Jonathan raised a skeptical brow. “Then you can’t object to my courting her. I’ll even make my intentions clear, if you insist, that I have no desire to give up my present way of life, merely want to add her to it. All up and up. The truth. Sounds challenging, don’t it?”

“You think to sway her with your wealth?”

Jonathan grinned. “Of course.”

It was amazing, how strong the urge was to wipe that smile from the viscount’s lips with his fist. Emotion again. It was sneaking up on Vincent too much lately, and in fact his emotional outburst today in the hall when Larissa had returned from her errands had quite shocked him later when he had time to reflect on it.

He should have made love to her this afternoon. She’d been willing—at least, she hadn’t been objecting. Then this conversation with Hale wouldn’t have bothered him very much. He would have been done with her himself, would have accomplished his goal. What matter, then, if Hale courted her or even married her?

The thought still didn’t sit well with him. Before, after, it made no difference, he did not like the thought of her marrying Jonathan and being merely another acquisition in his vast collection. And she was vulnerable right now. Thinking her father wasn’t coming back, that she and her brother were soon going to be without an income, the few valuables she meant to sell unable to support them indefinitely, she just might jump at the chance to marry one of the most wealthy men in the realm, no matter the reasons offered. Vincent had intended to use that same vulnerability to get her into his own bed.

This bloody revenge thing was turning him into someone he didn’t much like. A cad, no doubt about it. At least Hale’s intentions toward the girl were honorable, if unsavory, while Vincent’s were just the opposite.

In a moment of conscience, he said, “Court her by all means, and good luck.”

He actually meant it, was thinking only of Larissa’s best interests in that moment. He even hoped that she’d had enough time to realize how foolhardy it would be to leave her door unlocked to him tonight, because conscience or not, that was one temptation he knew damn well he wouldn’t be able to resist, wouldn’t even try.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

LORD HALE KEPT HIM LONGER THAN EXPECTED, chatting about inconsequential things that nearly brought Vincent to rudely show him the door. He restrained himself, just barely, and only because Jonathan was a client. But when Vincent finally got to his room, he was in a state of frustrated impatience that he couldn’t seem to control.