Ophelia’s eyes widened slightly, and he saw a flash of emotion—was it relief, or doubt?—pass over her face. She bit her lip, her hands clenched at her sides.
Braverman’s face softened slightly, but only for a moment. He regarded Evan with narrowed eyes. “And what of your honesty? Can you swear that there will be no more secrets between you and our family, that you will keep nothing from us?”
Evan swallowed, his heart sinking. Secrets—there were always secrets. This entire marriage had been built on them, from the hastily arranged engagement to the carefully curated image they’d presented to theton. He took a deep breath, but before he could respond, Braverman’s face hardened once more.
“You cannot promise that, can you?” he said, his voice filled with bitter satisfaction. “You see, Ophelia, he will always have secrets. You cannot trust a man who cannot promise his loyalty with his entire heart.”
Evan took a step forward, his hand reaching out, but Braverman pulled Ophelia back, his voice ringing out through the chapel. “This is over.”
“No, stop,” Evan said. “At least tell me who it is who has charged me for I want to confront them. None of this is…” he was about to say ‘true’ but of course, it was all true. Still, he wanted to know who was so bold, so cold-hearted to take it upon themselves to stop a wedding in its tracks.
Braverman looked at him. “I never would have thought that the only person brave enough and honorable enough to stand up and tell me the truth when nobody else would was the one person I dismissed as a poor influence.” He scoffed and looked at Ophelia. “I am sorry now I kept you apart.” Then, he looked at Evan again.
“The person my daughter and I must thank is none other than Emma Hayward. A true tender soul indeed.”
Then, he turned and hurried back into the chapel where, a moment later, Evan heard him announced to the entire crowd that the wedding would not take place for the groom was a philandering scoundrel. Lord Braverman finished his speech by admonishing the attendees for their silence thus far and then, he heard the man and Ophelia dash away out of the church.
However, all of this was a mere echo in his mind for Evan stood with his hands curled into fists. Emma Hayward. In that moment, as his nostrils flared with rage, he vowed he would find this woman – and make her pay for what she had just done. Fornobody interfered with Evan Haddington’s plans and got away with it.
CHAPTER 6
Evan
Evan stormed out the side door of the chapel, his chest tight with rage as he tried to rein in his emotions. His pulse hammered, and he could feel the hot prick of frustration pooling in his throat. How could one person—a stranger, at that—tear apart everything he’d painstakingly arranged? He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of scandal and humiliation pressing down on him.
“Evan!” Jonathan caught up to him quickly, his face painted with worry. “Hold on. You need to calm down—there are people everywhere.”
“Everything is ruined,” Evan growled, barely containing his fury. He cast a dark look at Jonathan. “Do you have any idea what I’ve just lost? That meddling woman has torn it all to pieces. She will have me to answer to now. Where is she?”
“I just saw her slipping through the crowd and out the back. Seems she didn’t want to stay and watch the fire she lit.”
Evan barely heard the rest. He nodded sharply, his jaw set. Without another word, he pushed past Jonathan and made his way around the church, threading through clusters of guests who were already gossiping in shocked tones. Disappointment and judgment hung thick in the air, but he ignored it, keeping his gaze fixed forward. He had only one objective now: find Lady Emma Hayward and make her pay for what she’d done.
As he walked, flashes of memory bombarded him—he’d seen her before, hadn’t he? A vision of the gilded interiors of Almack’s came to him, and he remembered the moment. She was the dark-haired woman he’d brushed past on his way outside, the one who’d slipped and told him he should be ashamed of himself.
How dare she? How dare she ruin his plans, upend his carefully constructed future, and humiliate him and Ophelia in front of the entireton?
He rounded the corner of the church, scanning the grounds until he spotted her. She was standing near the gate, watching the scene unfold, her face illuminated by a strange mix of satisfaction and confidence. A sly smile danced on her lips as she watched the chaos her letter had caused. Despite his simmering fury, he noted her striking beauty. Her face was framed by raven-dark hair, her mouth full and expressive, and her eyes—a rich, unreadable green—glinted with a challenge. But her beauty did nothing to soften the bitterness that surged in his chest.
“Is everything alright, Your Grace?” she asked coolly as he approached, feigning innocence. Her eyes sparkled with barely concealed triumph, and that expression sent him over the edge.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” he said through clenched teeth, struggling to keep his voice low as he loomed over her. “You will pay for this.”
Emma held his gaze, her chin lifted, and that infuriating half-smile didn’t waver. “I think you’re the one who has no idea, Your Grace. I merely acted to protect an innocent woman from a life of misery.”
“A life of misery?” He couldn’t believe the arrogance, the presumption in her tone. He took a step closer, until there was barely any distance between them. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Emma crossed her arms, tilting her head with a look of disdain. “Don’t I? It’s well known that you’ve spent years keeping women at arm’s length, toying with their affections for sport. And now you intend to trap one in a loveless marriage to salvage your own reputation? No. I couldn’t stand by and let Ophelia become another one of your casualties.”
Evan’s patience snapped. He took her by the wrist and led her a few paces farther from the gathering crowd, ensuring they were out of earshot. Her gaze flickered with brief surprise, but she didn’t pull away.
“Listen to me,” he hissed, his voice low and fierce. “You think you know what you’ve done? You think you’ve saved Ophelia from some terrible fate? Ophelia wanted this marriage just as much as I did—if only so that she could continue her romance with a commoner. We both knew what this union was and agreed on it. It was a means to an end, and you’ve ruined everything for us.”
For the first time, a trace of uncertainty flashed in Emma’s eyes. “Ophelia… wanted this? She knew of your reputation?” Her voice was tinged with disbelief.
“Yes. Ask her yourself,” he replied sharply, his eyes narrowing. “She had no intention of being trapped by me—or by any man, for that matter. We agreed on a partnership, nothing more. I would give her the freedom to pursue what she wanted, and she would do the same for me. Neither of us needed or wanted a true marriage.”
Emma’s eyes softened, but there was still skepticism there. “But why the charade?”
