Page 43 of The Lyon Rampant

“I have cut Charlotte off. I hope thereby to force her to come forward and demand the payments be reinstated. I have friends already engaged in apprehending her should she try to contact the lawyer. I’m hoping, however, that she’ll come to me directly, and I’ll reason with her.”

“You mean, you were hoping. She won’t be feeling very reasonable if you have a fiancée.”

Piers said nothing for a long moment. Had he honestly not thought of what might happen if he cast Charlotte aside?

“Well, then. Now you understand the extent of my sacrifice in offering you the protection of my name. Losing Charlotte is a risk I must be prepared to take, all the while hoping for the best. Considering that you and she are already acquainted and that she thinks you have her best interests at heart, maybe you could talk to her. If I can’t get her to see sense, perhaps you can. Can we agree on that?”

At that moment, Piers had to negotiate a bend in the road. The light was cut off by a stand of oak trees and high up in one of them, a storm cock was singing—a charming sound that one never heard in London. The trees cast pale grey shadows across the highway, and when they came out the other side, Belinda realized that the sun was sinking closer to the horizon. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and she held the dog more closely to her.

“Very well. I’ll do what I can for you, if necessary.”

“Excellent. We’ll be in Buckleigh soon, and I’d hate to face your cousins with everything unresolved. Do you wish to tell them our good news, or shall I?”

“I rather think it ought to be me.”

He laughed. “I knew you’d think that. You’ve never been courted in the accepted fashion, have you? The gentleman usually comes cap-in-hand to the lady’s relations and begs for permission to spend time with her. Ideally, it should be me who makes the announcement.”

Belinda rolled her eyes. He seemed to have worked everything out—detestable man!

Piers pulled the little cart to a stop, and Ordulf leaped out, barking joyfully. Almost immediately, Cousin Anthony poked his head out of the porch to see what was happening. As soon as he recognized Belinda, he bustled out, beaming.

Piers jumped down swiftly, and before Anthony could reach them, he leaned close to Belinda and murmured, “I suggest you don’t delay in telling your cousins about the improvement in our relationship. The sun is close to setting, and I’m not going to be able to make my way back in the dark. Prepare yourself for the fact that I’ll be spending the night here.”

As Belinda was helped out of the trap, she hid her burning face. Did Piers’s words constitute a threat or a promise?

Either way, she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep that night.