She exhaled. She was going to do this, wasn’t she?

“And we’ll need to come up with some story of how we met.” He nodded. “And, of course, how we’re going to break it off.” Even the thought of not having a planned escape from a pretend betrothal made her anxious.

She held her hand out to him. He was still sprawled on the sofa, his limbs seeming to take up the entire room. She would have to have a discussion with him about the appropriate behavior when a lady rose.

Teaching young children their multiplication tables, even given her own difficulty with maths, was likely far easier than teaching this man some manners.

“Excellent.” Finally he stood, taking her hand. His hand was enormous, engulfing her own entirely. “It’s a bargain.”

As he’d first thought, the lady clearly had secrets.

Lady Della turned to him, her cheeks still delightfully pink. That mouth of hers, however, was pressed into a thin line, indicating just what she thought of him.

Blackguard, rogue, scoundrel. Nothing he hadn’t heard before. Nothing that wasn’t correct either.

“I reside at 568 Grace Court. Not the most fashionable part of town.”

“Not that I’d know that,” he interrupted with a grin. “I’ve just returned to London, remember?”

She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. Which only made him grin harder.

“Tomorrow. For tea. I will introduce you to Mrs. Wattings.”

Mrs. Wattings. So Wattings had a wife? Now her interest in finding Wattings made much more sense. He wondered how his new betrothed had met Mrs. Wattings, but he suspected she wouldn’t tell him.

“Until tomorrow, my lady.” He took her hand, raising it to his lips. Placing his mouth on the back of her hand, wishing she weren’t wearing gloves so he could taste her skin.

She snatched her hand back and nodded, then turned and marched out the door, the maid scurrying behind.

Griffith watched as she descended the stairs. There wasn’t a carriage outside, so she’d come in a hansom. Was she too poor to afford a carriage? Or her situation didn’t require one?

He realized he was desperate to know more about this woman, a lady who did not appear to be at all daunted, either by his appearance or his lack of conventional manners. Just the sort of woman he had always longed for, but despaired of ever finding.

She leaned across toward Sarah, taking her hand. “I would do anything to give you that peace of mind.” She cleared her throat. “And he did say he wouldn’t ask me to do anything I didn’t wish to. It was part of our deal.”

Sarah squeezed her hand in reply, still looking worried. “I wish you didn’t have to is all. I know how cruel people can be, and I don’t want you to have to suffer for me.”