Ian hardened his resolve. “My mother believes I’ll sell the club. I’ll tell Grace the same.”
Brooks studied his friend and employer for several long heartbeats. “You’d lie to the lady to get her to marry you?”
“Not entirely. I do plan to sell the club in my ripe old age.”
Brooks whistled. “That’s deceptive, even for you.”
“My tactics have never bothered you in the past,” Ian said.
“It’s not me I’m worried about. I’ve met Miss Ashton. She has grit and intelligence. Do not underestimate her. You may have met your match.”
Chapter Fourteen
Grace rubbed her temples. She’d awakened with a terrible headache, and after two cups of chocolate in the breakfast room, which she preferred over coffee, the pounding had subsided to a low throb. She dreaded the thought of the day and expected the scandal sheets to be emblazoned with her disgrace.
How much time did she have before the gossip spread?
“Are you all right, Grace?” Adam asked.
She looked up from her plate of uneaten eggs and toast and forced a smile. Her brother was looking at her with concern. Reaching out, she touched his hand. “I’m fine, darling. I’m just tired this morning.”
“You had a bad dream? You should have wakened me, and we could have shared a cup of warm milk.”
She squeezed his hand. “Yes, next time.”
They were interrupted by the aging butler, Stevens. “There’s a gentleman caller for you, miss,” he announced. Stevens extended her a silver salver with a card. As she reached for the embossed velum, the butler spoke. “It’s the Earl of Castleton.”
Ian had said he’d send word about the outcome of his conversation with is mother. Grace had expected a missive, or a letter, not a personal visit. God, what news did he have?
Her stomach tilted and she felt lightheaded.
“What’s wrong?” Adam asked, looking at her curiously.
“Nothing, darling.” She gave him a reassuring smile, then turned to the butler. “Please see the earl to the drawing room.”
She found Ian looking out the drawing room window. In the afternoon sunlight, he was even more handsome than last night. He was dressed in a meticulously tailored coat of olive green kerseymere, buff-colored trousers, and shiny black hessians. His dark hair gleamed in the sunlight. His tailors must have worked tirelessly—he appeared to be a gentleman of fashion. She was struck at how different he appeared in his finery.
He turned at the rustle of her skirts. “Grace,” he said.
She stepped into the room and shut the door. “What happened last night? I fear I cannot wait a second more to learn the truth.”
Rather than speak, he motioned toward the sofa. “Please sit, and I will explain.”
She walked to the sofa, her nerves stretched taut, and settled on the cushions. He joined her, his long legs crossing at the ankles.
His dark eyes searched her face. “How are you faring this morning?”
“If it’s any consolation, I woke with a pounding headache. I suppose I deserve it. I’m a ruined woman.”
“No, you are not.”
She looked at him incredulously. “Don’t tell me you managed to convince your mother to remain silent. I might believe that, but not of Lady Taddlesworth. Never of her.”
“My mother wrote this morning. Lady Taddlesworth has agreed to hold her tongue for now.”
The way he spoke, with confidence, only served to arouse her curiosity. “I don’t understand. You said Lady Taddlesworth agreed not to speak of it for now. How long will she remain silent? Am I to live in fear of her exposing my shame? And what of your mother, the countess? I don’t know if I can look her in the eye ever again.”
She turned away and blinked back tears. She couldn’t cry in front of him. She refused to succumb to such weakness. It was bad enough she’d retched outside of his home the prior evening.
He took her arm. Surprised at the contact, she glanced down to see his large hand slide down to hold her much smaller one.
“I have a solution to both our problems. Is your father home?” he asked.
Her gaze rose to his. “My father?
“Yes, the baron. Is he home?”
“He’s still abed. Why?”
Just as the question left her mouth, she felt a shock run through her. The only reason Ian would want to speak with her father was for his debts or his daughter, and she didn’t think it was because of his debts.
Ian couldn’t mean…could he?
He slipped to his knee and reached in his waistcoat to pull out a small box. He opened the lid to reveal a stunning sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds nestled in black velvet. “It belonged to my grandmother. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She stared at the exquisite piece of jewelry, then raised her startled gaze to his. “What?”
“I’m proposing marriage.”
“Are you crazed?”
A corner of his lips twitched. “That’s not the response I had hoped for.”
“But you don’t wish to marry, and I don’t wish to marry you. From what I recall, you said you’d never wed.”
“Yes, well, last night changed things, didn’t it?”
That was an understatement. “But…but…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. I’m a wealthy man, Grace. As my wife, you will have everything you will ever desire. You shall never have to worry about your father’s debts or your brother’s needs.”
It was tempting. She’d worried about finances for so long she couldn’t fathom not having to stall with the creditors or worry about how they would pay for Adam’s schooling at Eton and then Oxford and most importantly, her father’s gaming debts. Yes, it was tempting. He’d mentioned everything.
Everything but love.
Still, she didn’t love him, either. She was attracted to him. Highly attracted. And after last night’s incident, her choices were severely limited. If either Ian’s mother or Lady Taddlesworth whispered one rumor, her reputation would be destroyed. No decent gentleman would have her.
In a perfect world, she would have a sizeable dowry, her father would be responsible, not a reckless gambler, she wouldn’t have to conduct clandestine work for a widowed milliner, and she would never have to worry about creditors. Instead, she would have her pick of young, eligible bachelors. But that was no longer Grace’s world. It hadn’t been in a long, long time.
Ian’s offer may be surprising, but it had its benefits. He was wealthy, and he appeared to be generous with his money. His kisses melted her bones, and she had no doubt that he was an experienced lover. He was sinfully handsome, and he possessed a keen intelligence to manage a business as successful as the Raven Club.
There was a healthy dose of concerns as well. He possessed an abundance of arrogance, stubbornness, and selfishness and would not be easy to manage. Most disconcerting, he was the owner of the notorious Raven Club. He made his fortune from the gambling addictions of weak men and women. She knew firsthand how gamblers ruined the lives of those closest to them. She despised that and did not think she could compromise her morals and beliefs.
The question was whether the security of marriage was worth the risks.