I shall do no such thing.Amelia forced herself to smile and bob her head graciously, knowing with all certainty that she and this man had nothing in common, and if she was to marry him, her future would be bleak indeed.
Her books had been her only source of happiness for most of her life, and she suspected that the Baron would have no library to at least soften the blow of such a terrible marriage. Nor would he be likely to let her have one.
“Ah, blast it!” The Baron dropped the end of his cigar to the ground and stubbed it out with his boot, sparks puffing out and dying on the stone. “I shall have to fetch another. Thorne, let us have brandy tomorrow—we can discuss the details then, but I am content to proceed.”
He made one last, leering view of Amelia, and sauntered off across the courtyard, disappearing back into the Assembly Rooms.
The moment he was gone, Amelia whirled around, hands clasped as she begged, “Brother, please do not make me marry that terrible man.” She kept her voice low, so as not to be overheard. “You must end this betrothal at once, before anything can be announced. I cannot marry him. I will not. And if you have ever cared a jot for me, you will not force me to.”
“How dare you speak to me like that,” Martin replied tersely, his eyes narrowing. “You will do as you are told, and you will be grateful for the match that Father and I have made for you.”
Amelia shook her head. “Please, no. I beg of you. I will do anything, Brother.” She grasped for his hands. “I will find my own match within the month, if you would but grant me those four weeks. I promise, I shall do it. I shall not falter or delay. Please, Brother!”
He wrenched his hands out of her grip, his fierce breath pluming like that wretched cigar smoke in the cold air. “You had that opportunity, and you frittered it away. Amelia, you no longer have a choice in this matter. It has been decided. Indeed, youwillbe married to the Baron of Hervey before Christmastide, and youwillbe happy about it.”
“Brother…” she wheezed, willing him to be decent, willing him to be a real brother to her just once.
But she could see in his cold stare that he would not be swayed, and if she tried to make the same plea to her father, it would do no good. They were cut from the same cloth, as suffocating and unfeeling as each other. She had no one within her family who would fight in her corner, and her friends could only do so much to help her.
“Brother, I am begging you,” she gasped, her hand clasped to her chest as a great weight sank slowly into the pit of her stomach.
“No, you are behaving in an unseemly manner,” he replied curtly. “It isveryunbecoming, and I am glad that the Baron is not still here to witness it. I shall grant you a moment to gather yourself, and then you will return inside and you will stay at my side, and if the Baron should look for you again, you will be civil. What you willnotdo is whine and whimper.”
He straightened his posture, turned around, and headed back through the doors to the Assembly Rooms. Through the square panes of the French doors, she could see him watching and waiting. A distant chaperone.
There were a few others still outside, but they paid Amelia no mind.
Concentrating on the chilly wind nipping at her cheeks and the wavering flames of the torch in front of her, Amelia sucked in breath after frantic breath. But it was as if her lungs were half stuffed with wool, making her feel faint.
Come on, Amelia!she scolded herself.You have read thousands of books. You have read of heroes and heroines escaping worse than this. You cannot give up now.
Like a candle being lit in the depths of an abandoned dungeon, a thought suddenly ignited, dispelling the shadows of utter horror that had begun to encroach.
She was no courageous heroine, sword in hand, striding out to fight dragons and monsters, but perhaps shecouldbe the sort of heroine who stood her ground when all hope was lost. Her brother and father had driven her to it, for a lady—even the quietest of them—could only bear so much before she snapped.
If you will not give me a month to find myself a husband, then I shall find one before the sun rises on tomorrow…She took a breath and felt her lungs allow a little more air to enter, the anxious grip of her fear easing ever so slightly.
And I know precisely where I must go.
For there was one gentleman of thetonwho had made it clear that he desired a convenient bride, and she had nothing left to lose.
CHAPTER THREE
If I can get out of the townhouse unseen, I can make it halfway across Mayfair…Amelia bristled with nervous excitement as she hurried along the frosted pavement, darting between the hazy glow of streetlamps, sticking as close to the shadows as she could.
The freedom that struck her as she walked alone, unchaperoned, in the dark of night, with not a soul breathing down her neck was unlike anything she had ever experienced. And though shedidkeep her head down, it was not the same as usual; she was keeping her head down to hide her identity, not because it was ‘unseemly’ to look anyone directly in the eye.
Oh, how ironic it is, though! How I wish my brother and father could see me like this, how I wish I could see their disgust!She imagined it instead, smiling to herself as she pictured their repulsed expressions, entirely identical.
“You have gone too far!” she whispered, imitating her brother’s voice. “If it would not shame us further, I would have you imprisoned for this insult!”
She chuckled to herself, pulling the sides of the borrowed greatcoat tighter around her body, focusing on her gait. To convince anyone who might see her that she was actually a man, she needed to walk like one. No dainty steps, no elegant gliding, no hesitancy. Men strode, men marched, men made no apology when they walked the streets or entered rooms.
I must do the same tonight. My very life depends upon it.
“Good evening, Sir,” a voice said, startling Amelia out of her thoughts.
The voice belonged to a driver, perched upon his bench, apparently waiting for someone.
