” Lord March replied with a wiggle of his brows. “And it would be very good for Miss Wells, would it not? She would have the attention of the ton, if you were to make to court her, Lord Weston. Once your courtship is brought to a sudden and swift end, there will be those who seek to comfort her, and she will be of much greater interest to the beau monde than she is at this present moment.”
“But she will be tainted by the quick end to our supposed courtship,” Thomas protested. “Her reputation–”
“No, no, no,” Lord Wiltshire interrupted, waving his hand in Thomas’s direction. “Everyone knows you are a rogue. They will place the blame on your shoulders, and you will shrug off the rumors that come thereafter.” He clapped his hands together, as though the matter were settled. “Now, how much shall we wager?”
Thomas began to stammer, feeling a trifle uncomfortable with the idea. He did not want to have to return to Miss Wells and find a way to get into her good graces. He had never had to do such a thing before and to consider that he would need to do so now was more than a little frustrating. Since he was an earl, with the title of marquess to follow upon the death of his father, Thomas had never lacked attention from others. It had come to him naturally, and he had grasped at it eagerly. Lord Wiltshire was correct to state that he was known as a rogue—which was something Thomas’s father disliked intensely.
But have you not only just said to Lord Henderson that you are not going to be restrained by your father’s demands that you behave in the manner he deems appropriate? Thomas thought, seeing Lord Henderson looking at him expectantly. And there is no need for you to consider Miss Wells in such a concerned manner. She was incredibly rude to you, was she not? And she will find herself more involved with society should you take on this wager, and that will, of course, be a good thing for her.
“Very well,” he found himself saying, much to the delight of Lord Wiltshire. “I shall accept your wager.” He named a sum that had Lord Wiltshire blanch for a moment, smiling inwardly as he saw the man consider for a moment whether this truly was the best way forward.
But then, Lord Wiltshire collected himself and agreed, whilst Lord March suddenly became deadly silent. It was clear he did not want to risk such a large amount of money!
“You shall have a month then,” Lord Wiltshire said, as they began to make their way across the room to where Whites’ infamous betting book lay. “That is certain to be long enough for you, surely?”
Thomas knew, deep down, that it was his pride and arrogance that made him accept such a ridiculous wager and that, in doing this, he would be making something of a fool of himself, but he could no longer bring himself to refuse. His chin lifted as he looked back at Lord Wiltshire, hating the grin on his face and wanting to prove to not only him but to the other gentlemen who were, by now, listening eagerly to this conversation and looking to see what bet would be made, that he was able to gain the adoration and affection of any young lady that he chose. “More than enough,” he stated firmly. “A month it shall be.”
There were audible gasps as Lord Wiltshire wrote down the details of the wager and the amount concerned, but Thomas did not care. His reputation was at stake, and there was nothing he would not do in order to defend it.
Chapter Four
“That is not at all fair, Mama!”
Merry was more than a little angry with her sister and her mother, for they seemed to be working together in order to get her to do as they wished. Lady Whitehaven was now insisting that Merry had not won the wager and that, therefore, she had to do as she was told.
“Titania has made it quite clear that she did not instruct Lord Carroway to seek you out and introduce you to Lord Weston,” Lady Whitehaven said firmly, dismissing Merry’s concerns with a wave of her hand. “Therefore, my dear, you have lost, and you must simply accept that.”
Resisting the urge to stamp her foot, Merry took in a long breath and, closing her eyes, pushed it out between pursed lips. “Titania spoke to Lord Weston about her sisters and stated that she would be glad to introduce them,” she replied firmly. “If she had said nothing, then Lord Carroway might well have simply ignored the fact that I was present and could be introduced to Lord Weston. No, Mama, that is not fair in the least, especially since I spoke to Titania about what had been agreed between you and I. She knew full well that she was to say nothing, and yet, she chose to do so!”
Titania, who had been sitting idly in a chair by the fire, now turned her head towards Merry and lifted one eyebrow slowly. “You seem to think that it is a bad thing to have been introduced to someone such as Lord Weston, Merry,” she said mildly. “Do you not know how very popular he is amongst the beau monde?”
Merry stiffened, her hands balling into fists. “I care nothing for his self-importance nor how foolish the ladies of the ton are in batting their eyes at him,” she spat, knowing that Titania was not in the least bit concerned about her part in all of this. “He is an arrogant, self-interested fop, and I was glad to refuse to dance with him.”
