True, what they once had was long past and would not be repeated. Even so, being this close to her, trying to mend their rift even the smallest amount to ensure a more palatable Season, made it difficult to keep his desires at bay. There was a fire that burned between them that just waited for flint to spark it to life. It had always been that way, and something told Logan it would continue to be that way.
"True," he agreed, enjoying that her mouth pursed into a displeased line at his words. "But my request still stands. If we agree on a truce, any lingering gossip about us that may be impacting our chances of a good match will dwindle. It will also prove to be a much more enjoyable Season if we're not butting heads at every event."
"You want me to be pleasant to you when you laughed at me, made fun of my feelings for you, and shared my letters to those of your acquaintance?" she scoffed, pushing past him. "You must be joking, my lord. I will never forgive you for such cowardice."
He clasped her arm, pulling her to a stop. "I never laughed at you. Do not lump that insult upon my shoulders too, for that was not the case."
She wrenched out of his hold, and he narrowed his eyes as she walked off through the crowd of guests. He hated that she did not believe the truth. He had begged her to trust him, but how wrong he had been. She had believed her brother, the lying bastard, and Logan had lost her. But he could not stand hurting her further by telling her what kind of man her brother is.
He ought to do as she asked. Find another lady to court, marry her, and have a future many miles from Sutton Howard, but damn it all to hell, it was difficult to do such a thing now that he had seen her again. No matter how much he loathed the chit for throwing him aside, for believing the worst of his character, he wanted her still.
Seeing her again had kindled what would not be sated. Not unless she was beneath him, gasping his name and giving herself to him, trusting him as she once had. He would prove to her one way or another he had not been the one to break her trust, and then he would allow her to live with the error of her past. To regret him and the loss of his love over that of her lying brother.
He strode after Sutton, spying her disappearing through a door that led from the ballroom. He wondered where she was off to as his steps ate up the distance between them. Logan rounded a corner and spied her seated in the moonlit conservatory. He sighed. No matter what had passed between them, they really ought to work on at least pretending to be civil.
Before he had the chance to go to her again and press his point, a gentleman stepped out of the foliage, startling her.
"Lord Arthur, good evening. I did not know anyone would be in here." She stood and dipped into a curtsy. "I shall leave you to your flowers," she stated, moving back toward the door.
Lord Arthur nodded and continued to inspect several blooms. "Is it true, Miss Howard, that you are quite the writer? If I were to catch your fancy, would you write to me too? Tell me all your darkest and most sordid secrets?"
A rage, dark and dangerous, rose within Logan, and he fisted his hands at his sides. How dare the bastard say such a thing to her? It was not her fault her stupid half-wit brother had leaked her letters. Had stupidly thought no one of his acquaintance would take the notes further than White's walls. Of course they would, and they did. This was London society, after all, and they loved nothing more than scandal and ruin.
Logan's attention snapped to Sutton, who raised her chin, staring down the rude viscount. "I'm proficient at letters, but alas, you will never have one from me. Certainly not now after your disrespectful comment, my lord." She dipped into another curtsy. "If you'll excuse me."
"Does it not bother you that you're laughed at in society? That no one has forgotten your letters or who you wrote them to?" Lord Arthur chuckled. "Maybe you ought to marry me, and I could protect you from such social insults."
"Such as the one you have just dealt me, my lord?" Her lips thinned in displeasure. "I would rather be ruined than marry you." She turned to leave but hesitated. "And I have danced nearly every dance this evening," she said, facing his lordship once again. "I think my short-lived scandal is long forgotten. Mayhap you ought to disremember it too."
"A second ruination can be arranged, do you know? You are here, after all. In a moonlit conservatory, with me," he mentioned, moving on to inspect another flower. "What would your brother say, I wonder, if I notified him of your lapse of judgment?"
Logan had heard enough. He would not allow Sutton to incur such slurs or threats, not now or ever. And certainly not because of something she had not done.
He stepped forward and reveled in the look of horror on Lord Arthur's face at his presence. What a weaselly, backstabbing little viscount he was. "Ah, here you are, Miss Howard. I have come to collect you for your brother. He is looking for you," he lied, coming up to Sutton and placing her hand on his arm, about to lead her from the room before he turned and faced Lord Arthur. "I would take care in what you say to Miss Howard, my lord. As a friend to the Howard family for many years, I do not take kindly to threats, not toward Miss Howard's reputation or her person. Do you understand me?" he asked his lordship, holding his gaze, willing to pummel him to within an inch of his life should he darken Sutton's presence again.
"My apologies, Miss Howard, Lord Jersey," the weasel said. "I meant no disrespect."
Logan narrowed his eyes, forcing his free hand to relax before leading Sutton away from any further insults. They walked along the corridor, quiet a moment before Sutton pulled him to a stop.
"You did not have to do that. I can handle such offenses from gentlemen such as Lord Arthur myself. Do not forget such rudeness has been my constant companion and protector these past six years."
Bile rose in his throat at the thought she had endured such ridicule and insult while he was away. What had her brother allowed her to endure since he fled to his country estate when his father became ill? "That will no longer happen while I'm in town. I was partly the cause of your pain," he lied, knowing she had not and would not believe him over her precious, devious sibling. "And I shall halt any further insults toward you should I hear them, but you must tell me if they occur. If we work together, as I stated before, the Season may be a successful one for us both."
Sutton did not look convinced, and he knew why. Over the last few years, she had grown a hard shell about her person and her heart. She did not trust and would never do so again, not with him at least. He had broken that trust, in her opinion, and he would not gain it back again. But to stop the slurs, to enable her to marry and lose her dreadful wallflower title that had settled upon her shoulders, they had to do something. And together, they were much stronger in society than when apart.
She mulled over his suggestion, taking the time at least to consider him after her run-in with Lord Arthur. "Very well," she said, at last. "I shall pretend to be your friend, but in return, you must do something for me."
He studied her a moment, curious. "What is it that you want in return?" he asked her, waiting as she debated her words.
"There is a guide that is helping me this Season gain all that I desire. It is calledA Wallflower's Guide to Becoming a Bride, to be precise. There are chapters concerning all sorts of things a woman can do to gain a husband. I would like to test these wiles on you. Of course, we will need to be discreet, but since we have shared all there is to be shared between a man and woman, I think you would be best suited to help me with this."
Logan stared at her, unsure he heard correctly. "You want to use certain instructions upon me to see if they work, so you can use them upon gentlemen whom you're actually considering marrying?"
She nodded, her eyes bright with promise. "That is exactly what I suggest. And need I remind you that you do owe me. My first Season failed, and the ones that followed were not much better, not until the scandal of my letters was forgotten. You could help me decide what guides from my book to use that are best for gaining a husband. In return, I shall be nice to you and courteous, friends in public at least, and help you gain respect from the opposite sex. It is a favorable situation for both of us, yes?"
He nodded, seeing the deal most agreeably. As much as he resented Sutton for believing her brother over him all those years ago, he realized now he could not truly blame her. He was, after all, the one who had the letters, even if her sibling had snatched them from his office. He should have locked them away and not allowed anything to happen to them.
"If we're to do this," he continued, "we shall have to appear to be civil and speak to one another during the Season's events. Dance and take supper as we once did. That will place me in a desirable light for women looking for a husband. In return, when we're alone, you may try out what you believe will help you in gaining a husband, and I will inform you if they work or not."