"An hour sounds perfect."
She cast a last look toward Jack, who gave her a reassuring smile, then she turned and left the room.
"Was all of that really necessary?" Jack demanded as soon as Grace was upstairs and safely out of earshot.
Danvers crossed to a small cabinet in one corner. "Of course it was necessary. I had to put on a bit of a show or else she would never have believed our ‘introduction.' Whiskey?"
"No."
"Ah, now, don't be ungracious." Taking down two glasses, he unstoppered a bottle and poured them both a draught. "You deserve to celebrate. When I devised my plan, I knew you were the perfect man to win over my girl, and now I see just how right I was."
Danvers held out one of the glasses, leaving Jack little choice but to accept, else he would appear as ungracious as he'd been accused of being. He didn't raise the libation to his lips, however.
"Besides," Danvers continued in a conversational tone, "I needed to see how Gracie really feels about you. I must say that you've exceeded even my own high expectations. Masterfully done, Byron." Raising his glass, he drank a swallow.
Jack ground his teeth. "She's not a marionette to be manipulated at will, you know."
Danvers shot him a hard look. "No, she's my daughter, for whom I want only the best. She just required a push in the right direction to find what she's really needed all along. A husband, and the babies you're going to give her. Children I suspect you're already well on your way to providing."
Jack held his tongue, deciding not to satisfy the old man's curiosity about whether he'd taken Grace to his bed yet-even if both of them knew the answer.
"I'm pleased she loves you," Danvers said. "I can tell you make her happy. See to it you keep her that way." The older man swallowed a mouthful of whiskey, then set down his glass. "Now, about the money."
Bloody hell, the money, Jack thought. I'd almost forgotten that particular detail. Almost.
"Sixty thousand pounds will be deposited into the account of your choice as soon as notice of your engagement appears in all the appropriate papers," Danvers stated. "The other sixty thousand will be yours the day of the wedding, along with the erasure of your gaming debt to me, of course. I assume that will be satisfactory, my lord?"
///
Jack's fingers tightened around the glass in his hand. How he wished he could toss the offer back in Danvers's face. Tell him he didn't need, or want, his damned money. But both of them would know his words to be nothing but an empty lie. Jack might wish to rely on pride, but like it or not, he did need that money-to say nothing of the necessity of being freed of the hundred thousand pounds he owed Danvers.
His future father-in-law certainly knew how to keep him under his thumb until the marriage vows were taken. Obviously Danvers was worried Jack might bolt unless he maintained a certain amount of leverage against him. But in spite of the undeniable lure of keeping his bachelor's freedom, Jack knew it was already too late. He couldn't run, not without hurting Grace. And that he would not do. He'd taken her innocence, and she was his responsibility now. He wouldn't abandon her, nor did he wish to do so, even if he could.
Glancing down, he stared at the whiskey glass in his hand. Maybe I could do with a drink, after all? He tossed the draught down in a single gulp, grateful for the resulting sting in his throat and the burn in his belly.
"Yes," he said, his words sounding faintly numb even to his own ears. "That will be more than satisfactory."
Chapter 13
The following afternoon, Grace tucked a hand against her hip to keep it from trembling as she sat next to Jack on the sofa in the Clybourne House drawing room. His voice was low and smooth as he spoke to his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Clybourne, his sister Lady Mallory, and his eldest brother Edward, the Duke of Clybourne.
Try as she might not to be intimidated, she was finding the task far from easy. While it was true she'd attended school with the daughters of several aristocrats, none of them had possessed anything close to the ancient lineage and innate nobility of the Byrons. The members of Jack's family were quite simply some of the most elegant, naturally refined people she'd ever met. How on earth would she ever be able to fit in with them?
Surely they'll revile me for my inferior birth and wonder at Jack for bringing me into their midst? Worse, what would they think when he told them the news of their engagement? Suddenly she realized that while she'd been woolgathering, he'd been busy doing exactly that.
"Married!" Ava Byron declared, the dowager's still beautiful features alighting with clear pleasure. "I knew when we had your letter that something momentous was afoot, and I see I was right. But still, I never expected an engagement. Only think, I will have gained two new daughters in the same year."
"Not to mention another sister for me," Mallory chimed with a happy smile. "Just wait until you meet Meg. And everyone else, of course."
Everyone else? Just how many Byrons are there? She knew Jack had another sister, but were there more siblings than the ones presently in the room? "I shall look forward to making their acquaintance," she murmured, deciding she'd wait and ask Jack for further explanation when they were alone.
As for the duke, he wore a frown, his gaze fixed on his brother with a look of speculative appraisal, as though he couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard. But moments later, he turned to her and his expression cleared, replaced by one of warmth and kindness.
"Allow me to welcome you to the family, Miss Danvers," he said in rich, rounded tones that instantly caused her to relax. "I always knew it would take an exceptional woman to bring Jack to heel, and I see I was not mistaken. He's made a wise choice in you. But are you sure you're prepared to put up with him? I fear you might yet decide you've made a bad bargain taking on such an unrepentant rogue."
Her eyes widened at what she took to be his teasing candor, a half-nervous laugh escaping her throat. "Oh, he's not a rogue. Or at least not too much of one." She sent Jack a sideways look and caught a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "And I'm quite prepared for whatever may come, since I love him and cannot wait to be his wife. Most couples don't start out with even that much, so what further assurances could I possibly require?"
"What indeed," the dowager said. "Now quit baiting your little brother, Edward, and wish him well."
The duke's teeth flashed a wicked grin that reminded Grace forcefully of Jack. "Congratulations on your forthcoming nuptials," he said. "I hope you know what a lucky man you are."
Jack's face sobered. "I do, Ned. More and more each day." His gaze shifted to hers and lingered.
For a moment, she lost herself in the compelling depths of his azure eyes, swaying ever so slightly toward him as he took her hand and enfolded it in his own. Her pulse quickened as the seconds stretched onward, her surroundings dimming as she sank deeper beneath his spell. In silent anticipation, her lips parted, ready and waiting for his kiss.
///
Suddenly his mother cleared her throat.
Grace jumped, heat flowering in her cheeks like a field of scarlet poppies. She fought the urge to cover her face with her hands, knowing it would only draw further attention to her lapse. Surreptitiously, she tried to free her palm from Jack's clasp, but brazen, irreverent devil that he was, he wouldn't let her go. Tightening his hold instead, he leaned back against the comfortably upholstered sofa cushions, as though nothing whatsoever had occurred.
The dowager-bless her heart-took up the tea urn and refreshed the contents of everyone's cup with an easy charm. "So," his mother inquired with faultless timing, as she set the delicate china pot aside. "Have you decided on a wedding date?"
With their engagement only a few days old, Grace realized she hadn't even considered the question. "We received my father's blessing just yesterday, so I'm afraid there hasn't been time yet to settle on the details."
Ava Byron nodded with understanding. "Jack mentioned that you have lately been residing in Bath with your aunt. Will she be helping you with the preparations?"
Grace's brows furrowed. "I'm not certain. She'll be happy to aid me in selecting a few new gowns, I'm sure, but otherwise I imagine most of the tasks will fall to me."