To Love A Lord of London (Wardington Park; Raptures of Royalty) by Eleanor Meyers

truth.

    A my whispered , “He doesn’t have to know the truth.”
    “Amy,” Christa pressed. “I don’t want you to mess this up.”
    Amy stared at her, “Why are you helping me? Haven’t I ruined your life? Your father threatens you because of my secret.”
    Christa just stared at her and said, “If anyone is going to make it out of that house without being ruined, it’s going to be you.”
    Amy didn’t understand her words but decided to change back to the previous conversation. “Promise me that if he asks, you will simply say you know nothing.”
    “And I’d fall for this plan because, I’m just that gullible?”
    Amy turned and found Nathaniel standing at the curtain, pain written on his face. She went to him. “No. That’s not it. I—”

    “ L eave us ,” he said to Christa.
    Amy’s cousin looked at her and then left the room.
    Nathaniel crossed his arms. “So, you simply never planned to tell me the truth? Or perhaps, you planned on waiting until after we were married.”
    Married? Had he been thinking about asking for her hand. Amy shook her head. “No. I was going to tell you.”
    “Then tell me this.” He lowered his voice, “Exactly, how big of a fool did I look? Chasing after a woman who’d been had by many?”
    Amy’s eyes widened, “No, Nathaniel. I’m not… like that.”
    He laughed, “Oh, Miss Ott. You play innocent so well.” He shook his head. “And to think…” He shook his head again.
    “Nathaniel—”
    A brow rose. “It’s Lord Nathaniel to you.”
    She drew back, surprised, then looked away, embarrassed. “My lord, I—”

    H e touched her then , grabbing her roughly around the waist. There was no gentleness in his touch. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her cheek. “Forget it. This works out for me either way. I don’t care how many men you’ve been with, but I will be your last, and I will take you as you are.” Then he pulled back and looked at her. “A woman from your station should be so lucky.” Where his eyes had once been full of warmth, were now cold.
    Amy pushed out of his embrace, “Nathaniel—”
    “Lord—”
    “My lord!”
    They were silent.
    Nathaniel said, “Shall we finish the play and then head to my townhouse after?”
    She stared at him, not understanding what it was she’d seen in him at all. “You’ll be doing both on your own.”
    “So, be it.”
    Then she left.
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11

CHAPTER
    ELEVEN
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    “I could wait for you forever, Ms. Ott.”
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    T he second act had been playing for twenty minutes, and Nathaniel hadn’t seen a thing. He sat brooding in his chair when he heard the soft opening and closing of the curtain to his box. He didn’t want company and when he saw who was there, more than ever he wished to be alone. “Don’t you have somewhere else you can watch from?”

    “ W hy ?” his father asked. “Is this box full?”
    Nathaniel narrowed his eyes but gave no reply.
    “I saw Miss Ott and Lady Christa leave… What did you do?”
    He scoffed, “Of course you’d blame me.” Then he turned to face his father, the play completely forgotten. “I found out Miss Ott’s little secret tonight.”
    “And what secret was that?” Wardington asked.
    Nathaniel looked away. He wanted to tell his father but couldn’t bring the words to the surface. Even now, he protected her, even when he felt so betrayed. He’d actually begun to fall for her.

    W ardington spoke , “I didn’t know you were one to judge a woman for something she couldn’t control.”
    “She controlled herself by lying to me about it. Pretending to be innocent when all she was after was marriage to one in the peerage.”
    Wardington was silent for a moment and then said, “But Amy is innocent.”
    Nathaniel looked at his father, “With your experience, I thought you a better judge of character.”
    Wardington narrowed his eyes, “What that woman’s mother has done does not mean she participated in any of it. She was only a