“Yes, of course. How could I refuse?”
“Will you return to London?”
“Yes.”
He nodded as if she’d supplied the correct answer. “I told Charles I’d stay here for the remainder of the party. I’m the guest of honor after all, so I shouldn’t vanish.”
He chuckled, then paused, as if he expected her to chuckle too, but she simply gaped at him as if he were a stranger who’d wandered into her room by accident.
“No, you shouldn’t vanish,” she snottily retorted. “Not with your presence being so important.”
“Will you go back to the theater where you were performing last week? What are your plans?”
“Yes, I’ll go there,” she lied. “I can’t afford to be unemployed.”
“I’ll come to town as soon as I’m finished. Promise me you’ll be there. Promise me you won’t do something crazy—like disappear on me. I’ll be aggravated if I have to search for you.”
She wondered, once she hid herself away, how long it would take for his obsession to wane. Hopefully, if she ever bumped into him again—in the far distant future—he would be married, with Penny having already delivered many babies to his nursery.
She asked, “What are you imagining will happen between us when you arrive?”
She wasn’t about to connect with him in the city, but she was curious about how his mind was working. He seemed to truly believe he could keep on with her and Penny, that Libby would ultimately agree to that sordid scenario. She couldn’t make him realize how revolting it sounded.
Then again, she was an actress, and everyone knew that actresses were harlots. Why wouldn’t he assume she’d debase herself in any manner he requested? In her dealings with him, she hadn’t exhibited much of a moral spine, but that was about to change.
He frowned, as if it was a trick question. “What will happen? What would you suppose? We’ll continue on as we have been.”
“What about Penny?”
“What about her?”
He threw the query out casually, as if Penny were a dog by the side of the road, rather than the girl he was about to wed.
“You’re staying for the rest of the party,” she said. “It tells me you’re still on track to propose to her.”
He debated his reply, then settled on, “I have no idea what I intend. I told Charles I would tarry until the bitter end. He asked me to, and I swore I would. After that, I can’t guess what will occur.”
“You need an heiress. You need Penny’s dowry.”
“I won’t claim I’m eager to pass up the money she can provide.”
“You’re such a smart man, Luke. Why can’t you admit how awful this predicament is for me?”
“It’s only awful if I forge ahead into an engagement. I haven’t decided that I will.”
“If you don’t wed Penny, you’ll wed someone else just like her.” He looked as if he’d argue the point, and she cut him off. “You will. Don’t treat me as if I’m stupid.”
He sighed. “This is becoming an impossible problem.”
“Yes, it is, and I’m tired of bickering over it.”
“I’m not too keen about it either.” He forced a smile, one that begged her to smile too, and when she didn’t, he said, “Tell me what to do, Libby. I can’t bear that I’ve made you so unhappy.”
“What if I wind up with child?”
He blanched, as if he’d never pondered the notion. “You won’t. A babe rarely catches after just one attempt.”
“What if it’s one of those rare occasions? If I was increasing, would you still betroth yourself to Penny?”
She sat on the edge of her seat, waiting for him to announce that he’d never behave that despicably. She waited for him to declare that he’d marry her in an instant, that he’d forsake Penny and Charles and pick her instead.
But that vow didn’t arrive.
“Let’s not worry about it now,” he said. “We can cross that bridge if we ever have to.”
“It’s because I’m a lowborn actress, isn’t it?” Her tone was scathing. “If I was a rich earl’s daughter like Penny, you wouldn’t hesitate.”
He grimaced. “Could you not talk like that? I think you’re remarkable, but you understand the world where I reside. You realize the kind of bride I’m meant to have. I’ve constantly told you how extraordinary I deem you to be, so I won’t enter into this sort of discussion. I can’t win it.”
She pulled her hand from his, and she slid out of the chair and away from him. He reached for her, but she was too quick. She studied him, certain it was the last time she’d ever see him, and she was anxious to catalogue every detail so she’d never forget.
“I have to tell you a secret,” she said. “I should shut my mouth about it, but in case there’s gossip later, I want you to hear it directly from me.”
He exhaled heavily, as if she was a great burden, then he stood too and faced her. The bed was between them, like a barrier he wouldn’t dare climb over.
“Fine, Libby. What is it?”
“After Uncle Harry died, I found a box of old letters. I learned the truth about my past and my parents.”
“You mentioned it when we first met, and I’m glad for you.”
“My mother was a flamboyant singer who enticed a nobleman, and eventually, they eloped.”
“My, my, that must have created quite a scandal.”
“It was definitely a scandal. She was a lunatic who likely should have been locked in an asylum to prevent her from causing my poor father so much anguish.”
“I’m sorry you have to feel that way about her.”
“After how she fell apart, I can’t convince myself to picture her as being particularly stable.”
“I’m conflicted as to what I should say about your mother, but I’m not surprised to discover that your father was a nobleman. You’re so incredible. I always suspected you had blue blood running in your veins. Who is he? Is he British? Would I be acquainted with his family?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, you’re intimately acquainted. You’ve
