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“That would be unfair to her,” Williams retorted as he returned to his seat.

“And the circumstances under which you’re marrying her aren’t exactly fair to you either,” he argued. “You do not have to force yourself to change for her. You are entitled to your privacy.”

The mood turned somber as they all debated whether to permit William to make such a life-altering decision. Although he knew his friends were not wrong to advise him to marry, he couldn’t help but worry he would ultimately be ruining the lady’s life by choosing to tie her to himself in marriage.

He would never mention it to his friends, but he had seen what marriage had done to his father, who had been cruel to him because his mother had died while birthing him. They only knew his father had been cruel but never the reason for it.

He feared he would become quite the same, as the men in his family loved fiercely, and that fierceness led them to often hurttheir offspring. He never wanted to have a child who would grow to resent him. The thought did not appeal to him, yet…

“Even if I end up resigning myself to what might be a loveless marriage, I would at least want this one moment of happiness for myself.”

Her words haunted him even now. If he were to marry her, he would be dooming her to the loveless marriage she had dreaded having, and yet, if he did not, her life would ultimately be ruined.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

“Have you come to a decision?” Magnus asked.

William nodded. “I shall marry her. It is the honorable thing to do, even though I do not fancy bringing someone into my life.”

“It is the right thing to do, my friend,” Magnus said, nodding. “When will you meet her father?”

“Tomorrow morning,” William replied, rising from his seat. “On that note, are you going to stay here or return to your estates?”

Since his return, he had had chambers prepared for his friends, which had seen frequent use, as they all had in their own homes. Their meetings sometimes lasted well late into the night, when it would not be safe for them to return to their neighboring estates.

“In a hurry to see us off, Mayfield?” Theo joked, coming to slap him on the shoulder.

“On the contrary,” William said. “I intend to drown my sorrows in drink.”

“We shall do the same with you, although we shall be much happier.” Magnus smiled. “Our friend is getting married soon. It calls for a celebration.”

“Indeed,” Edwin agreed, rising to pour himself a drink.

“What did I do to deserve such wonderful friends?” William asked, feigning despair even though he was grateful for their company.

His estate was sometimes too quiet for his liking, and he found himself craving company. Perhaps when he married, he might feel less alone.

Eveline.

Such a pretty and innocent name for one who looked as tempting as she did.

“Thinking of your wife already, Mayfield?” Theo teased.

William glared at him.

“Do not worry, I will not tease you too much.” Theo smiled. “I cannot wait to meet the woman who convinced you to kiss her on your first meeting.”

“She must indeed possess some special charm that made you behave the way you did,” Magnus commented.

William wondered what his friends would make of the unconventional beauty that was to be his wife. He remembered her body again and took a long sip of his drink. It was going to be hard resisting her, but he would do so even if it killed him.

CHAPTER 6

“Of all the nonsense, foolhardy, embarrassing things you’ve ever done, you go and add tarnishing your reputation to the list?” Reginald Jennings, the Viscount Notley, scolded as soon as Eveline stepped into the dining room for the morning meal.

She had slept fitfully after many long hours of tossing and turning, waking up grudgingly with the hope that she would at least be the one to share the bad news with her father. Alas, that was not to be, as he was holding a copy of the day’s scandal sheet.

“Good morning, Father,” she greeted. “I’m sure your night was pleasant.”