Fiona heard the unspoken words in Caroline’s accusation loud and clear. Giles had vehemently rejected romance and marriage. Any marriage of his would have been arranged by both families, but word had it that the Earl of Bancroft did not deem an arranged marriage necessary at present. Caroline had known that no matter how hard she begged, the chances of Giles desiring her in return were slim, and she thought the role her heart desired was unattainable for anybody…until Fiona came along.
“You’re just a common daughter of a baron,” Caroline went on. “You’re not even slightly pretty. Why would he choose someone like you?” She grabbed Fiona roughly by the shoulders and pushed her back against the wall.
“Ouch!” Undaunted, Fiona stared into Caroline’s eyes, which were murky with dark resentment. As Giles’s fake lover, she thought, I’m in the same position as her. That was how ardently Giles had avoided women and marriage.
“I am a much better match for him. I dare you to deny it.”
She couldn’t. A union between Giles and Caroline—House Bancroft and House Burleigh—would be universally accepted, a union between Giles and Fiona would not. As the heir to the earldom, Giles would have to marry someday, and when he did, Fiona would not be his bride. It was inconceivable to think she might be.
This was something Fiona had thought she understood, but when she heard it from Caroline’s mouth, a jolt of pain shot through her heart. I just… I just want Giles to be happy. She wanted the woman by Giles’s side to make him smile, not as the Icy Scion but as his true self. She truly wanted that for him.
“Lady Caroline, Lord Gil—Lord Lowell is very special to you, isn’t he?”
“Of course he is. It has been decided since we were children that I would be the future Countess of Bancroft.”
Caroline’s answer revealed an attachment that was a far cry from love. Fiona was not so sentimental as to believe the cliché that love conquers all, but she sensed a desire for status in Caroline’s words, not romance.
That’s the sort of thing Giles despises most of all.
She had learned something about Giles during their time together. He could compartmentalize in order to do what he had to do as the heir to the Bancroft house, and he would exploit his status when necessary, but he secretly loathed himself for it. Maybe a heart was not necessary in high society…but Fiona thought that was a deeply unfulfilling way to live. Giles was a highly perceptive man, so he was always keenly aware of the true intentions of those around him, which only made interacting with them all the more painful. In light of that, it was inevitable that he would decide to forego the most intimate relationships—and marriage was the most intimate relationship of all.
Fiona was sure that he would meet a good woman someday. Caroline, however, had decided unilaterally that she was the most suitable match for Giles. She gave reason after reason why they ought to be together, but she showed no hint of consideration for how he might feel. All Fiona sensed from Caroline was a need to be the center of attention. From her lips, the word “suitable” sounded like nothing more than “convenient,” and that saddened Fiona.
If she had approached Giles in earnest, he might have accepted her, she thought. This was a man who respected Fiona’s unconventional desire to work for a living, and who still grieved the loss of his beloved childhood dog. Giles was tenderhearted.
Fiona could not stand to let anyone disregard his heart and push their own agenda on him.
“Lady Caroline… If Lord Lowell decided not to succeed his father, what would you do then?”
“What? But that would never happen. I am going to be the wife of Giles, Earl of Bancroft.”
Caroline was talking in circles. If she would respect Giles as an individual, rather than a high-ranking nobleman in the public eye, Fiona would end the charade and graciously bow out of her fake romance with Giles. “So you’re saying Lord Lowell’s feelings don’t matter?”
“I’m saying there’s no need to confirm his feelings, you stupid girl. Well, I suppose your daftness was the exotic quality that drew him to you.” Caroline released an exaggerated huff and let her anger flow freely. She raised her free hand to Fiona’s cheek, digging her long, red nails into it. “If you weren’t in the picture, he would choose me in a heartbeat.”
Her hand slid down to the necklace around Fiona’s neck. She gulped, dreading the worst, but Caroline had her pushed so firmly against the wall that she couldn’t move.
“That ring was enough to make me sick, and now you’re flaunting this necklace? You’re unworthy of it.”
One firm yank was all it took for Caroline to snap the thin chain. Fiona was more shocked by the sight of the broken necklace in Caroline’s fist than by the dull pain in the back of her neck. “How could you?!”
“You disgust me,” Caroline spat. “You belong in the countryside, playing in the mud.” She threw the necklace onto the floor as if it were cursed. Fiona stood there, dazed and bewildered, and Caroline went in for the kill. “You are a shameless little harlot. But I have an eccentric gentleman who will be just perfect for you.”
“What…are you doing…”
“You really do amaze me. You have a way of bewitching men, don’t you?”
“So sorry to disappoint,” said a man’s voice, “but you haven’t made a good match, my lady. This woman utterly despises me.”
Fiona gasped and looked for the owner of the voice. He emerged from behind a curtain at the back of the room. When Fiona saw him, any words she might have said froze on her tongue.
Wait a minute…he’s supposed to be under surveillance!
He had dark brown hair and dark, slanted eyes. It was the man she had met that day in the Earl of Bancroft’s parlor!
Caroline snorted. “Oh, I don’t care. Just take her away from here.”
“What’s the rush? Ladies always take so long to talk,” he retorted.
“Shut up!”
Where did those wiry arms of Caroline’s get their strength? Fiona remained pinned against the wall, unable to move, as she scrutinized the man approaching her. What is he doing here…?
“So good to see you again, Miss Fiona Clayburn. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” Gordon sneered down at her, his eyes as dark as the bottom of the lake.