The Lady Who Drew Me In. Thomasine Rappold
Lansing.” His surprised expression deepened the stark blueness of his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. She’d almost forgotten how handsome he was. She managed to drag her gaze from him, glancing to his companion. The young woman lounging on the settee straightened, fluffing her skirts. Her pursed lips were painted with red lipstick, and her cheeks were flush from more than rouge.
“I tried to stop her, Mr. Gallway,” the housekeeper said, clenching her hands.
“It’s all right, Josephine,” he assured her before she slipped from the room.
Jackson strode toward Daisy. “I haven’t yet had an opportunity to review your late husband’s will.”
Two glasses of bubbling champagne sat on the table. “Yes, I can see you’re a busy man.”
He frowned at her sarcasm.
“But that’s not why I’m here,” she said. “I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”
He stiffened, sobered by her tone. “What’s happened? Are you all right?”
The concern on his face almost made her feel sorry for the blow she was about to strike him. The lipstick stain on his cheek chased her sorrow away.
“I’m fine,” she said. “But I must speak with you.” She glanced past him to the woman on the settee. “Privately.”
The woman’s frown of displeasure at the interruption deepened.
“I’ll see Miss Swootz to her carriage,” he said. “Have a seat.”
He escorted the flamboyant Miss Swootz to the door, murmuring his apologies as Daisy settled into the seat the woman had vacated. The strong smell of perfume filled Daisy’s senses, fueling her ire. Had she really expected Jackson Gallway to be sitting home alone in front of the fire, nose buried in a book?
She huffed at the ridiculous notion of it, glancing toward the two champagne flutes. Despite all common sense, her body stirred at the memory of kissing him. The feel of his warm mouth on hers…the sting of his hasty rejection.
As though standing on the ledge of some dark precipice, she squeezed shut her eyes, praying for the strength she needed to jump—to deliberately plunge into the depths of future regrets.
Jackson returned to the room moments later, closing the doors quietly behind him. “Now, what’s the matter?”
She took a deep breath, straightening her spine. “I am ruined,” she said.
He blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“The entire town of Misty Lake knows we spent the night together.”
“How?”
Her temper flared at the note of skepticism in his tone. Did he think she was lying? “What difference does that make?”
“We were discreet. The situation cannot possibly be as bad as all that.”
“It is worse, I assure you,” she said. “Cuffy made a surprise visit to my meeting yesterday.”
“Cuffy?” He narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”
“He had my stocking. He—”
“Your stocking?”
“I’d forgotten it, and he found it in his bed.”
“Christ,” Jackson muttered. He sank into a chair across from her, completely deflated.
“He meant no malice of course, but everyone knows,” she said, staving back tears.
“That crazy coot.” Jackson moved to the settee to console her. “It’s all right,” he said, clasping her hand.
She relaxed, welcoming the familiar scent of him. Her body melted in the heat of his nearness, the solid grip of his hand. She nodded in relief. “I must admit I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.”
“Of course I understand.”
She placed her hand atop his, feeling so grateful. Hopeful. “Neither of us expected to marry under these conditions, but it’s the only recourse—”
“Whoa.” Retracting his hand, he shot to his feet. “Who said anything about marriage?”
She stared incredulously. “But you just said—”
“I said nothing of marriage.”
She frowned at his back as he turned away. He paced the floor, a caged animal desperate for escape.
“There must be some other way,” he said. “Something else we can do.”
She bristled at his audacity. While she’d expected his distress, she’d also expected he’d have the decency to try to hide it. “We can do nothing without risking Andy’s safety,” she said. “Not that disclosing the circumstances would change things. We spent the night together. Alone.”
The reiteration forced him to silence for what seemed like forever.
“I just need a minute to think,” he said, pacing some more.
“It’s all been arranged.”
He stopped in his tracks, turning to face her.
“Your brother took care of everything.”
Jackson frowned. “Of course he did. I’m sure Dannion was only too happy to help.”
That Jackson was now angry at Dannion as well fueled her ire. “He wasn’t the least bit happy about anything, I assure you. But he and Tessa will be here tonight. The ceremony will take place in the morning.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. Tomorrow. I will not return to Misty Lake as a scandalous widow. I can’t. I won’t.”
“And what about me?” he demanded. “I had plans for my life.”
“So did I,” she shot back. “And they certainly did not include getting married again. Especially to someone like you.”
He blinked at the insult before his face turned to steel. “And yet, here you are.”
“And here I will stay until you agree to do the honorable thing.”
He snorted. “The honorable thing.”
“A foreign concept to you, I’m sure. But you will do what is right.” She couldn’t help herself. “According to your brother you’ve been in need of rightening for quite some time.”
“Is that so?”
“He told me about the circumstances leading to the loss of your position at the law firm.”
The taut line of his mouth tightened. “I see.”
“We have no choice,” she said, veering back to the matter at hand. “We’ve made this mess and must now clean it up.”
“And how tidy things will turn out for you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“The Gallway name carries weight in Misty Lake.”
“No thanks to you,” she muttered.
He clenched his jaw. “Nevertheless, your plans for a day home stand a better chance with the Gallway name behind you. Not to mention your late husband’s funds become available upon your remarriage. You’ve read the will, surely you know this.”
While this was indeed a brighter side to the bleak predicament, she resented the accusation. She took a furious breath. “Now you listen to me, Jackson Gallway, and you listen good.” She took an imposing step toward him, pointing her finger. “This is as much your fault as it is mine. My reputation is ruined because I helped you. If you do nothing else in your roguish life, you will marry me. You will do the honorable thing, or so help