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CHAPTER 1

" T he highest bidder shall receive the privilege of five promenades with the Wild Spinster! "

What? Lady Anna Sutton blinked as the words rang through the grand ballroom at Almack's. All heads turned in her direction, and her fingers tightened around the delicate stem of her champagne glass. Surely, she had misheard. Surely?—

Laughter and scandalized whispers confirmed that she had not. Some of the ladies around them had the decency to partially cover their faces with their fans while they talked about her, but others did not.

At last, Anna turned toward the stage where the auction was taking place.

"The promenades with the Wild Spinster start at ten pounds." The auctioneer, Mr. Harvey, a round little man with an unfortunate tendency toward perspiration, was grinning broadly.

I am the Wild Spinster? And I am being auctioned? How?

Heat surged to her face, though whether from humiliation or rage, she could not yet tell. The shock of it all rendered her momentarily speechless, which was fortunate, as she was quite certain the first words out of her mouth would have been utterly unfit for polite company.

"Twelve pounds!" one gentleman bid, holding up his hand.

"Anna, did you know about this?"

She managed to tear her gaze away long enough to look at Peggy,—her cousin and the Duchess of Giltford. "Do I appear as though I approve of my precious time being auctioned to these canker fools that call themselves gentlemen?"

Peggy regarded her for a moment with her lips pursed before she said, "No, I suppose not."

More voices joined the fray. "A charity auction is hardly the place for a matrimonial trap," Elizabeth, her other cousin, and the Duchess of Sterlin, murmured. "Though I must admit, it is proving to be rather effective."

Anna barely paid her any mind. Her pulse roared in her ears as she forced herself to look at the stage once more. "Twenty guineas!" bid another gentleman.

"Oh, it is guineas now?" Mr. Harvey appeared to be delighted by the enthusiasm of the bidders.

"Forty!"

My Lord! They are only bidding to ridicule me! Anna's eyes swept the crowd, her horror deepening as she took in the raised hands of various gentlemen—some of them respectable, some of them far less so. All of them vying for the opportunity to parade her about London as if she were some novelty .

The only thing that prevented her from storming onto the stage and demanding an immediate end to this farce was the expression on her father's face. Hope.

Sebastian Sutton, the Earl of Dowshire, beamed as though his only child was receiving marriage proposals, and not bids for her time. Anna's heart clenched.

For years, he had allowed her to carve out her own path. Never had he forced her into the marriage mart, never had he insisted she abandon her independence in favor of securing a husband. But he wanted her to be happy, and he still believed marriage might bring her that happiness.

"Eighty-five guineas! Impressive! Do we have one hundred?" Mr. Harvey called.

Her breath hitched as two gentlemen raised their hands. Anna looked at her father again. If enduring five humiliating promenades would allow him the brief indulgence of believing she had made a genuine effort, then so be it.

She sighed, gathering the tattered remnants of her composure. It is well. I shall bear it. With dignity, grace, and ? —

"The bidding is now at five hundred guineas!" called Harvey.

Anna's thoughts screeched to a halt. The sum was nothing short of ludicrous. The sort of preposterous amount that no sane gentleman should pay for five outings with a woman who would rather fling herself into the Thames than be courted.

Who in their right mind would ever?

"One thousand guineas!"

That voice! No! Dread curdled in her stomach. Don't turn, Anna. Pretend this is not happening. Pretend it is not him!

"Going… going… and the bid goes to… His Grace, the Duke of Copperton!"

The guests cheered while Anna searched for the Duke in question.

Colin Caldwell. Handsome, broad-shouldered, infuriating Colin. The very man who had spent the better part of the last two years perfecting the art of aggravating her; who never took anything—or anyone—seriously; who was now sauntering toward her with the satisfaction of a fox who had just secured himself a particularly delightful hen.

What ill luck!

Her fingers tightened around the folds of her dress, a fresh wave of mortification crashing over her.

"I must admit, I did not expect such fierce competition," Colin drawled as he came to a stop before her. His amber eyes gleamed with amusement. "Though I daresay I was prepared to go even higher if necessary. I would not be outbid by these…" he glanced about the ballroom with a smirk, "simpletons."

Anna narrowed her eyes, determined to ignore the peculiar warmth that was settling on her cheeks. "You paid for this?" she demanded.

Colin inclined his head. "Indeed. I considered simply bribing the auctioneer to declare me the winner outright, but I decided I ought to let the other gentlemen enjoy a moment of false hope."

Peggy's eyes widened in horror. "You mean to say you knew ?"

"Not precisely," Colin admitted. "But when the bidding started, and I saw Lady Anna's charming expression of distress, I thought, now, here is an event worth investing in ."

Anna's hand clenched at her side. "You do realize, Your Grace, that we need not actually attend these five promenades?"

Colin's smile widened. "Do we not?"

"No!" she said on seeing the unsettling gleam in his gaze. "We do not!"

"A dear friend such as yourself," Peggy, now smiling, touched Anna's shoulder as she addressed Colin, "would not insist upon such a thing if the lady in question was so clearly opposed."

Anna felt her shoulders relaxing. Yes, this is precisely the argument I need, and I have many allies here. Colin was many things—arrogant, vexing, a menace to her sanity—but he was not cruel . He would not force her into?—

"I insist," Colin said, his mouth twitching at the corners.

Anna's stomach twisted. She straightened, ignoring the strange shiver that coursed down her spine at the way he was looking at her. As though he had already won something far more dangerous than an auction bid.

She lifted her chin. "I fail to see the necessity."

Colin leaned ever so slightly forward, dropping his voice to a murmur that only she could hear. "Come now, Anna. Where is the adventure in that?"

At that very moment— heaven help her —she realized she was in far, far more trouble than she had anticipated.