“How convenient,” her father sneered. “And yet none of these eager suitors are here to meet me.”
“Because they are gentlemen,” Evelyn replied. “They understand that a lady in mourning requires discretion.”
“This is preposterous?—”
“What is preposterous,” Nathaniel interrupted, “is your assumption that you can simply appear here and make demands. Your daughter is not leaving. Her funds are not being released. And if you think to turn your attention to your younger daughters as alternative sources of income, you will find yourself sadly mistaken.”
“You cannot stop me from managing my own family affairs.”
“I can, and I will,” Nathaniel said. “Make no mistake, Lord Lowey—I outrank you by several rungs. And suppose I hear so much as a whisper that you are attempting to arrange inappropriate marriages for Lady Charlotte or Lady Marianne. In that case, I will ensure that every gentleman’s club in London, as well as every peer in the realm, knows exactly what sort of man you are. Your credit will be worthless, your name will be mud. Do try me.”
The threat hung in the air like a cloud of smoke. Lord Lowey’s hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
“This is not over,” he said finally. “Evelyn, you are my daughter. You will come to your senses.”
“I am exactly where I belong,” she replied. “And I am making my own decisions now.”
“We shall see about that.” He turned toward the door, then paused. “When this all falls apart—and it will—do not come crying to me.”
The door slammed behind him with such force that the crystal decanters on the sideboard rattled.
In the silence that followed, Evelyn became aware of her rapid heartbeat. She had done it. She had stood up to him.
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything you said. For protecting Charlotte and Marianne. I could not have?—”
“You realize,” he said, “that you have talked yourself into quite a corner, don’t you?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“You just told your father multiple gentlemen are courting you. That an engagement is imminent.” His eyes met hers, and shesaw something unreadable there. “Which means you’ll need to actually accept one of them now. Soon.”
The words hit her like cold water. Of course. In her desperation to escape her father’s demands, she had trapped herself more thoroughly than he ever could have.
“I—” she began, but Nathaniel was already turning away.
“I’ll make the arrangements,” he said without looking back. “The ball, additional introductions. Whatever it takes.”
And then he was gone, leaving her standing alone in the drawing room with the sudden, terrible understanding that she had just signed away the very freedom she had fought so hard to protect.
CHAPTER 20
“Ihave three more gentlemen,” Nathaniel said. “That brings the possible number of suitors up to six.”
Evelyn looked at him. Three weeks had passed since her father had shown up unannounced, and she had found herself talked into a corner. She had to find someone she could court, even if it was just for show. A part of her had hoped that Nathaniel would volunteer.
No, that is foolish. You must stop thinking like that, she reminded herself as she sliced her knife through her bun.
Whatever was between them, it wasn’t enough for him to want to cross that invisible line between them. She had hoped that he would, especially since it had become relatively clear that finding an eligible gentleman willing to court her was going to be far more difficult than she had anticipated.
She had done a thorough job of alienating just about everybody, which had, of course, been the plan. What a fool she had been… Although thinking back, the parade of hapless gentlemen had been rather impossible. Nathaniel truly did not have a very good sense of what sort of gentleman would suit her. Had he picked the wrong kind of men on purpose? Because she had?—
“No,” she muttered under her breath.
“I beg your pardon?” he said, looking up. “I did not know you had such a strong aversion to Merlot.”
“What?”
“I said that’s what we should serve at the ball, and your reaction made me think that you feel this particular red wine had a rather peculiar history that I am unaware of. Did it assault one of your ball gowns?”