A cold hand gripped her heart as a swift intake of breath from her mother reminded Merry that she had not said a word about Lord Weston asking her to dance. That had remained unspoken and unsaid, for Merry had not wanted her mother to know that Lord Weston had shown such particular interest.
“Well, well,” Lady Whitehaven said after a moment or two. “So Lord Weston asked you to dance, did he? You have not said as much before, Merry.”
Titania laughed softly whilst Merry’s cheeks flared with heat. “That is because she knows that to admit such a thing would be to admit that she has lost the wager, Mama,” Titania stated, forcing Merry to duck her head with the shame of it all. “That is why you have not been honest, is it not?”
Merry closed her eyes tightly, forcing air into her lungs and screaming inwardly as she did so. The urge to stamp her foot and to insist that Lord Weston had only offered to dance with her because they had been introduced and it would be most impolite not to do so rose up within her, for then she could place the blame solely on Lord Carroway’s shoulders and demand that she be freed from any implication that she had lost the wager. But, try as she might, Merry could not bring herself to force those words from her lips, her anger and frustration burning hotter and hotter within herself.
“I am very surprised to hear that you refused such a gentleman, even though he is known to be something of a rogue,” Lady Whitehaven said gently, as if she could see Merry’s upset and wanted to quieten it somewhat. “You did not have any desire to take to the floor with him, Merry?”
Opening her eyes, Merry looked at her mother and saw the calm smile on her face and the kindness in her eyes. Her own anger began to fade at once, in light of her mother’s gentleness, even though Merry knew that she would still demand that Merry do as she was asked—now that the wager had been lost.
Inwardly, Lady Whitehaven must be delighting in the fact that she could dress Merry up in any gown or color she chose and have her hair set in any coiffure of her desire. But outwardly, at least, she was speaking kindly and with a good deal of understanding.
“He did not make a favorable first impression, Mama,” she replied honestly, ignoring Titania’s snort. “I know that he has caught the interest of many and that he is, most likely, considered to be one of the most eligible gentlemen in all of London, but I myself found him arrogant, rude, and entitled.” She swallowed hard, shaking her head. “Mayhap I did wrong in your eyes, Mama, but I could not step out with such a gentleman.” A rueful smile grasped one corner of her mouth. “And I do not think that he expected such a thing either. The way he spoke to me once I had insisted I would not dance with him was quite unexpected.”
At this, the slight humor about Titania’s mouth vanished, her eyes now filling with concern. “I must say, Merry,” she began, turning to face her sister a little more fully. “I have not heard Lord Weston speak ill to anyone before. Might I ask what was said?”
Merry let out a long breath, wondering whether she should be truthful or whether she ought to brush aside Titania’s question. Deciding on the former, she allowed herself a tiny shrug, as though to let her sister know that she did not care much for what Lord Weston had said – even though his words had struck her heart like hammer blows.
“He called me a mouse, stating that I loved to cling to the shadows so that I would not be noticed. He also stated that you, Titania, would be more than I could ever be.” At this statement, Titania drew in a sharp breath, her eyes rounding and her cheeks paling a little. “I suppose that is quite true however, so I shall not allow myself to be injured by it.”
There came a quiet over the three ladies as they considered what Merry had just revealed, with Merry herself feeling a sorrow and a pain that she covered over with false calmness and a light smile. She was well used to doing such a thing, and so it came quite naturally to her to pretend that those words from Lord Weston had done nothing to upset her. However, even though she had been angry with him at the time, even though she had been furious with his harsh words and his impertinence, Merry had been quite unable to stop those words from reaching down into her heart and lingering there. They had held modicums of truth, which had bitten down at her, hard, making her wince in pain. Lord Weston did not know it, but he had injured her heart with the sharpness of his tongue, reminding her that she would never be as her sisters were. She had not the beauty, the grace, nor the ease of manner and conversation that Titania displayed. Merry would constantly be passed over by gentlemen who saw nothing more than a dull visage. None sought to know her better, to discover the truth about her heart. They did not wish to get to know her likes and dislikes, her interests and her sorrows. They merely thought her a plain, little wallflower who could easily be passed over.
And as much as Merry did not want to admit it,