Prologue

"I can hardly believe what I am hearing!"

With a sigh, Amelia shrugged her shoulders. "I cannot understand why this comes as such a surprise to you, Father. I would have thought that it was more than apparent that I did not care for any of the gentlemen in London."

Lord Davenport threw up his hands while her mother sat in the chair in the corner of the room, worrying her lip and wringing her hands at the same time, clearly just as distressed as her husband. Amelia did her best not to care though it did come as something of a struggle, seeing her mother so.

"You have always had a somewhat detached demeanour when it comes to the ton and to the gentlemen of London but I did not ever think that it meant you were not in the least bit interested in marriage!"

"You have become cold, rather than merely detached, Amelia," Lady Davenport broke in, her eyes a little red-rimmed as Amelia looked back at her, hating that she was causing pain to her mother – someone who had done nothing other than devote herself to Amelia ever since she had been born. "The ton speaks of your iciness, of the frost which practically appears upon your skin whenever you so much as look at a gentleman!"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "You are being a little dramatic, Mama. My skin does not change and there are no shards of ice in my eyes. Yes, I have heard the rumours but I refuse to change. I have decided that I do not want to marry and therefore, I shall not. I do not see what the trouble is."

Both of her parents blanched immediately, only for Lady Davenport to look to her husband, letting out a strangled laugh as she did so.

"You do not know what the trouble is?" she repeated as Amelia let out a slow breath and attempted to keep her composure. She had to speak calmly and with great carefulness, desiring to express herself without losing her temper.

"No, Mama, I do not. You have two daughters already wed and settled, you have a son who has already produced the heir. What possible concern could there be for me?"

"You are still our daughter!" Lord Davenport exclaimed. "And you are the daughter of an Earl! We must make certain that you make a good match. It is what is required."

"Required?" Amelia stated, bristling. "Required by whom? I have had three Seasons without making a match, three Seasons where I have seen the very best and the very worst of gentlemen and now, I confess, I find myself entirely contented with the thought of being a spinster. I have no interest in marrying. I have no interest in pursuing or being pursued. Therefore, I shall simply step back into the shadows and allow those who truly wish to be wed to find their match. I have no interest in it."

"But we do."

Looking at her mother again, Amelia let out a small sigh and lifted her shoulders. "Be that as it may, you shall not find me agreeable to any of the gentlemen you might suggest," she said, softly. "I have made my mind up and, therefore, my icy demeanour shall remain."

"Which means I shall find it all the more difficult to find you a match." Lord Davenport shook his head. "Despite your determination, I have every intention of doing the very best I can to secure you a husband – whether I have your agreement or not. It is my responsibility to you as your father to make certain that you are provided for."

"You can do that without insisting that I wed, however," Amelia answered, quickly. "In your will, you can determine that – "

"I will do no such thing!" Lord Davenport cut the air between them, his hand flat and level. "I will do all that I can to find you a match. I will not permit you to throw aside your responsibilities simply because of your own foolish sensibilities."

Amelia did not know what to say to this. Her father was only doing what he thought was best, she understood, but her mind was made up. She would not marry and would continue on with her cold manner just as before, knowing how difficult it would be for her father to try and find her a match. The ton clearly thought rather poorly of her but she did not care. All that mattered was her own thoughts, considerations and feelings and though she respected her parents, Amelia rejected their determinations for her. She had tried and she had failed to secure a match and was no longer going to do all that was required in order to win a husband. That was what the ton wanted her to continue to do, what her parents desired for her but Amelia was quite determined. No matter who her father brought to her, she would not accept them, not even if they showed a genuine interest in her. There was always some reason for a gentleman to behave as he did and, given that she had already experienced the worst of them, Amelia was quite sure she wanted nothing further to do with any gentleman of society.

Though neither mother nor father know of what took place with Lord Sherridan, she reminded herself, her stomach turning over as she looked down at her hands. If I told them of it, then would they understand my reluctance? With a glance at the furrowed brow of her father, Amelia's hopes sank low. Or would my father simply force a match between the two of us? That would be the very worst thing to take place for I want to be as far away from that gentleman as I can be.

With a sigh, Amelia shook her head but still said nothing. She did not want to marry, to have her freedom and her independence – which was so soon within reach – to be taken from her. The incident with Lord Sherridan had told her that she simply could not trust any gentleman to be as he said and, given that she had managed to extricate herself, that her independence was not something she was willing to give up. If she was a spinster then yes, she would still live under her father's roof for a time, but she would be given a good deal more freedom in what she did and with those she spent time with. She would not have to exhaust herself attempting to catch the attention of one specific gentleman, only to discover that he was either entirely disinterested in a serious attachment and only wanted a brief flirtation, or that he was eager for a match but was nothing but dull and staid. The more time she had spend in society, the more Amelia had become quite determined to reconsider her future. The difficulty was, however, that neither of her parents seemed at all agreeable to it.

"You will not escape, Amelia." Lord Davenport broke into her thoughts, his chin lifting as his jaw jutted forward in an obvious sign of strength. "I will not permit you to do this. You will marry."

"And you will stop this foolishness in behaving as you do," her mother added, unequivocally. "Do you understand me? You will show an interest in the gentlemen that come to speak with you. You will answer with kindness rather than utter indifference. You will – "

"I will not."

The silence which followed her statement told Amelia that her parents were both utterly stunned at her response. It seemed that neither of them had expected her to behave so, thinking that she would simply give in to their request, that she would buckle under their demands.

She would not.

Her freedom was so very close – so closely within reach – and Amelia was resolute. She would grasp a hold of it, pulling it to herself so she might live as she pleased. She would not be forced into situations where she had no power, no strength of her own. She would not be told what to do by her husband who might then force his will upon her if she refused, just as Lord Sherridan had attempted to do. No, Amelia reminded herself, her chin lifting as her parents exchanged another glance, she would do nothing at all to encourage the gentlemen of the ton near her. In fact, she would redouble her efforts to repel them… even if her parents did not understand.

"I do not think I have ever had one of my own children speak to me with such disrespect," Lord Davenport said, shaking his head as he looked back at her. "Mark my words, Amelia. You may wish to play this part that you have claimed for yourself, you may be quite determined to have the ton believe that you are cold and without feelings, particularly towards the gentlemen, but mark my words now." He took a step closer, no anger in his voice but a steadiness in his eyes which Amelia could not help but recognize as the very same determination which ran through her own heart. "I will have you married by this year's end, one way or the other."