“What the blazes?” Tristan whispered. “We are trying to salvage something of the lady’s reputation, not ruin it completely.”
Miss Smythe pursed her lips as her gaze travelled over the breadth of Chandler’s chest. “Is … is that an offer, sir?”
Chandler nodded. “It is.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Tristan objected.
Chandler shrugged. “It is not your decision to make.”
“I am told the fountain is somewhere here.” The chatter from behind the trimmed topiary sounded much clearer now.
Tristan’s heart thumped hard against his ribs. “You must decide what you want to do, Miss Smythe,” he said struggling to keep his voice low.
Miss Smythe glanced down at her silk slippers before lifting her head. “Are you able to provide for me, sir?”
“Have no fear,” Chandler replied with an arrogant smirk. “I shall ensure all your needs are met.”
A blush touched Miss Smythe’s cheeks, and she inclined her head. “Then I accept.”
Good Lord!
Had there been time, he would have protested. Not because he believed Matthew would make an appalling husband — on the contrary, his friend had many honourable qualities — but because they were so unsuited.
“You need to leave, Tristan. You need to leave now.” Chandler gestured to the archway. “Call on me tomorrow.”
Tristan nodded, though his mind struggled to make sense of the night’s events. He hovered at the arched exit, turned to see Chandler take Miss Smythe in his arms.
“Now, when people are gossiping about our tryst,” Chandler said, staring into the lady’s eyes, “what is it you want them to say about us? Is this to be a ravishing? Do you wish to be portrayed as a naive woman who was lured into a trap by a rogue?”
Miss Smythe shook her head. “I do not want anyone to think I am so foolish. No,” she added with some determination. “If I have a choice, I would like people to say it is a lo-love match. I want people to think we were so consumed with passion we simply lost our heads.”
Good God. Did the lady know what she was asking?
Chandler’s mouth curled up into a sinful smile. “That is what I hoped you would say. From the moment we are discovered that is how we will play this game. You have my word, as a gentleman, that I will ask for your hand. But for now, I am going to kiss you with such vigour and passion that I believe we truly will lose our heads.”
Tristan stepped back into the shadows. Miss Smythe’s sweet sigh and Matthew Chandler’s mumbled curse of appreciation were drowned out by a series of high-pitched feminine shrieks.
Chapter 18
“All in all, it has been a rather eventful evening.” Isabella sat back in the leather seat as her carriage rattled along the cobbles on its way to Brook Street. She considered the deep furrows between Tristan’s brows. “What troubles you the most? Is it your mother’s utter lack of morals or the prospect that Miss Smythe will have no option but to marry Mr. Chandler?”
Tristan folded his arms across his chest and leant back. “I don’t suppose for a moment my mother considered what would happen to Miss Smythe should there be a fault with her plan.”
Isabella sighed. “What would you have done had Mr. Chandler not appeared from the shrubbery to save the day?” She knew the answer. Tristan would not have let an innocent woman suffer. It was one of the many reasons she loved him.
He caught her gaze but struggled to hold it. “I … I would have been forced to act in the only honourable way.”
She smiled, despite the stabbing pains in her heart as she imagined him marrying another. “I would not have expected anything less.”
For the first time since reuniting with him in the Holbrooks’ ballroom, a smile touched the corners of his mouth. “I’ve always tried to see the best in every situation. To focus on the negative aspects causes nothing but misery. What Chandler did for me tonight, well, there are no words to express my gratitude.”
It seemed Mr. Chandler did have some redeeming qualities.
“After the sacrifice he has made to save Miss Smythe, I’m confident there is good in him. If the lady is willing, she may find there is a respectable gentleman buried beneath the bravado and arrogant façade.”
Tristan shook his head. “I’m just not sure she has the strength of will to deal with him. The lady likes embroidery and sewing, whilst Ch
andler is responsible for tearing the material of many ladies undergarments.”