“I will have no sons, Miss Leonard, nor daughters either. Carrying on the family line is a task I leave to my brother and his wife, which is why it is of the utmost importance for Claude to choose his bride wisely.”
The viscount’s answer piqued her curiosity further still, but this time Rebecca refused to indulge it with more questions. It was clear Lord Benedict wanted his brother to select a wife using his head rather than his heart and the only qualifications should be fortune and rank. Hermione Leonard might not be the daughter of an earl with a large dowry, but she was well-bred and accomplished. What was even more important, in Rebecca’s opinion, she would make a loving wife and devoted mother.
Lord Benedict reminded Rebecca of the haughty relatives who had tried to prevent her parents’ marriage. “Is that everything you wish to say, sir?”
“Not quite. I have an important request to make of you. After hearing me out with such civility, I hope you will be inclined to grant it.”
“Request?” Rebecca arched one eyebrow.
The viscount thrust his arms behind his back and drew himself up to his full, impressive height. “Having heard some of my reasons for opposing the match, I must ask you to promise you will not wed my brother.”
Though her conscience prodded her to explain his mistake, Rebecca could not bear to expose poor Hermione to this dreadful man without proper warning. Besides, Lord Benedict would discover the truth soon enough. “I give you my word, sir. I will not marry your brother under any circumstances.”
“Truly?” Her reply seemed to take some of the starch out of the viscount. “Just like that? You’re certain you won’t change your mind?”
“Entirely certain.” Rebecca reminded herself she was telling the truth. “After everything you have said, nothing could induce me to make such a match.”
Once he believed he’d gotten his way, Lord Benedict became far more affable. “That is very sensible of you and most obliging. I came here fearing I might have a fight on my hands. Many women, once they’d accepted a marriage offer from a man with my brother’s prospects, would have clung to it against all appeals. Your willingness to act in everyone’s best interests speaks well of your sense and character.”
His cordiality made Rebecca begin to regret misleading him. Lord Benedict had misled himself, she reminded her nagging conscience. She’d never once claimed to be Hermione. If he’d given her an opportunity to speak in the beginning, rather than rattling on in that arrogant manner, he would soon have learned of his error.
“If you will excuse me, sir, I must retire.” If she stayed in the garden any longer, Rebecca feared Hermione might come looking for her and expose the whole mistaken identity.
“Of course.” His lordship paid her the compliment of bowing very low. “I will not detain you any longer.”
With that, he marched away looking greatly pleased with himself, while Rebecca hurried into Rose Grange to tell Hermione everything that had transpired.
“You did what?” The Honorable Claude Stanhope hurled down his silver fork with such force it might have chipped his china dinner plate.
Leaping to his feet, he glared down the length of the dining table at his half brother. “How dare you speak to Miss Leonard without my knowledge, let alone demand she break our engagement?”
“I did not demand anything of the lady.” Sebastian continued to consume his helping of roast pork with a better appetite than he’d had since learning of his brother’s latest romantic entanglement. “I simply explained the situation and requested her cooperation. To my surprise, she was most agreeable.”
“Agreeable?” Claude huffed. “She’s a perfect angel! And I refuse to believe she consented to break our engagement at a mere word from you. Tell me the truth. Did you threaten her? Try to bribe her? Did you tell her despicable lies about me?”
“Nothing so nefarious, I assure you.” Sebastian tried to dismiss his brother’s description of Hermione Leonard as a perfect angel but found he could not.
Though her looks were not perfect by any objective measure of feminine beauty, there was a suggestion of strength about her jaw and brow that appealed to him more than the porcelain delicacy currently in fashion. Her eyes were very fine, too. Their warm golden brown hue hinted at prudence and constancy, while flickers of emerald betrayed lively intelligence, perhaps even an impish sense of humor. Ever since their meeting, he’d found himself recalling those eyes and the mystery he’d sensed in their beguiling depths.
Now he strove to put them out of his mind so he could concentrate on this discussion with his brother. Having rescued Claude from his latest scrape with such ease, the last thing he needed was for his brother to run back to Miss Leonard and urge her to change her mind. Not that he suspected the lady could be easily persuaded, in spite of his experience to the contrary. Sebastian flattered himself that he had made a sound case for breaking the engagement. It was also possible Miss Leonard had been having second thoughts even before he’s spoken to her.
“I simply explained my reasons for objecting to a union between you,” he continued. “Then I requested her promise not to proceed further. I must admit, I was surprised by her willingness to oblige me so readily. I was prepared to pay well to secure your freedom.”
It would have cost him a pretty penny to extricate his brother from an engagement to any of the grasping debutantes with whom Claude had been besotted in the past. What a relief that Hermione Leonard had proven to possess far more sense and strength of character than those others. Sebastian had considered offering her generous compensation for her cooperation, but Miss Leonard’s admirable behavior had made him fear she might take offense at such a suggestion.
“I don’t want to be free of Hermione!” Claude pounded his fist on the table, making the silverware jump and the crystal shudder. “Why can’t you understand that, Sebastian? I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
To his considerable dismay, Sebastian found he could understand his brother’s desire for something more than a passing flirtation with Hermione Leonard. For that very reason, he was relieved he’d been able to break the engagement. He would not relish the prospect of feeling more than brotherly concern for his attractive sister-in-law.
“You didn’t want to be free of the others either, remember?” he snapped, unsettled by the interest Miss Leonard had stirred in him after such a brief meeting. He’d believed himself immune from those sorts of feelings and wanted it to remain that way. “Yet later you were always grateful for my intervention. I have no doubt it will be the same this time.”
In truth, Sebastian was not quite as confident as he strove to sound. Though he had many reasons for hoping this latest dalliance would end like all the others, he would lose considerable respect for his brother if Claude recovered too easily from his feelings for the intriguing Miss Leonard.