Page 49 of How to Tempt an Earl

“Say yes. I’m a wealthy man, Grace. As my wife, you will have everything you will ever desire. You shall never have to worry about your father’s debts or your brother’s needs.”

It was tempting. She’d worried about finances for so long she couldn’t fathom not having to stall with the creditors or worry about how they would pay for Adam’s schooling at Eton and then Oxford and most importantly, her father’s gaming debts. Yes, it was tempting. He’d mentioned everything.

Everything but love.

Still, she didn’t love him, either. She was attracted to him. Highly attracted. And after last night’s incident, her choices were severely limited. If either Ian’s mother or Lady Taddlesworth whispered one rumor, her reputation would be destroyed. No decent gentleman would have her.

In a perfect world, she would have a sizeable dowry, her father would be responsible, not a reckless gambler, she wouldn’t have to conduct clandestine work for a widowed milliner, and she would never have to worry about creditors. Instead, she would have her pick of young, eligible bachelors. But that was no longer Grace’s world. It hadn’t been in a long, long time.

Ian’s offer may be surprising, but it had its benefits. He was wealthy, and he appeared to be generous with his money. His kisses melted her bones, and she had no doubt that he was an experienced lover. He was sinfully handsome, and he possessed a keen intelligence to manage a business as successful as the Raven Club.

There was a healthy dose of concerns as well. He possessed an abundance of arrogance, stubbornness, and selfishness and would not be easy to manage. Most disconcerting, he was the owner of the notorious Raven Club. He made his fortune from the gambling addictions of weak men and women. She knew firsthand how gamblers ruined the lives of those closest to them. She despised that and did not think she could compromise her morals and beliefs.

The question was whether the security of marriage was worth the risks.

She looked at him beneath lowered lashes. “You mentioned my father’s debts. He will surely incur more.”

“The baron can visit the Raven Club nightly without fear of having to repay his debts.”

“No! You said you would help him, not feed his need to recklessly gamble.”

“What will you have me do?”

“I…I cannot marry a man who owns a gambling club. It has destroyed my family.”

He hesitated for a heartbeat, holding her gaze before finally answering. “And if I tell you that I’m willing to sell the establishment?”

“Why would you do that?”

“I’m now the Earl of Castleton. I need to care for my estates, my siblings, and take my seat in the House of Lords.”

She stared at him in surprise as hope lit her chest. If he was willing to sell the Raven Club, then things would be different. Perhaps fate was smiling down on her.

“I realize I should speak with the baron and request your hand,” he said, “but I wanted to talk with you first and state my intentions.”

She looked into his dark eyes. “I…I—”

He brushed his lips across her fingers and caused a tingling up her arm. “Say yes, Grace. Have pity and consent. My knee is starting to ache.”

She glanced at the ring, then into his eyes. Perhaps it was time for her to gamble, to make a life-changing wager of own.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ll marry you.”

…

“You did what?”

Grace cringed at the hurt in Prudence’s voice. She was sitting next to her friend on a settee in the Wetherby’s elegant drawing room.

“I’m sorry. I would have told you sooner, but it just happened.”

Prudence continued to look at her in shock. “You’re engaged? To whom?”

“The Earl of Castleton. We are to wed by special license this week,” Grace said.

The drawing room door opened and a maid entered carrying a tea tray. Both women waited for the servant to leave before resuming their conversation.

“You’re jesting with me,” Prudence said.