Page 9 of Raked Away in September

“Hush, Rose. Sit down.” Tamsin gently guided her friend to a settee, then took Rose’s cold, trembling hands in hers. “I wasn’t with the earl. Of course, I wasn’t. I went back to the supper boxes right after we parted ways. The earl just happened to exit the Dark Walks right after I did, so the Belle assumed we were together. She has made a mountain out of a molehill. That is what she does.”

“But your brother! And the earl!” Rose looked up, her eyes wide with terror. “My maid says Lord Wilding went to Haversham House this morning with a challenge. Tamsin, if someone is killed because of me, I shall never forgive myself. I’ll go to your brother. I’ll tell him the truth. I’ll tell him you were only in the woods because of me⁠—”

“You will do no such thing,” Tamsin said, her voice firm, leaving no room for argument. Rose’s confession wouldn’t help her now. It would only make things worse. “And my brother and the earl are not going to duel. They were able to talk things out.”

“But you are ruined!”

“I am not ruined,” Tamsin lied, forcing a small, tight smile. “I am... engaged. The earl has asked for my hand, and I have accepted. He was just here. We are to be married by Special License this Friday.”

Rose gasped, her tears giving way to sheer shock. “Married? To the Earl of Haversham? But you don’t even know him! They say he is… Well, they say he is the biggest rake in London. Didn’t you read the Belle’s article?”

“He is a gentleman,” Tamsin said, and to her surprise, she realized she meant it. He had chosen the honorable path, even though he’d done nothing wrong, even though doing so was of absolutely no benefit to him. How many other men would have done the same? Very few, she’d wager. “The damage is already done, Rose. The ton believes I met Haversham in those woods. If you speak up now, we will both be ruined. Your reputation will be shredded, and mine will not be saved. It will only be seen as a cover for your indiscretion.”

“I can’t let you do this,” Rose whispered. “I don’t want you to be tied to a man you don’t love just to save me from my own folly. We were going to make love matches, Tam! That was always the plan.”

“Life very seldom goes to plan,” Tamsin said, squeezing her friend’s hands, trying to force back the hollowness spreading inside her. “Promise me, Rose. Promise me on your life and mine that you will never tell a soul why I was in the Dark Walks that night. Let this be the end of it.”

Rose looked at her for a long time, her lower lip trembling, before she finally gave a slow, miserable nod. “I promise.”

Tamsin hugged Rose tightly, glad that her friend was no longer angry with her. She eased away and attempted a laugh. “I suppose I could have done worse than one of the richest earls in the country. I find him incredibly handsome, and… he kissed me, Rose. He kissed me, and it was wonderful. In fact, now that I know how exciting kissing a man can be, I understand your fascination with Lord Cedric a bit more.”

Rose’s eyes widened, and then her face went all dreamy once again. “Being alone with Cedric is the most exciting thing I’ve ever known. If Lord Rowan makes you feel that way, I think things will be fine between you.”

“I certainly hope so.” Tamsin wished she were naïve enough to think that attraction could carry a marriage. But she supposed in the grand scheme of things, it was better to have it than to be repulsed by the man she would spend her life with. Plenty of her friends had been married off to men twice their age, men with balding pates and protuberant guts.

Rose began gushing about her excitement for the wedding, but Tamsin was only half paying attention. She loved Rose, but the girl was easily distracted by superficial things. Tamsin had next to no interest in the wedding details. All she could think about was that by trying to save Rose’s reputation, she had ruined her own life in the process.

Chapter Six

Thursday night, Rowan arrived at Wilding House for the engagement ball in his and Tamsin’s honor. As he stepped down from his carriage, a fall breeze swirled leaves around his booted feet. He took a deep breath, anxiety churning within him. In the past few days, he’d obtained the special license and arranged for the small marriage ceremony tomorrow. Unfortunately, that had left him much too busy to spend any time with his bride-to-be.

The marriage had seemed logical in the heat of the moment, especially after that incredible kiss, but as the date grew terrifyingly close, his doubts had grown. Why had he thought marrying Miss Tamsin was a good idea? He was going to make a terrible husband. He had no idea what a good marriage even looked like. He’d certainly never seen one. His own parents had hated each other and spent their whole lives together proving it.

He wondered if his father had ever been attracted to his mother, if he had ever looked at her with excitement and hope. Or had his parents’ marriage always been nothing more than a business arrangement between two people who couldn’t stand each other?

Pushing aside his fears, Rowan mounted the stairs and was ushered inside by the butler. Wilding met him in the foyer, looking as though he’d just sucked on a lemon.

“Haversham, you showed up,” his old nemesis said, the viscount’s voice dripping with unconcealed disdain. Hard to believe he’d voluntarily agreed to become part of this man’s family.

Rowan bit back the first five replies that came to mind and managed to smile. “Of course, I did. It’s my engagement ball, after all.” Had the bastard actually thought he wouldn’t show? He wasn’t a complete cad, no matter what the ton thought of him. He’d offered to marry Miss Tamsin, hadn’t he? Wilding should be thanking him for saving his sister’s reputation, not glaring at him as though everything that had happened could be laid at his feet.

Wilding forced a smile as well and gestured toward the staircase. “Here is your bride now.”

Rowan lifted his gaze and swallowed dryly. Tamsin descended the stairs, dressed in a cornflower-blue silk gown that perfectly matched her dazzling eyes. Her ebony hair, swept into an elaborate chignon and threaded with seed pearls, glinted in the candlelight.

Dear Lord, she is exquisite.

“Rowan,” she murmured, and he didn’t think he imagined the spark of happiness that lit her lovely face. He also appreciated the fact that she’d used his given name, as he’d asked her to do.

“Miss Tamsin,” he replied, surprised by the roughness of his voice. “You’re looking very well tonight.”

“Thank you,” she said, her gaze sweeping him from head to toe and making him feel truly seen for the first time in ages. The attraction between them was undeniable. “You as well.”

Wilding cleared his throat. “Let’s go through to the ballroom. Our guests will be arriving soon.”

Rowan trailed the Fairchilds into the ballroom, which had been transformed for the evening into a fairyland of flowers and candlelight. Musicians were warming up in one corner, and servants bustled around, putting the finishing touches on the preparations.

Tamsin turned to him and bit her lip. “Does everything look all right? I am so nervous. My sister-in-law, Lady Wilding, handled most of the arrangements. I’m afraid I haven’t had a lot of experience with running a household.”