The Count’s voice was full of warmth, and a woman with less to lose might have been easily swayed.
“Please, sit down.” Susan tried and failed to smile, resulting in a rather twitchy, unpleasant wavering of her lips as she seated herself opposite him. “Lord D’Asti... it is incumbent upon me to inform you that some rather enlightening information has come to my attention, and I wish to discuss it with you directly, before I draw any conclusions or make any decisions.”
The Count paled and sat down hard in the chair which Susan had motioned to.
“Information?” He swallowed hard, his adam’s apple bobbing wildly. “What kind of information?”
Susan’s cheeks heated and she looked away, gazing into the fire.
“I have been... made aware of the dire state of your finances, my Lord, and I wished to give you the opportunity to address this information directly before I decide what to do with it.”
“I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to speak with you before you made a decision about what to do with this information.” The Count stood, pacing over to the fireplace, then back to his chair. “And I am ashamed to admit that it is true. I have some rather deep debts and my estates are in peril. I am very much in need of a wealthy wife, Miss Wingfield, to help me preserve my family’s estates, as well as our honour and legacy. When I heard the rumour that you had been promised to me since birth, I could hardly pass up such an opportunity to preserve everything I care about.”
Georgiana stared at both of them in open-mouthed shock, both at Susan’s direct approach and the Count’s surprisingly honest answer.
Susan leaned back a touch, slumping against the back of her chair, as if his honesty had caught her quite off guard, as well. She had half expected him to deny the debts entirely, but something in his admission caught her attention. After a moment, she gripped the arms of her chair and leaned towards him with narrowed eyes.
“I beg your pardon, my Lord, but did you just say, ‘when I heard the rumour’? Am I to believe, then, that you did not start the rumour yourself, upon your arrival in London?”
Lord D’Asti frowned, but nodded stoutly.
“It is true, Miss Wingfield, I assure you. May I be quite frank with you?”
Susan’s lips twitched with a ghost of a smile, but she bit the inside of her cheek, and waved a hand to him.
“I would certainly prefer it if you were, my Lord.”
“Upon first hearing the rumour that we have been promised to one another since your birth, I suspected that you were the source of the rumour. It is certainly a common practice among enterprising young women to try to trap gentlemen with such ploys. However, with the way you reacted at our first meeting, I realised that I must have been greatly mistaken in that assumption.”
“If that is the case, then why did you pretend that the rumour was true? Surely you noticed that my affections are otherwise engaged.”
“I pretended that the rumour was true because I find you attractive, Miss Wingfield, and likeable, too, despite your rather obvious aversion to me. I pretended it was true because I rather desperately need a wealthy wife, and after our first meeting, I wasn’t put off by the idea of marrying you, except that now, I can see that your heart truly belongs to Lord Seabury.”
“But, wouldn’t you rather marry for love, Lord D’Asti?”
“Of course I would, but I’m afraid I haven’t the time or the means to marry for love at this juncture. Miss Wingfield, my financial situation is quite perilous, and I very much need a wealthy wife in the immediate future.”
“You know,” Susan murmured, “I actually like you far better when you are being utterly and completely honest with me.”
The Count laughed, then, shaking his head.
“But you will not marry me.”
“No, indeed, I will not.” Susan offered the Count a gentle smile, then, for the first time since they met. “But I hope that you and I can become friends, Lord D’Asti. Perhaps I can help you, even aid you in your search for a wealthy wife, but I cannot marry you.”
“Would you do that – help me search for a wealthy wife, truly?”
“You will be pleasantly surprised to find exactly how much I am willing to do in the service of a friend.”
Georgiana stood and paced closer to both of them, clearing her throat.
“I have a question. If neither one of you started the rumour of your betrothal, then who did?”
Susan froze in place, her eyes turning to her sister in shock.
“That, Georgiana, is a very good question. And one which I believe I should call upon Mr Stephens to look into. Perhaps he can trace the source of the rumour in ways we can’t…”
* * *