A Rake's Ruin (Devilish Lords #1)(24)

Oh dear.

“I know this is sudden, but as I understand it, sometimes these things happen quickly and—”

“These things?” she echoed. Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears, but really—this was not at all expected.

He cleared his throat again, clearly nervous about what he was about to say.

And all at once she didn’t want to hear it. She knew what he would say but she also knew it would be a lie. He did not love her—he did not even truly care about her. But the fact that he would say so, that he would lie just to soften the blow of this new turn of events…

Her throat closed up with unshed emotions and she found she couldn’t interrupt quickly enough.

“Claire, I think I’m falling in—”

“This is not necessary, Galwin.” Her voice returned just in time. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as the unspoken word hovered in the room between them. Love. The word had always made her uncomfortable, and now, like this, after they’d kissed so passionately and danced so beautifully, and conversed so comfortably…

She stood up quickly, her skirts swishing around her ankles as she walked past him toward the window. She’d prefer to stare out into the dark night than to see his face right now. She knew very well that he was lying, she did not need to see it written plainly across his face. His lies might come from the best of intentions, perhaps, but that somehow made it even worse.

So much worse.

His silence seemed to echo in the quiet room. Or maybe it was the sound of her heart that made the silence seem so unbearable.

“Pardon me?” Now it was his turn to act like a parrot, it seemed. He echoed her words with the same surprised tone.

She supposed it wasn’t every day that he attempted to declare his love for a woman, and she had to assume that his previous attempts had been far more welcome. She was quite certain that most women would be much more receptive to his attentions. After all, this was a womanizing rake of the highest order. Even she had fallen victim to those dark, desirous gazes and his warm, tempting kisses, and she didn’t even like the man.

No, that wasn’t quite true. She hadn’t liked the man. But that was before he’d come to her aid and tried to save her silly hide. That was before he’d listened to her as though she were an equal and not some addle-brained female whose only function was to look pretty on his arm.

She spun back around, clasping her hands in front of her and straightening her spine. Her posture had never been better. Her mother would have been so pleased.

Oh yes, this was just what Mama would have wanted for her favorite child. Her perfect little Claire had truly done her proud tonight.

She tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry. “I understand what is happening here.”

He walked over to stand before her. The glow from the moonlight gave his handsome features an ethereal glow. He looked like some sort of angel or perhaps a knight from a fairytale, here to save her honor.

He furrowed his brow as he studied her. “What exactly is it that you understand?”

Her heart leaped out toward him at his kindness. How many men would do this for her? How many would try to shelter her from the harsh reality of their situation? A situation that she had gotten them into with her rash actions. How many men would lie about being in love just to make the proposition of a forced marriage more palatable?

Her smile was very nearly genuine when she reached out to take his hands in her own. “I know what you are here to do.”

He arched his brows. “You do?”

She nodded. “You must marry me, and for that I am so sorry.” Her voice hitched a bit on the last word and she pressed her lips together until she was composed enough to continue.

Galwin, for his part, was watching her intently and with an odd expression, as though she’d taken to speaking in tongues.

She squeezed his hands in hers, nearly overcome with a tender affection for this surprisingly sweet man. How had she never realized how kind he was? All this time she had blamed him for Jed’s actions, but Galwin had been right. Jed was a grown man, and perhaps he did deserve credit for sticking by Jed’s side. Right now, she was inclined to believe that he’d been a good friend to Jed. Wasn’t he even now proving to be a gentleman and a true friend?

“You are sorry,” he repeated slowly, as if trying them out on his tongue.

Her lips curved up in amusement despite the fact that this situation was hardly comical. “Are you going to continue to repeat what I say?”

He shook his head as if waking from a deep sleep. “My apologies, it is just that—” He cleared his throat in what she was starting to recognize as a nervous gesture. “It is just that this is not how I expected the conversation to go.”

Her smile grew. “And how did you predict this would unfold?” She arched one brow. “Did you think I would swoon at your feigned love? Or perhaps you thought I would not see this for what it is.”

He smiled in return and the smile made her heart speed up. “I think you misunderstand—”

Now she did laugh. Was he still hoping to fool her into believing this was a love match? “How so? Were you or were you not confronted by my brother-in-law just now?”

He opened his mouth but stopped short and she knew that she had caught him by surprise. He glanced toward the door with a grimace. “You heard all that?”