Read Online The Danbury Scandals by Mary Nichols - Free Book Online Page A

herself between them. Adam
took her arm and gently turned her aside.
    ‘You will not
fight?’ Mark demanded.
    ‘No.’
    Mark was
nonplussed. ‘Have you no honour, sir? Are you content that everyone should call
you coward?’ It was unheard-of for a gentleman to refuse a challenge on his
honour and yet Adam was clearly doing so. Why? Was he a coward? Maryanne did
not believe that for a moment, but she was glad that there would be no duel;
she did not want anyone killed or wounded on her account.
    Adam’s brown
eyes turned dark and the scar on his forehead stood out with the tensing of his
muscles as he fought to control his anger. He looked from Mark to Maryanne and
bowed low to her. ‘Your servant, ma’am.’ Then he turned and walked away.
    Standing
miserably beside Mark, she watched him go. Was that the last she would see of
him? Did it matter? Yes, she told herself, it mattered terribly. Underlying
their light-hearted banter had been a seriousness which both had recognised and
neither acknowledged. Whatever they had had between them was over before it had
begun.
    She pulled
herself together and went over to take Mark’s arm. ‘Please, Mark, think no more
of it. It was as much my fault as his and meant nothing.’ She was aware of the
untruth as she said it.
    He shrugged her
off. ‘I told you to go back inside. What were you thinking of to come out here
in the first place?’
    ‘I was hot and
I felt faint.’
    He snorted.
‘And a kiss like that was meant to cool you, I suppose.’ He grabbed her arm.
‘Good God, Maryanne, don’t you know how this makes me feel? I must take that
fellow’s insult and do nothing because he is too much of a coward to stand up
to me.’
    ‘You should not
have challenged him in the first place.’
    ‘I had no
choice. Finding you like that.’ He was hustling her back into the ballroom as
he spoke. ‘Did you not know I meant to propose to you myself?’
    ‘No.’ She was
too agitated to stop and consider the meaning of what he had said. ‘And that is
hardly a romantic proposal.’
    He laughed
harshly. ‘You did not give me the opportunity for that, did you?’
    ‘And now you
have changed your mind.’ She turned to the attack. ‘How fickle you are! But at
least it will save me having to turn you down.’
    He stopped in
the doorway to stare down at her. ‘Would you have turned me down?’
    ‘I should
certainly have thanked you for the honour you did me, but I would also have
asked for time to think about it.’
    ‘Hm.’ He took
her arm and led her through the couples who were forming a quadrille, smiling
to right and left at acquaintances, pretending all was well. ‘We must dance or
the old gabblegrinders will have a field day.’ He found a set wanting a couple
and pulled Maryanne into it. ‘Smile!’ he commanded, bowing over her hand as the
music began. ‘We are in love, so play your part, if you ever want to hold your
head up in Society again.’
    She curtsied
and smiled, danced up and down, bowed this way and that, laughed and pretended
to enjoy herself, but all the time she was asking herself, Where has he gone?
What was he going to tell me? Why do I ache inside so much that I must hurt
Mark, who loves me enough to protect me from scandal?
    She had no answer
and was glad when Mark said they could leave without comment being made, though
it was still an hour or two before dawn. Caroline, who was flirting with half a
dozen young men at once, all of whom had drunk more than enough, was
understandably reluctant to leave.
    ‘I had Cousin
Henry eating out of my hand,’ she said. ‘He was on the point of agreeing to
have a ball at Wiltshire House and now I shall have to sweet talk him all over
again...’ She followed reluctantly as they went to find their hostess to thank
her.
    Mark saw them
all into the carriage, but instead of climbing in beside them he turned and
went back into the house. He felt angry and let down, but, what was worse, his
carefully laid plans