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S hay didn’t know how it was possible for him to go from utter dread to anxious anticipation for the same event in the span of only a few minutes, but he had. When at first he was desperate to find a way to avoid the dinner altogether he was now looking forward to arriving with Thea on his arm as his betrothed.

Fortunately, Lord Whimsley had only asked if Shay had married, the man had not asked if he was otherwise engaged.

After spending much of the day before in Inverness seeing to a dress for Thea and confirming Frannie’s aunt would attend as a chaperone, there was not much left of the day.

Shay felt rather guilty for having disrupted Thea’s writing time, but there was no rush for her to finish. He’d told her she was welcome to stay at the cottage for as long as was needed. She still seemed under pressure to get out of his way, but he rather liked having her there.

As the carriage pulled up in front of the dower cottage Shay’s excitement had him opening the door before the wheels had completely stopped turning. He’d not seen the dress, instead he’d sat on a bench outside the modiste as the ladies selected the perfect gown that would not take many alterations to fit Thea. He was eager to see Thea with her hair done in some other way than a pile on the top of her head.

As he headed toward the front door, it opened and he realized her hair was only a small part of the transformation.

Her other gowns were dowdy. He hadn’t thought so before, but now, seeing the way this one fit her properly he realized her other attire was likely pre-made rather than fitted for her specifically as this gown was.

The warm green gown brought out the gold in her hair and eyes. Frannie had gone to great effort with Thea’s hair as it was wound in an intricate twine of braids and curls about her head with pearls tucked in here and there. She wore a simple gold locket on a black choker at her neck.

She touched it when she must have noticed him looking.

“It belonged to my mother. It’s all of her jewelry that is left. I hid it so Stephen could not sell it.”

He nodded sadly, hating that she had lost so much. And because of the very person who was supposed to protect her.

“Shall we?” he asked as he helped Mrs. Winters into the carriage first and then Thea. The older woman seemed excited as well, and Shay knew he couldn’t show up at a genteel home with Thea alone. Even as his intended, they were not married and it wouldn’t have been proper. Still, Shay wished they hadn’t needed the chaperone for he had things he’d wanted to speak to her about.

“Am I to use my real name?” Thea asked.

Shay hadn’t considered that she was in hiding. While it was unlikely that anyone in the Highlands would have reason to know her brother or mention having seen Thea here, the risk was low rather than nonexistent.

“What would you prefer?”

“I believe I will use my given name so not to risk not answering if someone were to speak to me. But I’ll use my middle name, Sutton, as my family name. It was my mother’s maiden name.”

He nodded.

“This is so exciting,” Mrs. Winters said. “I feel like I am part of a play.”

“It would be something one might write about in a book,” Shay said with a raised brow toward Thea. While Mrs. Winters knew her part as Thea’s stalwart chaperone, the woman didn’t know about Theodore Stonecliff.

It was not a long ride to Nairnshire, and soon Shay was reaching up to help Thea down from his carriage. She looked rather nervous and he disliked being the cause of it.

“Worry not, it is not your head on the chopping block if tonight does not go as planned, Miss Sutton.”

She smiled and leaned closer. “You should not worry either, my lord, for if it were to come to it I’ve tucked a sharp stick into my reticule to fend off all the adoring young ladies.”

He chuckled and placed his palm over her smaller, gloved hand resting on his arm.

“How did you fair with the ink?” he whispered.

“A lost cause, I’m afraid. I did my best. We’ll have to say I’m diligent with my correspondence.”

“You will charm them with wit, and they shall not notice.”

She rolled her eyes at him which made him laugh louder than was proper. He was quite pleased with his plan to turn this night in his favor. Now if they could all play their parts for the next few hours all would be well.

*

The evening was not off to a great start. Even Thea, who had not been to a formal dinner since her parents were alive, could tell it was already a disaster.

They were greeted in the foyer by their confused host, Baron Whimsley. The man’s smile seemed to fade as he took in Thea and then Mrs. Winters. His lips pinched into something distasteful as his brow cocked in unhappy appraisal.

But Thea nearly forgot the man was there when Shay announced proudly, “I present Miss Theadora Sutton, my betrothed.”

The warmth in his eyes as he looked down at her adoringly made her breath catch. She had to quickly remind herself that it was all part of a ruse to save the marquess from being pressed into marriage by this eager father.

“Betrothed? But you said you had not married,” the baron accused.

Shay tilted his head without giving the least amount of remorse.

“Betrothal is the status before one is married. Are you unaware?”

The man’s face turned red and he forced a brittle smile to his face as he bowed in greeting.

“Miss Sutton, it is my great pleasure to meet you.” If a person had ever sounded less sincere she had never experienced it. Except maybe all the times her brother promised her he would stop spending their money. Although she realized he had been sincere when he’d made such promises, he just wasn’t able to keep them.

Lord Whimsley led them to the drawing room where six women sat waiting. The oldest was clearly the baroness, and the five younger women were the hopeful daughters who all looked at her with venom in their gazes when she was introduced.

As one, they turned toward their father accusingly as if they wanted to protest, but they had been taught well for they all turned back and gave their own greetings and congratulations.

After an awkward moment in the drawing room they were called into the dining room for supper. There was a bit of shuffling as Lady Whimsley explained she had not been expecting two more guests at her table and had a footman bring extra chairs.

As the highest-ranking member of their party, Shay was seated at the head of the table. While Thea and Mrs. Winters were directed to the other end to sit by Lord and Lady Whimsley.

