Perhaps that had been laying it on too thick, but he wasn’t accustomed to telling lies. It was against his code. He was swimming in a dark ocean, bleeding out, and there were hungry sharks closing in all around him.
Mr. Norwood blinked rapidly. “Your Grace, do you mean tosay that you are the secret fiancé of whom Miss Crewe spoke when we met in my office?”
“That’s exactly what I mean, Mr. Norwood.”
Ana was frozen, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find words for once in her life.
“Then why would you go through this charade of asking me to chaperone her, my boy?” asked Aunt Glynis, shaking her head so that the feathers stuck into her hair quivered indignantly. “None of this makes any sense.”
“Because I wanted to wait for an appropriate time before announcing our engagement. I wanted to introduce her to society and make my triumphant return. I didn’t want there to be any rumors of a hasty engagement. Isn’t that right, dear?” He turned to Ana, who was looking a little green about the gills.
She searched his face, nonplussed. “I... suppose so.”
“When Miss Crewe visited you, Mr. Norwood, she didn’t feel at liberty to reveal our connection. I believe you promised to publish her manuscript?”
“I... that is, er, there were certain stipulations attached to any offer of publication. I haven’t read the manuscript as yet.”
“You have read it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The Dragon and the Blue Star.”
“Your Grace, that is... Warburton.” Ana lay a hand on his arm. “Mr. Norwood wishes to publish a new Clovercote novel, not my fantastical tale.”
“Then he is gravely mistaken, for I have read excerpts fromThe Dragon and the Blue Starand it is a work of astounding imagination. I predict it will be a bestseller for Norwood & Pennington.”
Mr. Norwood cleared his throat. “If Miss Crewe gives me Lady Claridge’s novel outline, then I promise I won’t mention to a soul where she was living or the truly outrageous depths to which she’d fallen.”
Ana drew herself as tall as she could. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Norwood? That would be ill-advised.”
Dex moved her slightly behind him. He could fight this battle for her with one hand tied behind his back. “Surely,” he said, slowly and distinctly, “you aren’t attempting to extortmyfiancée, Mr. Norwood? I must not be understanding you correctly.”
“Nothing of the sort, Your Grace. You misunderstand me.” The man blanched, his face going whiter than his collar. He sensed that he’d taken a giant step too far and was backtracking as quickly as his faculties would allow. “It’s only that we areveryselective about which authors and works we publish, naturally, and we feel that Miss Crewe’s fantastical novel wouldn’t fit within our list of titles.”
Dex took a casual step toward the publisher and Mr. Norwood backed away, the tips of his ears turning fiery red. He smiled blandly. “I think you’ll take a chance on her book. New and different isn’t always a bad thing. Aren’t you tired of publishing the same books over and over?”
“We give the public what they clamor for,” he responded faintly.
“They don’t know what they want until you force-feed it to them. It’s time to expand your hallowed list.”
“Warburton,” Ana said urgently. “May I speak with you in private? This matter doesn’t need to be decided hastily.”
“It’s already been decided, isn’t that right, Mr. Norwood?”
“Er, of course, Your Grace. Norwood & Pennington would be delighted to publishThe Dragon and the Blue Stone.”
“The BlueStar,” Dex corrected. “You’ll attend me at my house tomorrow at precisely noon to discuss the terms of the contract.”
Mr. Norwood bowed. “With pleasure, Your Grace.”
“Aunt, escort Mr. Norwood back to the ballroom.”
Aunt Glynis clicked her tongue against her teeth. “I hope you know what you’re doing, my boy.”
“What in the hell was that?” Ana asked after Lady Glynis and Mr. Norwood had left the library, closing the door behind them. She placed her hands on her hips. “You shout orders and expect everyone to do your bidding.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” he asked smugly.