Prologue
“Are you ready, Miss Shaw?”
Tara lifted her head, her whole body trembling. She had no wish to do this, no desire to be the one forced into such an action, but she had no other choice. Her hands curled together, her fingers cold and clammy. She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him that she could not do this, but even if she had the courage to do so, Tara was already aware of what the response would be. She would be reminded of her duties, told again what she had promised, and that she had no other choice but to do so.
“Ah…”
“Are you ready? You know what is required of you.” The insistence in his voice was greater this time, and Tara dropped her head as the man loomed over her. The next moment, hot breath brushed across her cheek, something rough coming straight after and she recoiled from him. “Miss Shaw. I will not ask you again.” Overwhelmed by his intimidation, Tara forced her head to nod. Nausea rose within her as she got to her feet. Had she actually eaten anything, she might be in danger of casting up her accounts, but she had barely touched her food all day. “Hurry then.”
“I… I do not think that I can do this.”
Her voice was weak and shaking as she struggled to put one foot in front of the other. Everything in her told her to sit back down, to refuse to do what she had promised, but there could be no escape for her now.
“And yet you must. You know what is at stake if you do not.”
Tara closed her eyes, shuddering at the reminder. She could not let it come to pass for she would never forgive herself if, by her failures, such a thing occurred. It was out of love that she had made this promise, and it was love that would keep her going.
“Yes…”
“Then, if you are aware of the situation, are you now to join me or are you to remain where you are?”
“I… I will join you.”
Her lifeless words brought a light chuckle from the man before her, and Tara shuddered violently.
“You have a good deal more sense than I expected,” he told her. “It will be over very soon. You recall what you are to do?”
“Yes, I recall it.”
Nausea roiled in her stomach again, but Tara dragged in a steadying breath, forcing herself to walk forward to make her way out of the room. She went along the hallway, which was lit only with one candle, and stepped into another room, the door of which was propped open for her. Bawdy laughter echoed up towards her just as a hand settled on her shoulder, and Tara caught her breath, biting back a shocked exclamation.
“You will do very well, I am sure. No one will know who you are. No one will recognize your face. I can promise you that.”
Tara nodded but said nothing. If she were truthful, she would tell the man that she had no assurance as to whether or not she could trust him but, fearing what would happen if she did so, she could not bring herself to say those words.
“It will be over within the hour. And then you will return to your father’s house, and you will be quite contented, I assure you. No one but I will know of your hand in this.”
“But I do not even know your real name.” Turning her head, she tried to look up at the man, but his features, cloaked by the mask he had worn throughout, were also half hidden in shadow. “How can I be sure of your word if I do not even know with whom I am speaking?”
Another chuckle ran down through her bones and she closed her eyes. This was not what she had wanted, not what she had planned. She had been meant to come to London to enjoy the Season and all the joy it would bring. Instead, she found herself caught up in the darkest of situations, and the man before her was one of the cruelest gentlemen she had ever met. He was not a considerate sort and had given her no choicebutto do as he demanded, no doubt knowing that the consequences were much too great for her to refuse.
“It is just as well that you do not know my face, nor my true title,” came the response. “When we stand up together in society, you shall have no concerns as to who you are dancing with. I will know who you are, certainly, but I am a man inclined towards keeping secrets. You need have no fear in that regard.”
“These are all just words,” Tara replied, rallying her courage a little. “You say that you are a gentleman of honor, but I do not know that. In fact, your behavior speaks entirely otherwise. How can I believe you?”
“I suppose you cannot.” This did not seem to perturb the gentleman at all, for his hand squeezed her shoulder and Tara forced herself not to pull away, even though her instinct was to recoil. It might make him deeply upset with her if she did, and that could bring further consequences with it. “You are required to trust me, Miss Shaw, but I need not prove myself to you. That must be a difficult thing for you, given that you do not know who I am, but have I not proven myself thus far? I have kept my word, have I not?” Tara closed her eyes. There was a hint of mockery in the man’s voice. Yes, of course, he had kept his word, but that had only been because Tara had promised to do as he had required of her. Had she refused, then she was quite certain that the situation would now be very different. “Believe me when I say that I have no intention of revealing myself to anyone. It is not just from you that I hide my face. No one can know of my situation here at present, just as they must never know of yours either. It is in my best interests for you to remain as you are at present, not knowing who I am. Provided you do as you have been instructed, then all will be well. You will be able to return to society and continue on as you have been doing for so very long. This is your third Season now, is it not?”
Tara let out a slow breath, closing her eyes and refusing to let the way her heart jumped about her chest show in even a flicker of her expression. Yes, it was gloomy and dark in this room, but that did not mean that the man could not see her face since he was so close to her.
“It seems a little unfair that you should know so much about me, and I so little about you, sir,” she responded, keeping the tremble from her voice with a great deal of effort. “Yes, this is my third Season. What of it?”
The man chuckled.
“There is no need to be defensive. I have had to discover what I can about you, that is only fair. For it was important to me to discover whether or not you could be trusted before I made you this proposition. I am glad to see that it appears you are entirely trustworthy, which is why I know that you will do exactly as I ask, and that you will do so without hesitation.” Steel had come into his voice and Tara closed her eyes. She could not escape this. She could not escapehim. What he had laid out for her had to be done, or else the consequences would fall firmly down upon her shoulders and on those that she loved. “I believe you have a kind heart, Miss Shaw,” the man continued as she opened her eyes and dragged air into her burning lungs. “That will not aid you here. It is because of your generous nature that you find yourself in this position. However, you must give no warning to the gentleman who comes across your path. You must say nothing to him about the reasons for your presence here this evening. In short, you must do nothing that would give yourself away. Do as you have been instructed, and all will be well… at least, for you.”
His hand tightened on her shoulder and forced her forward towards the bed in the corner of the room, barely visible as moonlight streamed through the small, cracked windowpane. Tara wanted to scream, wanted to beg to be free of it all, but the consequence of doing so reared its head in her mind and she forced her steps forward.
I have no other choice. I must do this.Closing her eyes, she drew in another lungful of air, but it only made her nervousness grow all the more.Even though I am about to do wrong, I am doing what is right.
