know it’s true.”

“If I am, I certainly wouldn’t go around talking about it the way you do.”

“Lady Edwina,” the Duke said, “I can see that you don’t like me. And that’s your right, of course. But I warn you that when I have my sights set on something—or some one —I don’t give up.”

He stopped where he stood and turned to face her.

His blue eyes seemed as deep as an ocean, and suddenly, to her surprise, Edwina found herself breathless. She couldn’t even remember how to think straight with him looking at her that way.

“I’m not going to give up,” he declared. “I’m going to win you over. I’m going to make you adore me.”

“Why?” she asked. Her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Why would you do this? Why are you so determined? You aren’t interested in marriage. Everyone knows the kind of man you are.”

“What kind of man am I?”

“A rake. A scoundrel. You seduce women, and then you move on. You leave a trail of broken hearts in your wake. Well, you’re not going to break my heart.”

“They say you have no heart.”

“Not when it comes to you.”

“Well, that’s why. Every lady has a heart, Lady Edwina, and I want to find yours. I want to be the man who won over the unattainable spinster.”

“You never will.”

“Relax,” he told her. “It’s all for a good cause, remember. We’re raising money for your sister’s charity. And all you have to do is come along on five dates.”

“Four dates. You’ve had the first.”

He laughed. “This wasn’t a date,” he told her. “We went for a walk and discussed the terms of our arrangement. It doesn’t count.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, it counts.”

“Shall we ask your sister, then?”

Edwina fumed. Of course, she didn’t want to ask Lavinia. She knew exactly what Lavinia would say. And by the smirk on the Duke’s face, he knew too.

“Very well,” she snapped. “You have five more dates—but this promenade is at an end.”

“As you say, Lady Edwina,” the Duke agreed with a nod. “But rest assured, I will win your affections before this is all over.”

Edwina had never felt more determined not to like someone in all her life.

The three of them walked back to Feverton Estate. Edwina worried that the Duke might try to linger, but he bid them farewell with promises that he would see Edwina at the upcoming Pinery Ball. Edwina nodded, determined that she would force him to count that outing as the first of their five dates.

Back inside, she wanted nothing more than to be on her own, so she turned her back on Lavinia when her sister tried to speak. She went up the stairs to her bedroom to ponder everything that had happened, grateful for the solitude but anxious about what might await her in the future.

Why had the Duke been so intent on the idea that he would win her affection? He didn’t have any real interest in her, so why did he care?

Well, it wasn’t going to happen. It might be a victory for him, a feather in his cap, to be able to say he had wooed the unattainable spinster, but Edwina knew that she was called that for a reason. The moniker wasn’t just a joke. She was truly unattainable, and she vowed that that would hold true when it came to the Duke of Harbeck.