“What else do I favor? What sort of question is that?” she remarked curtly, in a hushed tone. “If you believe your usual charms and lures will work upon me, you are to be sorely mistaken. Of course, you can try, but it will be a tremendous waste of your breath, and rather akin to hitting your head against a wall.”
He blinked in surprise. “Pardon?”
“Do the ladies you ask that to usually cover their face and giggle behind a fan?” she went on, completely changed. “If I were to say poetry or literature, would you recite a passage or verse you have learned by heart because you know naïve ladies love such things? I imagine you feel awash with triumph when they swoon, do you not? Well, it is my pleasure to inform you that I am not the swooning kind. I tried once and hit my head, yet I do believe it made me impervious to ulterior charm, so I cannot curse the bruising too much.”
He stared at her as if he had woken from a nightmare and could see the monster right in front of him. “I… was merely asking a civil question,” he said, finding his voice. “I thought that might be more interesting than walking through these gardens in stony silence.”
“The statues seem to endure quite well in stony silence,” she remarked, and he laughed despite himself. Her eyes narrowed, and he immediately swallowed his amusement.
Clearing his throat, he put on his most polite voice. “Very well, whatwouldyou like to talk about? Perhaps, if you begin the conversation, you might feel more comfortable.”
“In your company, there is no comfort,” she shot back, pressing on into a walled area of the garden, where roses bloomed.
Somewhat rankled by her damning assertion, he followed her into the walled garden. “Have I said something to offend, Miss Agarn? I assure you, it is not my intention. Perhaps, you are simply nervous about this—”
“I am nervous of being left alone with you, but I am not nervous about this meeting,” she cut him off. “I know what manner of man you are, My Lord. Indeed, much like this hideous gown that my father demanded I wear, I am convinced that being matched with you is one of his wretched little jokes: an attempt to make me compliant by way of humiliation.”
Evan was stunned by the change in Olivia, uncertain of whether to leave the walled garden or stay where he was. After all,hewas the one who had fueled the rumors of his rakish behavior. He only had himself to blame. Indeed, this was precisely what he had wanted, when he heard that he was to be married off without delay.
“With respect, Miss Agarn, you do not know me,” he said, wondering why his heart thudded with anger instead of relief and why his mind prickled with irritation when he should have been grateful that he would not have to leave fake letters and scandal sheets lying around.
Olivia smirked. “I know you by reputation, and that is all I need to know.”
“So, why are you here?” Evan sniffed, playing her at her own game.
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you here if you have already decided to detest me?” He paused, frowning. “Why have you not fled this entire arrangement if I am so reprehensible to you?”
Something like fear twitched her eyelids. “Because… I understand my duty as the only child of a good family. At least, as the only daughter of a beloved mother.”
“You despise me, but you still intend to marry me?” There was something in her tone he did not believe.
She shrugged. “Of course. There are plenty of husbands and wives who loathe one another.” She paused, averting her gaze. “But if you are not interested in marrying me anymore, then there is nothing I can do. My mother will be disappointed, but she will recover… and I do not much care if my father is exasperated. He ought to be accustomed to the feeling by now.”
There it is…He swallowed the urge to smile at the surprising guile from her.She wants me to break our engagement.He might have been more pleased by the revelation if it had not been for the memory of his promise. A promise he had made to his aunt to at least endure the fortnight to come and to try and make this betrothal work.
Understanding dawned on a wave of frustration: to avoid breaking his aunt’s heart, he needed to makeOliviaend the engagement. And though he was no true rogue or rake, he would need to play the part of one to send her away.
“I did not say I was not interested,” he said, taking a few steps toward Olivia.
Her eyes widened and she staggered back, bumping into the wall behind her. Her mouth opened and closed as if she meant to say something, but no words came out, just a wheeze of breath.
He edged closer until he was no more than half a step away from her. Desperately struggling to think of what a rake would do, he lifted his hand and pressed it against the wall she stood flush against. Leaning in until he was so close to her face that he could see a tiny mole beneath her right eye—a sole “blemish” upon the porcelain smoothness of her face—he mustered his most charming smile.
“In truth, you have aroused my intrigue, for I thought you a little dull until you transformed like that, showing me a glimpse of your true character,” he told her in what he hoped was a sultry voice, as he lightly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Now, I must say, I am very much looking forward to spending the next two weeks in your company.”
Olivia stared up at him like a panicked animal, her breath ragged, her chest rising and falling so fast he feared she might actually faint. Her mask had slipped once more, revealing a real sliver of who she was beneath both the cold façade and the veneer of a tedious socialite.
Evan could not help but smirk, realizing that chasing her away might be easier than he thought. “What a pleasant walk, Miss Agarn,” he murmured. “Indeed, I find myself rather… exhilarated.”
Pushing off the wall, he flashed her a wink and walked away, his heart beating fast as he stepped out of the walled garden and into the wider world again. There, he took a breath and clasped his hands behind his back once more, his fingertips still tingling with the silky sensation of her hair against his bare skin.
“Evan?” his aunt called to him. “Where is Miss Agarn?”
Evan put on a smile. “She is admiring the roses, Aunt. I must tend to something; I trust you can keep the young lady amused?”
“Of course, but—” Amelia began to say, but he was already walking away, shocked to his core that playing the role of an infamous rake had come so naturally.
