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What he hadn’t considered, what hewishedhe’d stopped to consider, was the woman herself and what this marriage might mean for the both of them.

He had spent most of the week in a state of annoyance.

Frederick had allowed Lady Hannah to bait him. Dammit, he had leaned into it! A bold gamble, one that he decided to use to teach her a lesson. Ironic then that he was the one who came to learn something from it.

He had very nearly lost control. When he had leaned in close to her, when he had held her, his mind had flashed back to her half-naked form in all its beauty, his lips had salivated, his pulse had quickened, and the smell of her… it was all he had been able to do to pull away and scold her for trying to seduce him. And, in an effort to demonstrate how little he wanted her, he had said some not-so-very-nice things.

A marriage of convenience where he would all but treat his wife as a stranger? No kissing. No touching! It was what he needed, and his mind would not be changed on the matter. But the more he thought of it, the more he decided that he could have presented the circumstances to Lady Hannah with a touch more tact.

“M’Lord.” A maid suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking nervous and not at all like she wished to be there.

“Ah, Miss Write!” Lord Ramsbury said as he handed Frederick a glass of brandy. “My daughter, is she on the way? Where is she?”

“I am sorry to say, M’Lord, but…” She was shaking, she looked so nervous. “I am afraid that Lady Hannah had instructed me to tell you that she will not be coming down.”

“What?!”

“She has asked that I act as an intermediary between you and her. Anything you wish to ask can be said to me, and I will relay the message.”

“Did she now…” Lord Ramsbury’s eyes widened, and his face began to turn purple. “And she is aware that His Grace has come all this way?”

“She is, M’Lord.”

“And she is aware?—”

“Oh, this is ridiculous!” Lady Ramsbury cut him off. “Miss Write, please tell Hannah that she is expected here. And do not take no for an answer.”

Miss Write could not have looked more terrified, but she nodded her head, turned around, and hurried away.

“I am so sorry about this,” Lord Ramsbury groaned. “And I swear, she is not usually like this. In fact, all week, she had shown nothing but excitement for your impending wedding.”

“Is that so?” Frederick asked as he took a very large sip of his brandy, feeling now that he would need it.

“It is,” Lady Ramsbury affirmed. “All of us are. Perhaps she is simply feeling ill?”

“Let us hope…”

Frederick wasn’t in the least bit surprised, but that wasn’t to say that he wasn’t annoyed. Yes, he had been somewhat callous andcold toward Lady Hannah when they had spoken, but the way she had behaved wasn’t much better!

He had spent the entire week trying to find the words he would eventually say to her when the time came. How he would explain to her what he wanted from this marriage without upsetting her further—a marriage of convenience, without any preconceived notions of romance or physical affection. Even just thinking it made it sound less than desirable.

But Frederick also had no choice in the matter. The truth was, he didn’t want to marry. Until recently, he had known that he would never marry again! He was only doing so now because he felt that he must, a state of being that his status and circumstances demanded. And then there was Amelia…

“M’Lord.” Miss Write appeared in the doorway again. Alone. “Lady Hannah has instructed me to tell you that?—”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Lord Ramsbury exclaimed. “Curse that girl!”

“Phineas!”

“What?” he snapped at his wife, only for her to cock an eyebrow at him. He winced. “I am sorry, dear. I did not mean it. It is just that girl! She is far too like her sisters. As stubborn as…” His eyes went wide, and he spun to look at Frederick. “I mean, she is a lovely girl, Your Grace. A true gem. And I know she is as excited about this marriage as we are.”

“Is that right?” Frederick asked plainly. “I am beginning to see that.”

“Miss Write,” Lord Ramsbury tried again. “You get your butt up there and tell my daughter?—”

“We shall tell her,” Lady Ramsbury cut him off. “Your Grace, if you do not mind waiting a moment?”

“I suppose so,” Frederick sighed, taking another large sip of his brandy.