Falling for the Marquess - Julianne MacLean Page 0,42

with a hand. “Oh, no.”

“Don’t worry, no one knows. I was careful.”

“What did you do?”

“I snuck out to meet Lord Rawdon.”

Sophia’s cheeks went pale. “You did what? How?”

“I sent him a note saying that I wished to see him, and in his reply, he told me his carriage would be out front at two a.m. I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity, since the duke is expecting an answer today, so I was very quiet and went out a servant’s door. The marquess was outside, just as he said he would be. We didn’t go anywhere. We just sat in his coach and talked.”

“You talked,” Sophia said skeptically. “That’s all?”

“Well, no, but I’ll explain the rest in a minute. The point is that I’ve made up my mind about the Duke of Guysborough. I can’t marry him.” Clara continued to explain. “And after I talked to the marquess, I realized that we were right about him, Sophia. There is hope. His unconventional behavior makes perfect sense.”

“Why?”

“First of all, he was an exemplary child and model student, very well-behaved with excellent academic performance. It was only later in life that he began to live recklessly, and there is an explanation for it. You see, he fell in love with someone but was forbidden to marry her because his father considered her to be beneath him socially.”

“Interesting,” Sophia replied. “But I’m still waiting for the reason why you think there is hope.”

“Yes, I’m getting to that. The young woman was sent away to America by Lord Rawdon’s father, but she died when her ship sank halfway across the Atlantic. It’s tragic, I know. It was after that that the marquess retreated from society because he blamed its severe, restrictive rules for his heartache. The point is, he loved once before, Sophia, deeply and faithfully. He wanted to marry the girl, and the loss of her cut him so deeply, he has not yet gotten over it.”

“And you think this makes him more attainable?”

“Yes,” Clara replied. “If a man is capable of loving a woman once with that much devotion, he is capable of it again. He needs to be rescued and I can help him. I am sure of it. It’s in his nature to love.”

Sophia stood up and paced the room. “This is very dangerous, Clara. No woman should ever believe that she can change a man. When you marry, you must marry the man for who and what he is, not what you hope he will become.”

“You rescued James.”

“But I didn’t know that’s what I was doing when I agreed to marry him. I believed he was perfect as he was. It was only later that I realized there was more beneath the surface than I knew. You, on the other hand, know that the marquess is not the kind of man you ever intended to marry. You should not forget that.”

Clara tossed the covers aside and stood up. She went to her dressing table to sit down and begin combing her hair. “There is an attraction between us. We could have talked all night long.”

“He’s a very skilled lover,” Sophia argued. “That’s what he does. He seduces women, makes them feel desirable.”

Clara bristled at the words. “No, there was something special between us.”

“I’m sure all women feel that way after a night in his arms. He’s very handsome and charming. Tell me you did not do anything foolish. You didn’t give yourself to him, did you?”

When Clara turned and faced Sophia, she recognized the anxiety in her eyes. “You needn’t be concerned. I am still a virgin.”

Sophia let out a breath of relief and collapsed into a chair. She rested a hand on her chest.

“Which is another reason why I believe he is honorable beneath the infamous notoriety,” Clara added. “He’s had three opportunities to take advantage of me, and all three times he has resisted and done everything in his power to protect my virtue. I trusted him completely last night. There was not a single fear in my mind that he would ravish me against my will or do anything to harm me. The fact that he could act with honor in that way leads me to believe that if he makes any kind of vow or promise, he will be faithful to that vow.”

“You think he could be a reliable husband?”

“Yes, I do.”

“We’re talking about a lifetime, Clara, not one night with a virgin. Maybe he didn’t ravish you because he knew that