Page 37 of The Devil's Deceit

“So, are you going to help me or not?”

He tugs on his bottom lip. “You say she’s titled, so that counts for something. From the little I saw of her, she carries herself well, too. And like you say, she has class, which means she wouldn’t bring shame or trouble on the family. But answer me this: what does she get out of it?”

“Other than me, you mean?”

He takes a deep breath and gnaws on his lip, deep in thought. “She does know what an annoying shit you are, I presume?”

“Yep.”

“And she’s agreeable at tying herself to you for life. I smell a rat, brother.”

“Not a rat. An empty bank account.”

He frowns. “What does that mean?”

“She’s poor. Titled but poor. Her mother died quiterecently, father passed away years ago. Their assets were sold off by previous generations. She’s living day to day, and she’s had enough. It’s mercenary of her, and that impresses me. I get to carry on my life exactly as I want to while she gets financial security.”

He takes another drag on the cigar, then stubs it out in the ashtray. “How old is she?”

“Twenty-two.”

“That’s young, bro. Especially to be making a commitment like this to a man she doesn’t know.”

“Yeah, like Imogen was twenty-one and Victoria twenty-three. The difference here is theydidn’tget a choice, whereas Grace does. She’s the one in control. She’s choosing this for herself. You have to admit, Tobias, that’s pretty fucking rad.”

“A fair point rammed between my eyes.”

“Come on. You’re the rule breaker in the family. If anyone has the skills to help me pull this off, it’s you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Because it is.”

He nods, tapping his finger against his bottom lip as he considers my request. “Okay, I’ll help. This is what we do.”

Chapter Thirteen

GRACE

It’s amazing how long an hour can feel when you’re waiting for the phone to ring. Make that two days, and I’m in purgatory. I’m no actress, but even I was impressed with the part I played on Wednesday. Christian bought my reasoning for suggesting a marriage of convenience, and I know he’ll have spent the last forty-eight hours going over the pros and cons of my proposal. If he doesn’t take the bait, I’m not sure where we go from here.

Whatever the outcome, he’s getting married. The only question is whether it’s to me or to some rich girl chosen by Daddy dearest.

Surely my argument stands up to scrutiny, If I take out the personal nature of my part in this, it makes logical sense. He likes me, he’s attracted to me, he kisses me like I’m the best tasting thing he’s ever had on his tongue. That’s all got to count in my favor.

My stomach flips at the memory of his mouth on mine. I am far from immune to him physically, and maybe that’s a good thing. Letting my thoughts take over and gagging everytime he kisses me wouldn’t help my cause. All I have to do is separate mind from body, and I’m golden.

Easier said than done. My greatest worry is my body will take control and hypnotize my mind into forgetting the real reason I’m doing this. For Mum and Dad. For Arron. For Uncle Daniel. And me. Especially for me.

I miss my mum. She wasn’t just my mother, she was my best friend. Dad, too. They didn’t deserve what happened to them. What they do deserve is for the truth to come out, and I’m here to make sure it does.

“Heard anything?”

I almost jump out of my skin. “Jesus, Arron. Make some noise before you enter a room.”

He grins, flopping onto the couch beside me. “So? Any news?”

I shake my head. “Not a peep.” Grimacing, I hitch a shoulder. “I couldn’t have done more.”