She ran her hands down the sides of her gown, a nervous gesture she could not have halted to save her life. “Surely you are jesting, my lord.”
“No. A meager sum for a very important role.”
She was astonished.A meager sum?With five thousand pounds, she could rent a cottage near the seaside for her and her mother to live for a very long time. She might even invest a tidy sum with the lady of 48 Berkeley Square in their investment scheme so that she might have an annual annuity to provide for her mother. They had no one but themselves, and they could not be ladies’ companions, living off others’ largesse and charity their whole lives. This was…this was too incredible. “I…”
“Before you say yes, I must tell you there is more to the role than simply walking by my side and smiling when needed.”
It was the way he said it and the sudden arresting gleam in his blue gaze that had Felicity canting her head. “Please explain.”
“There must be the appropriate realism in our interactions.”
“Realism,” she parroted.
He took a step closer, and she almost squeaked her alarm, thoroughly irritated with the millions of butterflies that swarmed through her belly.
“In this game of pretense, we will have to do things…to make it seem real to those who are observing.”
Her throat dried. “What things?”
There was a look in his eyes she did not understand, never seeing it before in the gaze of a gentleman looking at her. Unexpectedly, everything about the earl seemed exciting, tempting, and mysterious.
“Like touching…and kissing.”
The rogue!“I have never...,” she gasped, “never heard of any respectable affianced couple kissing in front of their families!”
“Oh, it would be private,” he said smoothly.
The wicked devil. She narrowed her gaze on him. “You mean to seduce me with a wicked scheme; let me warn you, my lord, it would never work.”
His lips tugged, and that look in his eyes gleamed even brighter. With a jolt, she realized he was also amused.
“I wouldn’t need a scheme to seduce you, Miss Harrington.”
“Oh, what conceit!”
“It is still the truth.”
“Let me assure you, I am un-seduce-able.”
“Is that truly a word?”
“It is now, my lord, it is now.”
He laughed, looking at her as if he were entirely charmed. “Do you agree to my proposal, Miss Harrington?”
She swallowed. “If I do, there will be no kisses.”
“Without kisses, there will be no chemistry, you see, and no one will believe we are engaged. Least of all, my nanna.”
“Chemistry?”
“The wild thing that sparks between a couple who badly want each other. It starts with a simple caress.”
To her shock, his fingers lightly touched her inner elbow.
“And that spark builds until it becomes a simmer of want, and then comes the kiss, and that simmer becomes a fire of need. And we will look at each other across the room with longing and want because we greatly anticipate our wedding night. You understand, hmm, why this would be necessary?”
Her gaze lowered to his fingers that were no longer touching her. When she met his regard, the earl was staring at her with an inscrutable expression.