Definitely Not Mr. Darcy

Henry cal ed al his servants “Mr.” or “Miss” and then their surname.

“It’s Mrs. Crescent, sir.” Mr. Smith turned around and spoke toward the forest.

Chloe tucked her breasts back into her torn bodice, buttoned up her pelisse, and swung her leg off Sebastian for the dismount.

“She’s having her baby, sir,” Mr. Smith said.

Chloe turned toward the footman. The shadow of his ponytail and wig appeared in the moonlight at the door.

Sebastian propped himself up on his elbow and grabbed Chloe with his other hand just as she moved toward the doors. “This is of no concern to me. Now be gone.”

“Yes, sir.” The footman bowed his head and closed the ice-house doors.

“Mr. Smith! Wait!” Chloe smoothed down her pelisse and tossed Sebastian’s breeches over his midsection. “Is it true? Is she real y having the baby right now?” She tugged a boot on.

“Yes.” Mr. Smith looked away, into the moonlight, confused about the question. “Of course. I heard her myself from downstairs. She sounds in terrible pain.”

Chloe lunged toward the door, but Sebastian grabbed her arm and snapped her back.

“Ouch!” Her arm smarted.

Chapter 20

B e gone, Smith!” Sebastian sat up on the ice block and yanked his breeches on with one hand and clamped Chloe’s arm with the other.

He sneered. “How the devil did he know we were here anyway?”

Chloe turned toward the laced brickwork around the ice-house doors, and tried to wriggle her arm free.

She had total y messed up everything. Her fan splayed across the brick floor. Her yel ow-tasseled reticule, flung near an ice block on the other side of the lantern, sat in a pool of melting ice. The outline of Henry’s glasses showed through the silk.

She couldn’t see much beyond Sebastian’s lantern, but heard Mr. Smith’s horse gal op off. His lantern bounced away like Tinker Bel disappearing into the night.

Sebastian final y released her arm, combed his hand through his disheveled hair, and took up the lantern. “I didn’t want the hired help to know you’ve been alone with me. You understand, right? I didn’t want to compromise your reputation. You’d get booted off the show. Or we’d be forced to marry. But then you had to—talk to him.” He threw his arms up in the air, Italian style.

“Right.” Chloe tightened her pelisse around her like a second skin. Hypothermia set in. “I need to go.” She shivered uncontrol ably and picked up her fan and her soaked reticule.

A real gentleman would’ve never strong-armed a lady. Then again a real lady would’ve never found herself in an ice house at midnight with Sebastian the bodice ripper. What was she thinking? He only had one proposal in mind, and that didn’t involve any kind of church ceremony. Is that al he wanted from her? Sex? Is that why he always seemed to say exactly what she wanted to hear?

She stepped into the moonlight. The sudden brightness made her squint. With a clink of the keys, Sebastian locked the ice-house doors behind them. “I’l escort you back.”

He was hot, he was cold. He could be decent. He could be an ass. But he wasn’t the one.

“Did you real y mean it when you said you had fal en in love with me?” Chloe asked.

“I think so. But this has al been very difficult for me—”

That was al Chloe needed to hear. George must’ve written up Sebastian’s bio, because the man described as Sebastian Wrightman was not this Sebastian Wrightman. She’d thought this whole thing was real, and that’s where she had gone wrong. She was channeling Mr. Darcy when she should’ve been paying more attention to what was right in front of her.

He helped her up onto his horse. In silence, he led the horse toward Bridesbridge Place. She looked up at the moon as the horse loped beneath her. She had just narrowly escaped, and she had the ful moon to thank for inducing Mrs. Crescent’s baby.

When the moon was ful in England, was it ful at home, too? Chloe wondered. Abigail loved the ful moon. Chloe used to be Abigail’s moon, orbiting around her day and night, year after year, never faltering. Now? Now she didn’t think she could ever fal happily back into that eternal el iptical path without feeling alone and cold. Stil , the moon cal ed her home like a force stronger than gravity.

On their way to Bridesbridge, they passed the castle ruins. In the moonlight, Chloe could see how the castle had been pummeled by cannonbal s.

She could see the holes in the wal s so clearly now. Why hadn’t she seen them before?

Stil , she had to win the money. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been worth it to leave Abigail.

What was going to happen now that they got caught with Sebastian’s breeches down?

At the bottom of the stairs at Bridesbridge Place, she buttoned her pelisse up to her neck. A candelabrum dripped on the griffin-footed table near the banister. A sudden howl from Mrs. Crescent rang out, and it echoed throughout the foyer. Waves of fear and memory crashed through Chloe.