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Still she watched, waiting for a signal that would let her know what was being decided, what was being agreed upon.

Her greatest fear was that contracts would be signed, that when the men emerged from the study her fate would be sealed. But as time went on and no papers emerged, Astrid felt herself begin to relax.They’re not ready, she thought.Whatever else is going on, they aren’t ready to sign an agreement.

Which meant that nothing they said in there was permanent.

Astrid was momentarily relieved at the thought that she would have, at the very least, another chance to talk to her father before he signed her life away to this man. Lord Middleborough may have been stunning to look at, but the commanding expression on his face frightened her a little.

But before she could feel too much relief, her father reached a hand across the table to Lord Middleborough. The Earl took it, and the two men shook.

So, they did agree on something.Astrid felt chilled despite the warmth in the garden. What were they shaking on? Was the marriage contract just a formality at this point, then? Had they already settled all the terms?

A part of her ached to climb the garden wall and run away.

But that wouldn’t solve anything,she reminded herself.I would still be leaving my home and my life behind me forever if I were to do that. And perhaps I wouldn’t have to learn how to be a wife to an Earl, but I would have to live alone, without a home or a source of income. That would be the harder road.

So then. She would wait.

And in the meantime, she would speak to her father. Maybe there was something she could yet do, some way to sway him. Some way to show him how wrong this decision was for her and how very afraid she was of its outcome.

Maybe.

She waited until the men left the study, then went back into the house, moving quietly toward the stairs that led back up to her bedroom, hoping that she wouldn’t be caught.

But that hope was in vain. “Astrid,” her father called to her.

She turned. He stood in the foyer, Lord Middleborough still by his side.

“Come here,” he said.

She obeyed him unthinkingly, walking toward him and Lord Middleborough. “Father.”

“Where have you been, Astrid?”

“I was in the garden,” she answered honestly. She didn’t believe he would suspect her of spying, and sure enough, his face remained undisturbed at her confession. He merely smiled, and then turned to Lord Middleborough.

“You must see Astrid’s garden, My Lord,” he said. “It’s truly something to behold.”

“Perhaps, on my return.” The Earl searched Astrid’s face as if he were looking for a clue to something. She stared back at him and tried to keep the sudden anger she felt from showing. What right did he have to look atherlike that, as if she owed him some kind of answer? He was going to get everything he wanted from her without even trying.

“Astrid,” her father said, “This is Conor Foster, Earl of Middleborough.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, My Lord.” Even in the midst of this turmoil, Astrid wasn’t about to dishonor her father by forgetting her manners.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” the Earl said. “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

That raised a lot more questions than it answered, but Astrid couldn’t think what to say. She didn’t even know whether it would be appropriate to ask.

“I believe I hear my carriage,” the Earl said. “I’ll show myself out, Mr. Dawson.”

“Good day, My Lord,” Astrid’s father said.

Lord Middleborough disappeared through the front door. Astrid stood listening as the sound of his carriage on the cobblestones outside receded into the distance. Only when she was sure he was gone did she turn to face her father.

“You did it, then,” she said. “You made the agreement.”

But he surprised her. “No,” he said. “Not just yet. He’s expressed interest in you, Astrid, but he wants to get to know you better first, before making his decision.”

That made sense to Astrid. He was, after all, a nobleman, and she only a commoner. “I suppose he’s not that worried about the rumors surrounding him, then?” she guessed.