Page 11 of To Pleasure a Prince

“Don’t be absurd. Once she’s at home, I’ll make her see I’m right—”

“Or your draconian measures will drive her into running away. And I tell you now, if she ever seeks refuge inmyhome, she will have it.”

“Confound it all! If you help her, I will…I will—”

“What? Slander me in society? Do you think anyone would listen to you over me and my brother?”

He clenched his fists. The duke had friends in high places. Marcus had only his money and his gruff temper.

And his half brothers. “All right, I’ll let her remain in society. But you and your brother will both be banned from seeing her.”

“Then Simon will find some other woman to help him sneak her off, some woman you don’t know. And Louisa will gladly go along.”

“A pox on you,” he roared. “What do you want from me? You give me no recourse. I don’t want them sneaking about, but I refuse to let your brother court her if he only does it to get her into Prinny’s clutches!”

“Then you should determine for yourself his motives.”

That brought him up short. “What do you mean?”

“Let them court…but oversee the courtship yourself. Why not go into society and see how matters really stand with your sister and my brother? Once you see them together, you can’t possibly continue in your ridiculous suspicions. And if by some small chance you are still convinced of his duplicity, you’ll have better control over the situation if you’re out in society yourself.”

Among the rumormongers and the scornfulton?Marcus shuddered. “You don’t know what you’re asking. I loathe society. And it loathes me, I assure you.”

“Over some old gossip? I doubt that. There will be grumblings at first, but that will die soon enough when they witness your concern for your sister.”

Lady Lofty was insane if she thought it would be that simple. Still, hecouldwatch out for Louisa so much better than heretofore. “There would be no sneaking around behind my back? No secret meetings?”

“You have my word on it.Ifyou give them a month to court properly, so my brother can prove that his intentions are honorable.”

Honorable, hah! Foxmoor didn’t know the meaning of the word. If Marcus could show that the man’s motives for courting Louisa were suspect, wouldn’t Lady Regina leap to condemn Foxmoor’s behavior?

Not if she was part of his plot. But if shewas,she ought to realize that Marcus’s interference would be detrimental to her brother’s plans. Out in society, he might even keep Foxmoor from doing what he planned.

He glowered at her. “You hope I’ll refuse your little proposition, don’t you? Then you and your brother can tell Louisa how unreasonable I am and give her an excuse for disobeying me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be absurd.”

“Come to think of it, it’s a clever plan. Did you dream it up yourself, or did your brother help you concoct it?”

Her silver-grey eyes impaled him. “Is that what you do out here in the country all day—imagine intrigues and plots against you? I hate to disappoint you, sir, but I want only the happiness of my brother and Louisa.”

He didn’t believe that for a minute, and he would prove she was lying if it killed him. “Very well, I accept your challenge. I’ll go into society and observe my sister and your brother together. I’ll endure the gossip and the speculation if that’s what it takes to make her see sense.”

“That’s all I want,” she said primly. “For you to give them a chance.”

“Then you won’t mind agreeing to one small condition.”

She grew wary. “Oh?”

The more he thought about it, the more he liked this idea. He smiled down at her. “It seems to me that I’m taking all the risks in this arrangement. You want me to go into society, where I’ll endure old gossip and social affairs I detest, and all I might get for it is the removal of your brother from my sister’s affections. Fine. I’ll brave the gossipmongers, but only if you brave them with me. I’ll let Foxmoor court Louisa…if you let me courtyou.”

She stared at him, mouth agape.

I’ve got you now, Lady Lofty,he thought smugly.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci let herself be seen welcoming the attentions of the disgusting Dragon Viscount? Never. She wouldn’t risk the damage that would do to her reputation as the darling of society. And then he could show Louisa once and for all how shallow her new friends were.

As a smile tugged at his lips, her eyes hardened. “NowyouthinkI’llrefuse.”