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It occurred to Emmeline then that she could lie, and claim she hadn’t said so because she wasn’t the Lady in Lavender, but even if she’d wanted to, she could never look into Johnathan’s eyes and lie to him.

“I came to beg for the truth from your lips.” Johnathan gazed at her with hope burning in his cornflower-blue eyes. “But I already know the truth, Emmeline.”

If she looked into his eyes again, she’d burst into tears, so Emmeline looked away, gazing blindly at a point over his shoulder.

“The truth no longer matters, my lord. Half the ton witnessed the spectacle at the theater tonight, and the other half will know every detail of it by breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“It hardly matters? How can it not matter? Look at me, Emmeline.” Johnathan turned her face toward his, so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. “ You are the lady I kissed that night in the library, and you are the lady I’ve fallen in love with. That is the only thing that matters.”

Oh, how Emmeline wished that were true!

“Emmeline Templeton.” Johnathan raised her hand to his lips. “I humbly beg…”

Lady Fosberry gasped, her hand flying to her heart, but Emmeline could only stare at Johnathan, speechless.

Surely, he didn’t mean to?—

“For the honor of your hand…”

He did mean to do it, was doing it, even now. She remained silent, her mind racing.

“…proper courtship, and the wedding as soon as possible, before the end of the season.”

Courtship, he’d said. He was talking about a betrothal, a wedding, a marriage…

Emmeline smothered the sob on her lips at the earnestness with which he declared himself, the warmth in his eyes.

He was so handsome, but even his beauty paled in comparison to his goodness.

There wasn’t one man in a hundred with the honor to offer for her under the circumstances, but he was offering her his hand and his heart without reservation.

And she had no choice but to break his heart, and her own, with a refusal. “I—forgive me, my lord, but a marriage between us is out of the question now. Surely you see that Juliet must become the Countess of Melrose?”

“ Me? ” Juliet repeated in astonishment.

“Juliet?” Lady Fosberry echoed, as if she’d misheard. “But you’re the Lady in Lavender, Emmeline. What has Juliet got to do with it?”

“Juliet is the lady all of London believes to be the Lady in Lavender.” Emmeline’s heart gave a despairing wrench in her chest. “The only way to put this right again is for Johnathan and Juliet to marry. Otherwise, Juliet’s reputation will be forever ruined.”

“Emmeline!” Lady Fosberry exclaimed. “I beg you to consider?—”

“There’s nothing to consider.” Emmeline resisted the urge to drop her head into her hands and instead forged ahead, desperate to have this done. “I’m responsible for this mess, and I won’t leave Juliet to suffer for my mistakes in my place.”

Juliet was staring at her, her eyes enormous in her pale face. “You’d toss away your chance at happiness to…what, Emmeline? Appease the ton ? Satisfy Lord Cudworth, a man willing to destroy another lady’s reputation so he can have Lady Christine Dingley’s fortune?”

“No. Not for any of those reasons, but for you, Juliet. Do you suppose I’ll pursue my own happiness at your expense?

” Emmeline gripped Juliet’s hand, desperate to make her understand how terrible it was to be caught in the ton ’s web without any hope of escape, how like being a helpless fly at the mercy of a spider it was.

How lonely it was.

The thought of her lovely, bright sister humiliated by the ton and sent back to Hambleden Manor with a devastating scandal attached to her name made bile rise in Emmeline’s throat.

Not this time. Not Juliet.

“ No , Emmeline.” Tears stood in Juliet’s eyes even as they blazed with defiance. “This is nonsense. I won’t allow you to sacrifice your happiness for me.”

“What happens to you, Juliet, once I seize my happiness? You won’t be able to set foot in London without fearing the ton ’s scorn!

Every time you walk down a street, you’ll hear them whispering about you behind your back!

No. I won’t have it. A marriage between you and Lord Melrose will silence the wagging tongues, and it’s the only thing that will. ”

“Am I to have any say in which lady I marry, Emmeline?” Johnathan demanded, his calmness deserting him. “Or have you made the decision for all of us?”

“I can only make the decision for myself, my lord, and so I have. I—I must refuse you, my lord. I can’t become your countess.”

Johnathan was staring at her like a man who was struggling to keep his head above water, only to realize the undertow was going to take him, regardless. “This is madness, Emmeline. You must see that!”

Emmeline tried to smile as she reached out to press her palm to Johnathan’s cheek. “It’s for the best. I’d make a dreadful countess, whereas Juliet was born to?—”

Without warning, Johnathan’s hand snaked out, grabbing her wrist. “Do you truly think it’s that simple, Emmeline? That I can exchange one sister for the other, and go on as if I haven’t lost the lady I love?”

“Johnathan—” Emmeline whispered, stricken.

“No.” Johnathan’s eyes were a dark, stormy blue, glittering with anger and despair. “What happens when the ton realizes Lady Christine and Lord Cudworth are lying, that you’re the Lady in Lavender, and not Juliet? Because they will, Emmeline. The truth always finds a way to make itself known.”

Emmeline had no answer for that. She knew only that with every word from his mouth her resistance was crumbling. If she remained in this room, soon enough she’d give him everything he asked for, everything she had.

Gently, she withdrew her wrist from his grasp. “I beg I may be excused, my lady.”

Lady Fosberry hesitated, but then gave a weary nod.

“We’ve all had a bit of a shock. I think it’s best if we resume this discussion tomorrow, when cooler heads prevail.

Go up to your bedchamber, Emmeline. Lord Melrose, I invite you to call on us tomorrow morning.

Perhaps we can persuade Emmeline to see reason then. ”

Emmeline said nothing, but by the time Johnathan arrived tomorrow, she’d be gone. As long as she remained here, he’d never reconcile himself to a marriage with Juliet.

Johnathan exhaled in a quick, sharp breath, but after a long look at Emmeline, he took up his hat, and offered them all a stiff bow. “Until tomorrow, then.”

There wouldn’t be a tomorrow. She’d return to Buckinghamshire as soon as the sun rose, and she’d go alone. Lady Fosberry wouldn’t like it—she’d attempt to talk Emmeline out of it—but when she realized it was useless, she’d let her go.

Emmeline waited until she heard the sound of Johnathan’s carriage in the drive, then she dragged herself upstairs, more exhausted than she could ever remember being in her life before.

The Hambleden Glory hadn’t yet bloomed, and she’d never found the damask rose she needed to complete her father’s perfume. Hadn’t that been all that mattered to her, once? Now she was leaving London as empty-handed as she’d arrived.

No, more so, because she was leaving her heart behind.