That was that, then.
In a daze, she returned with him to the rooms full of people. He hadn’t run his fingers through her hair or mussed her gown. Nothing of her outside appearance gave away the internal shift she’d just experienced. There was more to be had, and while she hadn’t had time to unravel the tangle of emotions inside her, her heart and mind agreed that the feeling was significant. That this would complicate things but perhaps for the better.
They lined up for a country dance as if nothing untoward had occurred.
As if he hadn’t just caused an emotional earthquake making her question every unsentimental piece of her perfectly planned future. Because those plans didn’t make room for more.
Lottie curtsied when the music began and sent him a sunny smile, as if he hadn’t just potentially ruined everything.
Chapter Thirteen
Calvin dropped the paper next to Ethan’s breakfast plate. “Either you’re living an alternate life I’m not aware of, or the gossip columnists are getting desperate with their conjecture.”
Ethan flicked the edge of the newsprint out of his eggs. “What are they saying this time?”
Calvin pointed. Today’s headline declared “Paper Doll Torn Between Love and Money” in bold print. A sketch below showed Lady Charlotte as a one-dimensional cutout caught in a tug-of-war between two men. Montague’s perfect face shone as the hero in the picture, while Ethan’s hulking form sported an ill-fitting coat made of pound notes.
“Charming. Only accurate in that Montague is one gambling note shy of debtor’s prison.” Ethan folded the paper to hide the cartoon. One bright spot in all this was that the gossips weren’t aware of his financial situation if he’d been cast as the rich suitor who’d wooed her with his money.
Calvin flopped in the chair beside him. “People are mocking you, Mac. Is all this worth it? You don’t even get to marry the girl in the end.”
“She’s worth it.” They’d kissed last night, and he couldn’t help feeling that the landscape was changing beneath his feet. They’d gone into this engagement with clear boundaries: which people would know the truth, how long it would last, and who would end it.
Now he didn’t want her to end it. Whether that translated to actually desiring marriage, he didn’t know. But he sure as hell desired Lottie.
After their kiss he’d blurted out the first thing on his mind and told her she tasted like heather honey—sweet, earthy, and precious. Heather bloomed for only a short while, so the honey produced by the bees was all the more treasured for its rarity. She tasted like the best parts of home, and the knowledge had kept him awake late into the night.
Whether this new territory was a good thing or a disastrous mistake remained to be seen. And if by some miracle they blew up their plan and actually headed down the aisle, convincing the earl to give his blessing would be its own challenge. He set that particular problem aside. Best not to borrow trouble.
“Think the engagement will be enough to discourage Montague?” Cal asked.
That was a question he’d been considering since last night. The man’s boldness to hurt her in front of everyone while smiling and expecting her to smile too—Montague was worse than he’d thought. “I don’ know. James Montague isn’ known for his accommodating nature.”
“He’s a sewer rat, plain and simple. We need to find a way to protect her beyond a phony engagement,” Cal said.
“I’m open tae ideas.”
“There’s something off about him, you know?” Cal sipped his coffee.
Ethan flipped the newspaper open and studied the cartoon again. “Money. He’s in debt up tae his eyeballs. If we control his finances, we control the man. Maybe we get Danby tae call him home tae rusticate in the country.”
Cal nodded in agreement. “We buy up his debts. I shadow him at the tables and buy his markers. Then we dun him all to hell and back.”
Ethan sighed. This was going to be expensive, tapping into what he had saved in case the brewery project went awry, but if it meant Lottie would be safe, it would be worth it. “I’m goin’ tae ask Lottie tae join me at Woodrest for a few days. The new brewmaster is moving in, and I need tae check in on the worksite. It gets us away from Town for a while. Are you fine with following him while I’m gone?”
“Absolutely. I’ll turn it into a learning experience for the Puppy. We’ll call it ‘An Idiot’s Guide to the Underbelly of London: What Not to Do.’ We’ll have a grand time,” Cal said.
Silence descended between them. Years of friendship meant Ethan could recognize a comfortable silence—and this wasn’t it. “What else is on your mind, Cal?”
He took his sweet time answering. But finally, Cal sighed and said, “It’s been one of those weeks where I want to run away from home. I fear the problems would find me again eventually, though.”
“Sister or father?”
“Both,” Cal said without humor. “Emma’s plans for her Season grow more intricate and expensive with every letter. You’d think finishing school would teach common sense or budgeting, but apparently not.”
“Is the estate having financial difficulties?” Ethan’s brow wrinkled. “And here I am making expensive plans tae take down Montague. I hope you know that’s something I’m financing, not you.”
“No, I’m fine. And I’ll happily help with taking down Montague. I know you’re good for it eventually. This is nothing more than the usual frantic bailing measures to clean up my father’s messes—which I also had to do yesterday.” Cal’s relentlessly chipper personality usually kept his face alight with laughter, but right now he looked tired and about ten years older.
“The usual problems with your father?”
“Indeed. That man couldn’t keep his pecker to himself if his life depended on it.”
“Let me