Shay was flanked on both sides by the Whimsley girls who spent most of the meal fluttering their eyelashes and flirting with her fiancé. And, yes, she knew it wasn’t real, but she couldn’t help being put out by it.

“Are you an accomplished singer, Miss Sutton?” Lady Whimsley asked.

“Oh, my, no. I have no ear for music, playing or singing.”

Lady Whimsley preened. “Our girls all play the pianoforte flawlessly, and when they sing, it is as if angels have come down to visit Earth.”

Thea nearly choked on a sip of wine. That was some claim. She leaned in to look at them again and only noticed Shay.

He looked quite handsome turned out in his evening attire. And she knew how funny and charming he could be. He would make a wonderful husband to any one of the ladies fluttering around him. If he were of a mind to marry.

She wondered why he was so against the idea that he would employ such subterfuge as to pretend he was affianced to her. He’d mentioned fleeing London to get away from the marriage mart.

He must have been a man who preferred gaming and whoring to settling down. However, he’d been here nearly two weeks and as far as she’d seen he’d not once sought such entertainments.

Whether the marquess planned to marry or not was none of Thea’s concern. After all, it wasn’t as if he would ever marry her. It wasn’t the food that tasted bitter in her mouth, but her thoughts.

Thoughts she hadn’t considered in many years. Why were they coming up now? Perhaps she’d spent so much time in recent years worrying over where their next meal would come from and how to pay for the coal, that she’d had no time to recall the other things she’d once wanted.

But she didn’t want those things now. She was much too practical. She wanted only peace and solitude so she might write her stories without interference. And the money she made from selling them provided the security she’d wished for all this time.

She would be happy. This was the best possible outcome. Not needing anyone. Being able to take care of herself was far preferred to having to count on someone else.

*

It seemed, Shay thought as he tried to eat as fast as possible, that Lord and Lady Whimsley had created the perfect sampler of women in their girls. No matter what a man’s preference in a wife, he was sure to find it with one of these misses.

The youngest, Christy, was demure and innocent, with blushing cheeks and furtive glances. The next youngest, Cathryn, was somewhat of a scholar, having shared two interesting pieces of information about their cutlery already. The middle girl, Clara was flirty and funny, while Charlotte was quite serious and proper. And Cassandra, the oldest was rubbing his leg with her stockinged foot, while casting sultry looks his way.

They were all beautiful in a multitude of colorings. Some with fair hair, some dark. All with different shades of blue or green eyes. They were quite lovely.

Apparently he’d been brought there to be offered first choice from a buffet of Whimsley women, and yet all he could think was how much he would have preferred to sit next to Thea and speak with her instead.

He’d thought her intriguing for her writing, but seeing her send displeasing looks down the table at the giggling misses, he couldn’t help but be intrigued by more than just her mind.

He was not so foolish to not have noticed how pretty she was in her ill-fitting gowns, with her hair a mess and smudges of ink here and there. He rather liked her better that way. But sitting at the end of the table in a new gown and her hair done up, made him think of all the dandies who would have crowded around her if she’d been granted a Season as she’d deserved.

Her life would have been so different if her parents had lived only a few years longer. And his life as well. For he’d never have had her books. And he’d never have had this time with her.

When the meal concluded and Lord Whimsley led them to the music room for entertainment, Thea sought him out and claimed his arm as would be expected of a doting fiancée.

“I do hope their singing has improved. If not, I will owe you a greater debt than I already do,” he told her.

“I am much looking forward to such a concert of celestial beings,” Thea answered.

“Did Lady Whimsley tell you it was as if angels had come down to visit Earth?” he guessed for it was the same thing the woman had claimed last time.

Thea nearly snorted as she nodded. “We should take our seats.”

Shay led them to a place where two seats remained side by side so he could sit with the woman he’d brought rather than the other hopeful ladies. He kept her hand on his arm, and was pleased when it seemed she’d had no plan to take it back anyway.

Her chin came up slightly and he wondered if she’d been pricked by jealousy having seen him with the other women during dinner. He’d not pretend he wouldn’t have felt something similar if things had been reversed. Some barbaric piece of him wanted to claim her as his own. However, he could not for he had no intentions of doing anything proper with her if he did.

Thea’s life had already been difficult enough, he’d not do anything to make it even harder. And speaking of hard, having her sitting so close was making his breeches grow tight. Why did he find her so much more alluring tonight when he’d spent days with her.

Maybe it was this business of pretending they were betrothed. That she was his. Something she would never be.

The music started and Shay wondered if the atrocity coming from the instruments was due to poor tuning or lack of skill. And then all five of them began singing.

As diverse as the women were in looks and personality, so were their voices for they seemed unable to land on one melody between them. In fact, at one part he wondered if they’d diverged into different songs, for they were surely not singing the same words.

“If this is truly what Heaven sounds like, I believe I would prefer warmer climes,” Thea said quietly.

Shay couldn’t hold in the bark of laughter at Thea’s comment. He covered his mouth hoping to hold it in as Thea patted his back compassionately and whispered to Lady Whimsley, “He’s so overcome with emotion.”

When Shay had recovered he leaned close to her ear.

“I don’t think you need to worry, you are the Devil herself.”

Thea graced him with a devious smile that had his cock stirring yet again.

Whatever was he to do with this woman? The trouble was, he knew the things he wanted to do with her, and wouldn’t be afforded any of them.

Perhaps if she were anyone else, he might consider how to get her into his bed, but not Thea. Not when she’d been mistreated time and time again. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than him.