said. You chose to make this agreement with my uncle, and in doing so, ensured that I would be subject to all that comes with being your betrothed.”
Timothy did not know what response to give, realizing that she was correct in all she said but strongly disliking the feeling that came with it. Clearing his throat, he tried to change the subject.
“Mayhap you would like to take a turn about the gardens?” he suggested as Lady Newfield drew near them. “It is not too cold and can sometimes be refreshing after a dance.”
Miss Mullins waited for a moment, seeing Lady Newfield nod, and then accepted with a murmur and nothing more. Timothy looked around him and saw the ladies whispering behind their hands or the fans that hid twitching lips. Clearly, there were many of the ton speaking of them, but he had to lift his head and refuse to allow such a thing to be of any importance to him whatsoever.
“Just this way,” he said gruffly, gesturing to the door before them. Keeping his head held high, he walked towards the open doors, knowing that Lady Newfield was walking behind them. It was something of a relief to step out of doors, to feel the cool wind brush his cheeks. Clearing his throat, he looked down at Miss Mullins and noticed, for the first time, just how tightly she held his arm.
“I am sorry,” he muttered, but Miss Mullins merely shook her head. There were other guests walking to and fro in the well-lit gardens, for there were even footmen standing with lanterns to keep the path clear.
“It is good to be outside for a time,” Miss Mullins said softly. “I confess that I—”
“Lord Coventry?” A gentleman laughed hard as he knocked into Timothy, making Miss Mullins stumble. “Whatever are you doing here?”
Timothy felt his stomach tighten, anger beginning to grow within him. “I have been invited,” he said firmly. “Do excuse me. I—”
“But you are out walking in the gardens with a young lady!” said the gentleman, his face a little shadowed in the darkness, meaning that Timothy was unable to recognize him easily. “That is most improper, Lord Coventry!”
Stiffening, Timothy drew himself up. “If you would excuse me,” he said grimly. “My conduct is none of your concern, besides which, I think you will discover that I have a chaperone for the lady in question.”
The gentleman became silent for a moment and, in that second, Timothy heard Miss Mullins gasp. Spinning around, he looked desperately for Lady Newfield, realizing that she was nowhere to be found.
“Most improper,” the gentleman murmured, his voice now low and threatening, no hint of laughter in his voice. “How can you be walking with a lady without a chaperone?”
“I have a chaperone,” he heard Miss Mullins say as panic began to grip him. “She must have been delayed.”
The gentleman cackled. “Or mayhap deliberately waylaid,” he said with a sneer in his voice. “I am very sorry indeed, miss, but I must find someone to accompany you to ensure your reputation is not damaged—although it is certainly stained already simply with you being present here alone with this gentleman.
Miss Mullins’ hand tightened on Timothy’s arm once more, and Timothy felt his rage begin to burn. “I do not know what you intend or who you are,” he said, stepping forward and grasping the gentleman by the jacket. “But I shall not allow you to say anything about this particular young lady, not when we are quite correct in our conduct.”
The gentleman grappled at his jacket, but Timothy held on all the more tightly, feeling his frustration burning hotter and hotter.
“Who sent you to do this?” he asked, fearing that someone had been watching him, hoping that he would step outside with a lady simply so that a situation such as this could occur. “You have been waiting and watching for me, no doubt, and I would presume that someone else has been hoping to rid us of our chaperone for a time so that we would have no other choice but to listen to whatever your demands now are.”
Miss Mullins shook Timothy’s arm. “Please, Lord Coventry,” she said hoarsely. “Allow him free.” It took a moment for Timothy to feel those words penetrate his mind but, eventually, he released his grip on the gentleman’s jacket and shirt and, finally, let him go.
The gentleman was breathing heavily, stumbling backward as he ran both hands down his jacket, righting himself. Timothy glared into the darkness,