To Con a Gentleman (Dalton Family 1)

She smiled slightly and shook her head. “No. Now, tell me what’s wrong with Lady Hatley.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to be able to get the woman to stay without a bit more information. He rubbed at the headache growing in his temples. How could a woman be both so appealing and so very obnoxious at the same time?

“After dinner tonight, Robert—Mary’s husband—informed me that about six months ago Mary miscarried a pregnancy. I didn’t know about it because…well, she didn’t tell me.” His chest tightened at the thought of his sister hurting and him so far away. “Anyway—as we learned tonight, she is with child again. The doctor has been very clear that she is not to endure any stress during these early months. I would imagine that finding out the depth of our situation is likely to cause my worrywart of a sister a great deal of stress. I had planned to end this shenanigan tonight and send you back to London, but after all that Robert told me…well, I need you to stay so that I can protect my sister.”

He finally stopped to take a b

reath and noticed that Daphney’s expression had changed. She was quiet and still. Her golden amber eyes hooked him with a tenderness—a depth that reached into him and soothed his pain.

“What about after the ball? Will she be through her difficult months?” Was she asking because she was worried for Mary, or fearful that they would have to extend their betrothal if Mary wasn’t yet out of danger?

“We will go back to London the day after the ball and there you will be given your promised money, and your freedom. I’ll write to Mary after a month or so and tell her that we ended the engagement due to a mutual disagreement with the match.”

Daphney bit her lips together deep in thought as she cast her eyes to the ground. What was it about the arrangement that was giving her the most pause? Was it having to pretend to remain engaged to him that bothered her? Most women would jump at the chance. Even if it was only to fake an engagement for a week. But here was Daphney, a woman unlike any he’d ever known before, clearly wrestling with the idea.

After the span of five full breaths, her eyes snapped to him with such shocking directness that he nearly took a step back. “Two thousand,” she stated.

He resisted the urge to laugh at her audacity. “This is not a negotiation. One thousand pounds is all you will get.”

“Two or I won’t do it.” The warm glow of the lantern flickered across her skin, her freckles, her mouth and eyes, making those haunting eyes and soft features all the more alluring. It was hardly fair. She had the advantage, and they both knew it.

He sighed in defeat. “Very well, you ruthless woman. Two thousand it is.”

She looked up at him, a frown once again on her face. “You need to agree to a few things before I commit to the job.” The job. How ridiculous. He supposed that was what he got for bringing the blasted woman to his house in the first place. “First, I am not a light skirt or a brimstone. I expect to be treated with the same respect you would show a lady.”

“A lowering reflection that you felt the need to state that, but yes I give you my word that I will not compromise you in any way.”

“Good. And second, the less you know about who I really am the better. It will make interacting with your family much easier and less confusing for you…and me.” If she hadn't added that last bit he might not have agreed.

“Fair enough.”

“Third. You absolutely cannot develop a tendré for me. Everything between us will be a ruse and nothing more. At the end of this job, I will leave and we will not have contact again.”

Well, that was it. Even if he had just admitted to himself a moment ago that he felt a strange attraction for that woman, her presumptive words made him determined to not feel it again. “I’ll try to refrain from flinging myself off of a bridge from heartbreak.”

“Alright, then.” She sighed deeply as if resigning herself to some great trial. “I’ll stay.” She added firmly, “But only because of the two thousand pounds and the situation with Lady Hatley. Not at all because I desire to spend any more time in your company.”

“Wonderful,” he said, a sardonic tone lacing his words. “Now that you’ve unburdened yourself of those sentiments we can move on.”

She bit her lips but couldn’t completely keep from hiding the smile. “I apologize. I can be rather blunt at times.”

“You make me long for the meek little maid who showed up at my doorstep afraid to make eye contact.”

Her smile twisted in a way that made his heart speed up. “Do you really? I think she would have been a dead bore to you.” She would have. He could never long for a meek, shy woman. Claire had certainly never been either of those things.

Claire. He forced his thoughts to keep moving. “You’re probably right.” He gestured toward the stable doors. “Shall we go inside now? It’s getting late and there will be time to discuss the rest in the morning.” And he needed to get some space.

She agreed and then looked shocked when he picked up her valise. Was she not used to a gentleman helping her? He hadn’t meant it as some grand gesture but the way her eyes brimmed with surprise and appreciation made him feel like a hero rather than an ordinary gentleman performing an ordinary task.

“So, tell me then, Daphney Ingrid Bellows…” Every inch of him was aware of how close she was as they progressed across the lawn toward the house. Her arm brushed against his and he had to grip the handles of the luggage tighter to keep himself from reaching for her hand. So much for not feeling any more attraction to her. “What were you doing out here in the stables before I caught you?”

The wind whistled through the night air and somewhere in the distance an owl hooted, but all he could think about was that rueful smile she was giving him and how her mischievous eyes were twinkling. “Stealing your horse,” she said.

By herself? “And you think you would have been able to manage it?”

Daphney blinked a few times. “What do you mean by manage it?”

He chuckled. “No—put your sword away. I only meant that you would have had to saddle the beast in the dark as well as mount it all on your own. That would have been a difficult feat for anyone to accomplish.”