“I need to speak with you,” he’d called back. “It’s urgent. I’ll climb up.”

“No!” she’d nearly shrieked, making him freeze.

She quickly shook her head. “I’ll come down. I’m terribly afraid of heights, you see. I won’t be able to hear a word you say if you’re balancing precariously on my window ledge.”

She’d hurried downstairs and unlocked the front door as quietly as possible, hoping no servants would awaken to witness her sneak onto the front porch. Thankfully, a large elm tree and a hedgerow covered the space in shadows. No sooner had she made it to the porch than Sebastian had captured her in his arms and pulled her into his embrace for a kiss that left her heady with longing. It wasn’t their first kiss, but the one they’d shared that night had been urgent and filled with…tension. Sebastian was nervous, something she’d never felt before from the confident man. She soon learned why.

When the kiss ended, he dropped to one knee, holding her hands in his. “Veronica Marie Kingsley Whitmoreland, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes!” she nearly shouted before glancing over her shoulder and saying it again in a quieter voice. “Yes, of course I will, Sebastian.”

“Thank goodness,” he’d breathed. “I have every intention of asking Justin, of course, to make it official. But I wanted to ask you first…to be certain of your feelings.”

The memory made tears fill Veronica’s eyes. The look on his face had been so boyish and full of hope. He’d been so caring. So seemingly perfect. Several of her closest friends had already married, and she’d heard the stories of their betrothals over and over. But none of them, not a one, had been asked first by their beau. And certainly not in so romantic a manner. The man had been prepared to climb up to her window, for heaven’s sake.

Shaking her head to dispel the unwanted memory, she glanced at him. His gaze captured hers. The periodical slid from her lap. It hit the floor of the coach with a thump and they both leaned over to retrieve it at the same time. His warm hand brushed hers. A spark shot up her arm and a shudder made its way through her body. The lump in her throat grew larger. There had been a time when she had envisioned a full life with this man. When he had made her feel safe, loved. That dream had been dashed, but the memory of it still echoed in her heart. It made her wish for the thing she’d always wanted but knew she couldn’t have: the happy marriage her grandparents had been blessed with.

Veronica grabbed the periodical and jolted back upright into a sitting position. She mustn’t forget the man was a charmer. The romantic proposal in the moonlight? Dropping to one knee? All the lovely words he’d said… That was Sebastian, wasn’t it? He’d convinced not only her but her entire family that he adored her. She’d even believed that he loved her. But it had been little more than an act performed to elicit the desired result—her agreement to marry him—before he showed his true colors. He was merely performing his duty…securing a proper wife.